Netanyahu’s October 7 transcripts may have been doctored, PM’s ex-military aide says

Netanyahu, Smotrich exclude Ben-Gvir from right-wing election conference National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit party have been excluded from a convention to mobilize right-wing voters organized by the Religious Zionism and Likud parties, sources in Otzma Yehudit told Haaretz, adding that this was not the first time Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich had turned their backs on the party.The convention, set to take place Thursday under the title “Save the Right, Mobilizing for the Victory of the National Camp,” aims to create a broad network of thousands of activists who will work to bring voters to polling stations on Election Day, and was described in its invitation as an “emergency conference.”Sources close to the organizers rejected claims that Ben-Gvir and his party were being boycotted, saying the convention is tailored to the “field activity” style of thousands of Religious Zionist activists and yeshiva students.Sources in Otzma Yehudit, however, argued that Netanyahu has avoided appearing alongside Ben-Gvir or being photographed with him, and referred to a report in Israel Hayom that the premier had made commitments to foreign governments that Ben-Gvir would not be part of the next government.On Wednesday, Likud and Religious Zionism signed a surplus vote agreement, which can increase their chances of winning additional seats. Otzma Yehudit said Netanyahu’s party had refused to sign such a deal with it so it could “keep Ben-Gvir out of the unity government that Likud is planning” to establish with leading opposition candidate, Gadi Eisenkot.
Netanyahu’s account of October 7 failures ‘lacks all of the truth,’ ex-military aide says An alleged account of the failures that led to the October 7 massacre submitted by PM Netanyahu to the state comptroller earlier this year “does not reflect what really happened,” the premier’s former military secretary said, warning that official transcripts may have been altered.In an excerpt from an interview with the daily Israel Hayom published Thursday, Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Gil – who served as Netanyahu’s military secretary on October 7, 2023 – said the 55-page document has “part of the truth, but not all of it,” and that “what the public is being told isn’t what really happened.”In a February press release, Netanyahu said the document “includes transcripts of security meetings and other documents covering a period of 12 years, starting with Operation Protective Edge [the 2014 Gaza War] and up to the morning of October 7.” At the time, Haaretz reported that minutes and summaries of many of the discussions referred to in the document point to a manipulation of the facts, half-truths and omissions.”There are too many lies in the air,” Gil told Israel Hayom, adding that two weeks into the war, he noticed that people in Netanyahu’s inner circle were “disproportionately” collecting material, and contacted the attorney general.This prompted the Israel Police to probe whether senior officials in the PMO attempted to change the protocols of cabinet meetings held during the war, as well as transcripts of phone calls made by decision-makers – including Netanyahu – during the first days of the war. One of the suspects investigated by police was Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman.Addressing the warnings that Netanyahu reportedly received before Hamas’ deadly attack, Gil did not confirm that Egypt alerted the prime minister, but said “an Egyptian intelligence plane landed in Israel and was here for just over 60 minutes. That’s a fact. A plane like that doesn’t come here without any reason. Somebody met somebody or received something, and didn’t report it.”In its response to the excerpt, Netanyahu’s Likud party called Gil’s comments “fabricated political propaganda against Prime Minister Netanyahu and Likud, aimed at bringing down the right-wing rule and to lead to a left-wing government that will establish a Palestinian state.”Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Likud, told Israel’s public broadcaster that “all the former generals and IDF chiefs of staff” were plotting to oust Netanyahu. PODCAST | How the flydubai midair attack gave Netanyahu an election boost LISTEN
Left-wing lawmaker convicted of assaulting police officer, may lose Knesset seat A Jerusalem court convicted Ofer Cassif, the only serving Jewish lawmaker for the Arab-majority Hadash party, of aggravated assault of a police officer during a 2022 protest in the West Bank. Last month, the Central Elections Committee barred Cassif from running in October’s ballot. The decision was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court.Ahead of the 2022 protest against the eviction of Palestinian villages, security forces limited bus traffic to the area and declared certain parts of it as closed military zones. The officer refused to allow Cassif, who enjoys freedom of movement due to his parliamentary immunity, to drive to the demonstration, telling him to continue on foot.Footage of the incident showed Cassif touching the officer’s legs with his vehicle. The officer then struck the hood of the car and shouted, “Move your car, and don’t drive into me.” Cassif the officer. After the officer appears to stick his finger in Cassif’s face, the lawmaker is seen smacking him on the head.According to the judge, Cassif struck the officer knowingly and with the intention of interfering with his work. If Cassif is elected to the next Knesset, he will automatically lose his seat if the court determines that his offense carries moral turpitude and sentences him to more than three months in prison.