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Israelis are exhausted, fearful of another attack, and enraged by a leader with dubious prioritiesLast updated 35 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Israeli protesters rally against their government and the war in Gaza, at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, on July 2, 2026, marking 1,000 days since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty ImagesSDEROT, Israel — As a jet ski sped from Jordan into Israeli waters near Eilat on the Red Sea in early June, much slower navy vessels raced to intercept the intruder.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe incident set off a torrent of rumours speculating on the light-touch security in the southern city of approximately 56,000. Eilat is a diving and snorkelling holiday destination for Israelis and the gateway to the Sinai Desert. It’s a prized vacation spot.Shortly after the jet-ski incident (the driver of the seacraft was turned back by Israeli naval patrols and detained by Jordanian navy officials), a report was leaked in the Israeli media, stating that David Zini, the head of Israel’s domestic security agency (the Shin Bet), had expressed concern in closed-door sessions that “the next October 7” could well happen in Eilat.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIn the days following this report, unnamed sources attempted to mop up the mess by telling Israeli media that any suggestions that Eilat was an “exposed city” were “speculative” and based on questionable, if any, intelligence.The problem is that Israelis have little confidence in these institutional efforts to sweep away unhelpful facts. That is exactly what happened in the lead-up to October 7, now well-documented to have been the result of a total breakdown of Israel’s intelligence, military and political systems. Various offices — at the highest levels — had more than enough information to foresee an imminent attack by Hamas. Arrogance, delayed reactions and siloed functions all converged to create a massive blind spot along the border between Gaza and Israel.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has steadfastly refused to take responsibility for October 7 and its aftermath. IDF and security leaders have stepped up and owned their failures, individually and as a collective. Quite a few have resigned from their positions.Meanwhile, there has been a steady flow of official reports, books and investigative reporting that has established unequivocally that there was no shortage of information regarding Hamas’s plans to attack. What Israel’s leaders failed to do was to assess, process and analyze the data with the speed and skill required. (A recently released book titled “06:29” — currently available only in Hebrew — by highly regarded military journalist Amos Harel documents the events of that day and key periods leading up to it, painstakingly.)Israelis are not overly inclined to trust leadership these days.Little has changed in this country since October 6. The same coalition of extremists dominates the political echelon. IDF, Shin Bet and Mossad leadership have been replaced but one must question whether the entrenched, sclerotic institutional cultures have been modified at all.Netanyahu is widely perceived to have been primarily focused for the past three years on his political dominance and survival. That may be a debatable proposition but increasingly, since October 7, his conduct and priorities have been assessed with heightened cynicism by the majority of Israelis.And now — with elections just a few months away — scrutiny of his leadership is sharpening. He has refused to convene a State Commission of Inquiry into October 7, insisting that deep state interests would subvert the proceeding to pin all responsibility on him. This evasion concerns Israelis. In January, 55 per cent of the population believed that a commission of inquiry must be convened. Given what has transpired since then, that number has likely increased.Until a few weeks ago, Bibi was riding high. He was allied tightly with America and believed that he was witnessing a renaissance in the Middle East. He was directly involved in remaking the map and alliances of the region. All those pesky domestic issues — like ultra-orthodox draft dodgers — were mere irritants. Netanyahu was presiding over an unmitigated triumph.Until U.S. President Donald Trump turned and entered into a memorandum of understanding with Iran to negotiate terms to end the conflict. And, depending upon which party to the MoU explained the terms, this was contingent on a cessation of hostilities involving Israel and Hezbollah in south Lebanon. Bibi was left out in the cold. He was not even consulted.And everything cratered.America had put its national interest first (as Trump perceives it) and seems to have agreed to terms of negotiation that are so vague that each country has wildly divergent understandings as to what, exactly, is being negotiated.Suddenly, Netanyahu was orphaned. Israel was more isolated diplomatically than ever. His slogan since October 7 — “Total Victory” — was not resonating with Israelis (it never really did catch on). Total disaster seemed more fitting.A recent poll has confirmed that almost 60 per cent of Israelis believe it is time for Netanyahu to step down.Former PM Naftali Bennett has been on two podcasts recently stating that Netanyahu has lost control of the government and is beholden to the interests of the ultra-orthodox and Jewish extremists.In the final days before the Knesset disperses for summer, Netanyahu is focused on passing a law that will exempt ultra-orthodox men from army service. The IDF faces an immediate shortage of 20,000 troops. Recently, the IDF chief of staff warned the government that the army cannot sustain the demands placed upon it by constant multi-front wars as well as managing settler violence in the West Bank and providing secure conditions for settlement expansion. Policy objections aside, heaping such burdens on the military infrastructure is insanity.But if he is to have a hope of forming the next government, Netanyahu will likely require the support of his extremist allies; the messianists and ultra-orthodox. Netanyahu knows that without passage of the draft law the ultra-orthodox may refuse to support a future coalition led by him.So at prime-time Saturday night, Netanyahu appeared on Israeli television. His office gave the media less than 20 minutes’ notice. What was the urgency to commandeer the airwaves? He announced the historic peace treaty signed between Israel and Lebanon. He also shared with the nation that he is prepared to sit in a “unity” government.In other words, the PM took over the airwaves to tell Israelis (whose support for him and his party has dropped significantly) that he’s prepared to lie with political parties other than his current extremist bedfellows.That has been widely perceived as being code for — “I’ll sit with anyone as long as I stay in power.”The majority of Israelis — who have served hundreds of days of reserve duty since October 7 — are exhausted, enraged and do not support this never-ending multi-front war. They are livid that the government is intent on passing a law to exempt the ultra-orthodox from IDF service. Three years after October 7, Israel is isolated diplomatically to an unprecedented degree and there has been no formal accountability. Netanyahu assigns blame to others.Thursday marked 1,000 days since October 7. The Eilat thing? Looms large. Israel is worn out and on high alert. The people are, that is.National PostVivian Bercovici is a former Canadian ambassador to Israel and the founder of stateoftelaviv.com, an independent media enterprise. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.