The decisions, the concept, and the next failure: 'Hayom' commentators respond – where did we go wrong?
Three years after October 7, 'Hayom' commentators return to the decisions that could have changed the war and examine whether the political echelon and the IDF have truly moved beyond the old concept. From the front in Lebanon to the question of the next failure, Yoav Limor, Itai Ilanai, and Lilach Shoval answer the questions that remain open.
Three years after October 7, 'Hayom' commentators Yoav Limor, Itai Ilanai, and Lilach Shoval answer the questions that remain open. Ilanai notes that the opportunity to attack Hezbollah in Lebanon on October 11, 2023, was missed: Prime Minister Netanyahu, backed by Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, opposed the attack despite the support of Defense Minister Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. The move was delayed by a year. Limor argues that Israel should have worked with the world on a plan for the 'day after' in Gaza and launched a global hasbara campaign. Shoval believes that conquering the entire Strip in the first days would have shortened the campaign. Regarding moving beyond the old concept, Ilanai claims that Netanyahu's 'containment policy' did a 180-degree turn, and Israel began acting like a neighborhood bully. Limor calls for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry and warns against total dependence on the US. Shoval notes forced restraint on the IDF in the north and Gaza due to political considerations. On the question of whether the IDF is protected from the next failure, Ilanai answers in the negative and warns of a sense of invincibility. Limor and Shoval emphasize that there is no hermetic protection and that one must look for the next surprise. On reducing the scale of the massacre, Ilanai states there is no magic solution, but local emergency squads managed to minimize the invasion of communities.