Israelis Stay Split Over Oct. 7 Blame Ahead of This Month's Election 2 Years Later
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 13
Israelis Stay Split Over Oct. 7 Blame Ahead of This Month's Election 2 Years Later
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 13
Summary
This month’s election is set to expose, not heal, the divide opened by Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack, with Israelis still sharply split over who failed to prevent it.
Near Gaza, that blame gap is especially stark: liberal Nahal Oz residents largely fault Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-line policies, while many in nearby Sderot say he was failed by security chiefs.
The contrast suggests the deadliest attack in Israel’s history traumatized the country without producing a broad political realignment or a shared account of responsibility.
Two years after the assault, Israel enters the vote more polarized than unified, even after nationwide anniversary commemorations briefly brought much of the country together.