Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is rejecting accusations that his government bears responsibility for Hamas’s October 7 attack, instead blaming the country’s security services for what he described as a catastrophic intelligence failure.

In an English-language video posted Monday to his social media accounts, Netanyahu defended his wartime decisions while leveling some of his strongest public criticism yet at Israel’s military and intelligence leadership. The eight-minute interview — conducted by his newly appointed international affairs adviser, former journalist Caroline Glick — comes amid accusations that political considerations have shaped his strategy.

With coalition tensions escalating and a recent New York Times investigation raising questions about whether the prime minister has prolonged the conflict for political survival, Netanyahu used the video to push back on what he called “bogus” narratives about the causes of the attack and its aftermath.

“Don’t mistake our internal democratic debate,” he said, dismissing claims that divisions over his government’s judicial overhaul weakened national resilience. “On the day of reckoning, if we are attacked, we shall all be there, left and right — and that’s exactly what happened.”

Responding to claims that military and intelligence officials had warned him about an impending Hamas operation, Netanyahu said the reverse was true.

“They said Hamas is deterred. They want workers, they want economic benefits, there’s no danger of an impending attack. And they said it again, and again, and again,” Netanyahu insisted.

He also addressed the now-infamous “Jericho’s Walls” plan — a Hamas strategy document obtained by the IDF in 2022 that described a large-scale ground invasion. Netanyahu said he never saw the report, and claimed it was ignored by the intelligence community due to a belief that Hamas posed no imminent threat.

Israeli defense and intelligence agencies have acknowledged a range of failures in the lead-up to the attack, including missed warning signs and flawed assumptions about Hamas’s intentions.

A March report by the Shin Bet domestic security agency said government policy to allow Qatari funds into Gaza helped fuel Hamas’s buildup. Former Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman said Netanyahu “knew” the risks of channeling money into the territory and pursued the policy despite repeated warnings.

Netanyahu also pushed back on claims that he has used the war for political advantage. “In all the key decisions of the war…I led them. They followed. I’m glad they did,” he said, listing actions such as the Rafah operation, the elimination of Hezbollah figures, and the strikes on Iran.

He rejected assertions that domestic politics had constrained hostage negotiations or discussions over Gaza’s future. “That’s ridiculous,” he said. “I made hostage deals against my political partners in the coalition.”

Critics, including former U.S. officials, have raised concerns that Netanyahu’s reluctance to outline a postwar plan for Gaza has been driven by fear of alienating far-right members of his coalition. Netanyahu denied those reports, saying, “It’s not my personal political survival that I’m concerned with, but my country’s survival.”

Asked to define his “endgame” in Gaza, Netanyahu replied: “It’s called victory, victory, victory.”

In the closing moments of the video, Netanyahu invoked his alignment with President Donald Trump, calling their shared approach a “doctrine called peace through strength.”

“First comes strength — then comes peace. That’s what’s going to happen,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)