On October 7, Israelis were failed by false promises of security. When I interviewed prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, many wanted me to ask him how he could have allowed border defences to break down. From Nova festival revellers to kibbutzniks, I’ve spoken to survivors whose words haunt me. They all reassured their children, “don’t worry, the IDF will be here in minutes.”
The bomb shelters do not have locks in Israel because nobody suspected Jihadists would go house to house. You can see the marks where innocent families tried to hold the doors shut. All one grandfather could tell his grandchildren when Hamas entered their house was to tie a towel to the door and hold it firm. It took Hamas minutes to break in and take the two hostage.
Another survivor told me how he quaked in his safe room as he was being smoked out with his family. He assured his children: “Don’t worry, the IDF will be here in minutes.” The army didn’t arrive for hours, and Hamas got through the window. The father lost his legs, his wife was killed in a grenade blast and his son was shot dead. His daughter survived.
There has been an admission of failure from senior figures, but a notable non-apology from politicians. If Netanyahu admits responsibility for the attack, it will damage him politically.
Yet the granular details of political intrigue remain secondary in a nation fighting for Western survival.
With imminent war in the north and continued fighting against Hamas in Gaza, this is not the time to obsess over domestic politics. But Netanyahu’s words are important. As the leader of a country surrounded by existential threat, his role is to keep people safe.
During our TalkTV interview, Benjamin Netanyahu was clearly focused on eradicating Hamas and countering the looming Iranian threat. He seemed resolute and unwavering.
When it came to October 7, however, he did acknowledge a governmental lapse, stating: “There is a responsibility for a government to protect its people. Clearly, we failed.”
Nonetheless, while the eyes of the world remain fixed on Gaza, in northern Israel, fighting between the IDF and Iran’s steadfast proxy, Hezbollah, is worsening by the week. The inevitability of war with Tehran looms large.
Resolution 1701 can now be rendered a failed endeavour. Enacted by the UN in 2006 to quell the Lebanon War and foster peace, neither the resolution nor the international community has stopped Hezbollah from stockpiling an arsenal of deadly weapons.
Everything south of the city of Nabatieh is a Hezbollah stronghold, increasing the likelihood that Israel must go to war on two fronts.
Netanyahu told me that Hezbollah underestimated Israel’s military capacity.
But I’ve seen the rockets being fired into Israel from the terrorists’ stockpile in Lebanon: they could reach Tel Aviv and wipe out much of the Jewish state. The spectre of a broader conflict hangs ominously.
Meanwhile, of course, the challenge for Israel in Gaza is colossal, not least because it must embark on a re-education programme for a radicalised population. UNWRA-run schools in Gaza teach children to hate Jews and fight against the West.
As David Cameron calls for a two-state solution, the question arises: how can Palestinians in Gaza accept an Israeli state when they are taught to eradicate it?
The radicalisation, evident in everything from board games to exercise books, demands urgent attention.
Just this week, an IDF soldier passed me a piece of paper he had found in a Gazan house. It depicts the Eiffel Tower with a minaret on the top. The piece of Jihadist propaganda wasn’t found in Hamas HQ, it was discovered in a child’s bedroom in an ordinary civilian house in Gaza.
The radicalisation of Palestinians is pervasive and deadly, and it is not just Israel who will fall victim if it goes unchecked.
Israel is only the first enemy in the Jihadist campaign. The West is next. This is a reality that has been demonstrated time and time again, from the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris to the Manchester Arena bombing.
The jihadist threat is at our door and the radicalised children of UNWRA schools mean this battle will have a long course.
Hamas, with its extremist Jihadist agenda, won’t stop at Israel.
With Hezbollah in the north and Hamas in Gaza, the IDF is fighting for all of our futures and the West needs to gear up for the war ahead.
