He leads the charge against his father’s staff. Yaïr Netanyahu, 32, brought out his most formidable weapon: social networks. Hyperactive online, the first of Benyamin Netanyahu’s sons systematically goes to the front to defend his father. From accusations of fraud or corruption in 2020 to current denunciations of its mismanagement of the war in Gaza, which for several weeks have provoked demonstrations bringing together tens of thousands of people in Tel Aviv.
While he had been discreet since his hasty departure to the United States a year and a half ago, the heir returned more biting than ever with a series of open attacks against several high-ranking government figures. and the Israeli army, accused by his father, because of their failures against Hamas, of disloyalty.
On Saturday June 15, Yaïr Netanyahu attacked the top heads of Israeli security in a video posted on Instagram, calling them “fatal failures” or “fatal errors”. They were the chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, the head of military intelligence, Aharon Haliva, and the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. The next day, he denounced a “betrayal” of several officers on October 7, on the social network the Hamas attack. “What are they trying to hide?, asked the young man. If there was no betrayal, why are they so afraid that independent and external sources will investigate what happened? “
And he continued, more accusatory than ever: “Why did the heads of the army and intelligence always tell the Prime Minister that Hamas was deterred from attacking Israel? Where was the air force on October 7 ?” Supporters of the military power denounced in the investigation an initiative likely to undermine the operational capabilities of the Israeli army in the midst of war, and expressed their fears that the responsibility of politicians would not be addressed.
Biting offensive against the Israeli army
Last month, Yair Netanyahu published a video of a reservist, his face masked, swearing allegiance to the Prime Minister while threatening a mutiny against the Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant, if the IDF were to abandon its objective of “complete victory” against Hamas. In December, according to the media Times of Israelhe had also relayed “a post which accused Halevi of having launched a de facto military coup on October 7, claiming that the IDF chief had been warned in advance of the deadly Hamas assault and that he did not “had not transmitted this information to the Prime Minister”.
Tuesday June 18, a video of political commentator Yaakov Bardugo was relayed on his account. The media figure accuses General Halevi of actually supporting the presence of Hamas in power in Gaza. The post too many for the IDF? The statement “that the chief of staff supports the preservation of the Hamas regime in Gaza is a shameful and completely unfounded lie,” the army responded in a statement. Without mentioning the Prime Minister’s son, she also deplored “recent allegations”, which aim “to cause harm to the army and the chief of staff who directs it”.
For months, the Netanyahu clan and the Israeli army have clashed over the promise made by the Prime Minister to completely eliminate Hamas. “The idea of destroying Hamas is throwing sand in the eyes of the Israeli public”, responded, Wednesday June 19, the spokesperson for the army, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in the face of the fueled rumors. by Yair Netanyahu. “Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a political party. It is rooted in people’s hearts. Anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong,” he added.
A son as embarrassing as he is effective
Yair Netanyahu is known to be the leader of his father’s fiercest far-right supporters. So much so that Benyamin himself had to, on several occasions, distance himself from his statements. Because his greatest power lies in his widely followed speeches on social networks, as well as on television sets. After accusing the United States in March 2023 of financing his father’s opponents in order to serve the interests of Iran, he was finally sent to take refuge in Miami, with wealthy family friends.
Despite everything, the son’s outings remain useful to the father in waging battles that are difficult to face publicly, like the one currently taking place with his own army. For eight months, the Prime Minister has tried to rid himself of responsibility for the collapse of October 7 by placing it on the military command, and is now beginning to attribute the failures of the campaign in Gaza to them.