‘Deeply troubled’ Herzog pans government for ‘divisive’ policies amid war
President lambastes attacks on civil servants, calls for Oct. 7 probe, doesn’t mention PM by name, amid demonstrations against ouster of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar
President Isaac Herzog on Thursday sharply criticized the government for pursuing “divisive” and “unilateral” policies as it sends troops back into Gaza, amid mass protests in Jerusalem against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the renewal of fighting in Gaza — and particularly the consequences for hostages still in the Strip — and moves to oust Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and curtail the judiciary.
In a video statement Thursday that did not mention Netanyahu by name, Herzog lambasted attacks on civil servants, accused the government of failing to listen to hostages’ families, and endorsed a “full, thorough, and independent investigation of the terrible disaster,” in response to Netanyahu’s refusal to form a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023.
“It’s impossible not to be deeply troubled by the harsh reality unfolding before our eyes,” said the president.
“Thousands of reserve call-up orders have been issued recently,” said Herzog. “It is inconceivable to send our sons to the front while at the same time pursuing controversial moves that deepen division within the people.
“Unfortunately, we are witnessing a series of unilateral actions, and I am deeply concerned about their impact on our national resilience,” said Herzog. “I demand that every step be carefully considered and examined to see whether it contributes to national resilience, and especially whether it contributes to the war effort and the return of the hostages.”
Israel on Monday night launched surprise airstrikes on terror targets across Gaza, killing over 400 people, according to the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry. The airstrikes spelled the end of the ceasefire and hostage release deal that Israel had signed with Hamas in January — 15 months after the terror group stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Though Netanyahu’s office said the renewed fighting was a response to Hamas’s refusal to hand over more hostages and argued that it would help back the remaining 59 captives, hostages’ families slammed the resumption of hostilities, saying the government was effectively sacrificing their loved ones.
In his statement Thursday, Herzog urged the government to show the families empathy.
“It is impossible to renew the fighting to fulfill the sacred obligation to bring back the hostages, and at the same time not listen to and support their desperate families who are going through hell on earth,” said Herzog.
The remark came after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had voted against the ceasefire in January, told a slain captive’s relative, who had disrupted his comments at the Knesset on Tuesday, that the hostages’ families are “heard too much.”
Herzog also said Israel’s civil servants were “the target of an ongoing campaign against them.”
“These are dedicated civil servants who do their job faithfully, including reservists, bereaved families and the neighbors of all of us,” said Herzog. “They should not be the subject of slander.”
Herzog had on Wednesday clashed with Netanyahu on social media after the premier accused the “leftist deep state” of weaponizing the justice system against him.
Netanyahu has also specifically accused Bar, the Shin Bet chief, of running a public “blackmail campaign” through the media against him. On Sunday, Netanyahu announced he would oust Bar.
The government was set to vote on the motion Thursday night, ignoring the procedural objections of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom the government also plans to fire.
The planned ouster of Bar has sparked mass demonstrations, as protesters accuse the long-time premier of offloading his own responsibility for the Hamas onslaught, and of seeking to thwart a Shin Bet probe of alleged ties between his top aides and Hamas-backer Qatar.
In his video statement Thursday, Herzog said he meets with bereaved families that “are begging and crying out to avoid deepening the rift and division, asking for unity, love of Israel, asking to preserve the state, asking for a full, thorough, and independent investigation of the terrible disaster.”
“It’s inconceivable not to listen to [the families’ demand] and search for agreement,” said Herzog. “Even if I am the last one to demand it, I’ll give everything I have [literally: “I will kill myself”] for the goal of reaching an understanding.”
Netanyahu, whose government is seeking to weaken the judiciary, has said a state commission would be biased against him. State commissions of inquiry — Israel’s highest investigative authority — are headed by a retired Supreme Court justice and appointed by the sitting chief justice.
Netanyahu has boycotted Chief Justice Isaac Amit, who acceded to the post in February over the opposition of Justice Minister Yariv Levin. On Saturday, the premier rejected a compromise offered by Herzog in which Amit would select committee members in conjunction with conservative Deputy Chief Justice Noam Sohlberg.
