Netanyahu faced repeated warnings before October 7
Mounting evidence shows Israel's government was warned about the October 7 attack and did nothing, which is bad news for Netanyahu as he heads into a tough reelection fight.
- Reports from Israeli and US outlets say the leaders of the UAE and Egypt both warned Netanyahu directly, and he kept it to himself instead of telling Israel's security chiefs.
- Israeli intelligence had the actual attack plans back in 2022 and dismissed them, assuming Hamas could not pull it off.
- Troops had been moved away from the Gaza border to the West Bank, and the government took most of a day to mount a real response.
- Suspicion that Netanyahu let it happen has now gone mainstream, showing up even on US cable news, though plain arrogance and incompetence explain it just as well.
- Israel has still held no official inquiry, and Netanyahu keeps delaying any reckoning the same way he delays his corruption trial.
Outlook: Neither Netanyahu nor the opposition looks likely to win a majority, so he may survive as a caretaker prime minister unless these scandals finally break his hold.