The Survival Artist of Jerusalem

Political memory in democracies is notoriously short, but Israel’s upcoming elections are testing the limits of collective amnesia. Three years after the bloodiest breach of Israeli territory since 1948—which left 1,200 dead and 251 dragged into Gaza as hostages—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again marketing himself as the nation’s indispensable protector. The irony is as glaring as it is strategic: the politician who built his reputation as Mr. Security is asking voters for a fresh mandate without ever having faced an independent state inquiry into the ultimate failure of that promise.

While the military establishment acknowledged its failures—IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and senior intelligence heads stepped down, accepting systemic blame—the political hierarchy has remained remarkably untouched. Netanyahu has consistently deflected responsibility onto his security chiefs, arguing that had he been awakened in the early hours of October 7, 2023, his instincts would have averted catastrophe. Yet the military’s doctrine of containment towards Hamas was not conceived in a vacuum. For years, successive cabinets sanctioned Qatari funding to Gaza under the logic of keeping the enclave manageable and the Palestinian leadership divided, a grand strategy that unravelled in a matter of hours at border posts like Nahal Oz and kibbutzim like Kfar Aza.

Demands for a judicial commission of inquiry led by the Supreme Court have been repeatedly stonewalled by the government, which cites judicial bias while failing to enact its own politically appointed substitute before parliament adjourned. Former minister Yizhar Shai, who lost a son in the attack, along with other bereaved families, has taken the demand for answers to the High Court. Meanwhile, the opposition, led by figures like Gadi Eisenkot, has turned political evasion into campaign satire with video games mocking Netanyahu's sleep habits on the eve of tragedy.

Yet for many voters, the ledger is not simple. Behind the evident failure of intelligence lies three years of relentless military operations that reshaped the regional power balance against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. Whether the electorate prioritises institutional accountability over the narrative of regional military strength remains the central question of this campaign. Can a political system function without answering for its greatest defensive breakdown, or will voters decide that security is defined by survival rather than scrutiny?

Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com