If Israel was a normal country, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would have resigned almost immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the greatest single catastrophe in Israel’s seven-decade history.

It would have been unreasonable for him to have stepped down so soon after this unprecedented disaster, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 Israelis and foreigners in the western Negev. The country was in dire need of leadership and most Israelis perceived Netanyahu as an able and responsible leader who could guide the ship of state through troubled waters.

That being said, Netanyahu should have handed in his resignation very soon after October 7, leaving the governance of Israel to a trusted associate. Instead, much to his discredit, he exploited the mood of the day to conveniently distance himself from the atrocities and cynically transfer the blame to the army and the Shin Bet, the internal security agency.........

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