Prof. Moshe Cohen-Eliya addressed the storm surrounding Prime Minister Netanyahu's accusations against former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and the counter-accusations from Bar's camp.
Cohen-Eliya opened by naming two figures: "Ronen Bar and Aharon Haliva, there are two arrogant and brazen figures who are responsible more than anyone not only for the strategic failure of 'Hamas is deterred,' but for the tactical failure of the night of October 7. These are IDF Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar."
He continued: "(Ex) IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is of course also responsible, but at least he is tormented, meets with the families of the murdered, and bows his head. But Haliva and Bar are 'lords of the land' from the old hegemony, they will never bow their heads. They are the state, aren't they?"
"Aharon Haliva, the one who didn't bother to wake up the night before; the one who screamed at the outstanding officer Nir Shara z"l, who challenged him, in a loud and humiliating voice before a wide forum of soldiers; the one who was briefed on the 'Jericho Walls' plan and didn't prepare for it as required, and was locked into the conception without being willing to hear those who challenged it."
The professor added: "These people are the cream of the crop of the State of Israel; they live the good life, and don't beat their chests at all. Haliva didn't even recognize the mother of Libi Cohen, who was murdered at the Nova festival; and Ronen Bar, he's clinging to the altar, refused to resign and dragged the state into an insane saga of replacing a Shin Bet chief that was delayed for a year while the country is in the midst of an existential war."
"And now he comes to educate the next generation at Reichman University in a special program for 'public and political leadership.' You understand, Reichman University is whitewashing the chief person responsible for the October 7 disaster, and thereby exposing the 'politics' of that supposedly 'professional' man."
Cohen-Eliya turned to recent media reports: "Ahead of the elections and days before the memorial day for the October 7 disaster, in completely coordinated timing - only an idiot doesn't see the political hand directing it, an 'influence campaign' begins claiming 'Netanyahu knew and did nothing.' Now it's not just the left-wing channels (Channel 12 to Haaretz with Shlomi Eldar), now they're activating their friends from the foreign press from The Atlantic to The Wall Street Journal. Yes, the Israeli left-wing media is working together with hostile elements in Arab countries to bring down Netanyahu's government, which doesn't suit them and is leading Israel to a historic victory."
"And the new hit is the warning from Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel given days before October 7. According to the report, Kamel came to Israel on September 26, 2023, 11 days before the massacre, for an unusual and very short visit, and passed on a warning about the danger of escalation and an attack from Hamas. According to the publication, the warning did not include a date, target or precise operational plan. But who exactly did Kamel meet in a visit that lasted only about an hour?"
Netanyahu completely denied such a meeting and claimed that if there is a meeting with the head of a foreign intelligence agency, it takes place together with the head of the corresponding Israeli agency. Such a meeting also has no documentation in the diaries. So who is that Israeli security figure on the Israeli side who met with the Egyptian intelligence chief and did nothing with this information? Was it the Shin Bet chief, the Mossad chief or another security figure? It's reasonable to assume that such a meeting should take place with someone of similar rank — that is, one of the heads of Israel's intelligence agencies.
