https://arab.news/c62f4
At last, negotiators in Sharm El-Sheikh have agreed an end to this period of the most horrific bloodshed in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948. Albeit it will only be a long haul toward a return to normality. Yet aside from indulging in some cautious optimism, it is perhaps also time for some initial reflection within both societies. How did they get into such a catastrophic nightmare?
Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent triumphalist speeches and statements, often utterly contradictory, are the legacy of his long, much too long, time as Israeli prime minister. It is a legacy that will take years to overcome and rectify, not only for the Palestinians and others in the region, but also for Israel and its own people. Netanyahu’s premiership is not over yet but is nearing its end; it is just a matter of time, and how much more damage he is prepared to inflict on everything and everyone within his orbit, until he exits the political stage for good.
If anything should have hastened the end of his career, it was the utter failure to anticipate and prevent the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and his reported paralysis for the first few days that followed it as he realized that the greatest security failure in Israel’s history had taken place on his watch. But neither he nor his lieutenants in this worst-ever government in Israeli history have been of a mind even to acknowledge their colossal failure, never mind apologize for it, do the decent thing by resigning, and subject themselves to the judgment of the people by calling a general election and establishing an independent inquiry into Oct. 7.
