Benjamin Netanyahu faces scrutiny over communication during October 7 attacks and potential West Bank violence to delay elections

Herzi Halevi until 9:45 a.m. during the situational assessment. Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that IDF officers deliberately delayed waking him for over an hour because they feared he would activate the air force and prevent the massacre. In a West Bank context, former Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated that escalating occupier violence against Palestinians serves Benjamin Netanyahu and his political partners. Barak noted that senior ministers have encouraged the violence, while other parts of the political system have shown a blind eye to the attacks. Barak warned that a single incident in the West Bank could cause enough chaos to cancel the general elections scheduled for October 27. Barak suggested that Benjamin Netanyahu would use any means to prevent the elections because a loss would result in him no longer being a member of the government and would accelerate the formation of an inquiry commission.