Since Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Tzachi Hanegbi as national security adviser. This decision takes place in a very changed and escalating environment after the deadly Hamas-led invasion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Netanyahu’s office made the decision public as demands for accountability grew louder. They are demanding accountability for the missteps that permitted the violent attack to take place.
Netanyahu appointed Gil Reich, the deputy head of the National Security Council, to serve as the acting head of the council. This transition is enormously consequential for Israel. It continues to struggle with security concerns and struggles to figure out how it is going to respond to the conflict in Gaza.
Even Tzachi Hanegbi, the Israeli Minister of National Security, has publicly demanded an investigation into how the October 7 attack was allowed to happen. He directly accepted responsibility for those failures. He expressed his frustration at the federal government’s delay in establishing a public inquiry to examine the issue. He went on to stress that accountability is very important.
“The terrible failure … must be thoroughly investigated to ensure that the appropriate lessons are learned and to help restore the trust that has been shattered,” – Benjamin Netanyahu
Even this call for an independent investigation has faced derision from Israel’s opposition. Critics charge that Netanyahu is deliberately delaying the inquiry process, which directly affects the level of transparency and accountability in the Israeli government. Even Gadi Eisenkot, another former chief of staff, a member of the so-called security cabinet and a rising star of Israeli politics, expressed his displeasure with Hanegbi’s ouster.
“is an expression of the continued evasion of responsibility by all Cabinet members and the Prime Minister of the October 7 debacle – in order to replace them with yes-men.” – Gadi Eisenkot
Yet the rift between Hanegbi and Netanyahu was only growing as their visions of Gaza City’s future started to diverge. Unlike Hanegbi, who opposed an ethno-nationalist full military takeover of the city, his rival argued for following through on a partial military/humanitarian split deal with Hamas. Conflicting opinions about military strategy led to conflict between Israeli leadership. At the time, this wave of unrest was significant and critically important for our country.
In just two weeks, the humanitarian situation has rapidly deteriorated in Gaza. Aid and security assistance have failed to ensure sufficient warehouses are stocked even to minimum international standards, according to reports, prompting grave worries about civilian support. The current conflict has shone more light than ever on Israel’s military operations. In particular, we suggest taking a deeper look at the national security and humanitarian implications.
Tzachi Hanegbi stated, “Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me today of his intention to appoint a new head of the National Security Council.” He further confirmed that his tenure had concluded with his dismissal: “In light of this, my term as national security adviser and head of the National Security Council ends today.”
