Netanyahu tries to reframe defense establishment as blind leftists - analysis

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday night framed the entire defense establishment as blind leftists in one of the speeches of his life to reset the narrative surrounding the death of six Israeli hostages this past weekend.

He described the defense establishment as being naive about returning to the Philadelphi Corridor after withdrawing as part of a hostage deal with Hamas.

According to Netanyahu, the defense establishment is out of touch with the diplomatic pressure, which would prevent Israel from returning to the corridor, even if technically it would have the right to return after Phase I of the discussed hostage deal.

For good order, he said the defense establishment has also been misguided in supporting the Oslo Accords.

His connection was clear: only naive defense officials who supported the Oslo Accords, which he and many of his supporters see as an abject failure, could be tricked into buying into the idea of a quick withdrawal and quick return to the corridor in a hostage deal.

Shift debate from Hostages to Philadelphi corridor

If defense officials have sought to explain the issue in professional military terms, Netanyahu sought to flank them by presenting himself as a visionary who understands strategic diplomacy far more than they do.

In the midst of all of this, Netanyahu sought to shift the national debate to a philosophical policy debate about the corridor and Oslo, as opposed to a discussion about what led to the deaths of the six hostages.

It is not easy for any official to resist the full force of the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and the defense minister on a major security issue.

Netanyahu’s speech on Monday sought to blitzkrieg through that defense establishment wall.