Just when we thought Netanyahu could sink no lower, he does

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never been one to let ideological or moral concerns diminish his insatiable lust for power. Control of the political narrative through manipulation of the media has been central to his staying power. 

The latest scandal to engulf the prime minister’s office revolves around the leaking of top-secret documents to foreign media outlets. Netanyahu himself is not, at least for now, a suspect in this case but it is nevertheless an indictment of the permissive environment he has created, in which his closest circle of aides believes that ensuring his political survival should be placed ahead of the national interest.

The origins of the current scandal — in which several people have been implicated, including a spokesperson from the prime minister’s office — date back to September, when the tragic news of the murder of six Israeli hostages held by Hamas sent hundreds of thousands of Israelis onto the streets demanding an agreement for the release of the remaining hostages.

This left Netanyahu feeling politically threatened. The following day he held a press conference during which he presented a document he said was found in Gaza. Later one of the journalists closest to him suggested it was written by none other than Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The document reportedly revealed that Hamas forces had been instructed “to intensify the psychological pressure” on the families of hostages, and on Netanyahu’s main rival in the Cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and “to continue the line blaming Netanyahu for what happened.”

Netanyahu said during his press conference that he could not confirm the document was “from Sinwar himself but I can confirm it’s from high-ranking members of Hamas.” As is typical of his strategy, he created the strong impression that something was true (in this case that Sinwar wrote the document) but left enough wiggle room to later distance himself from an allegation he knew to be false.

In the meantime, he knew it would have his desired effect of giving many of his supporters the impression that Sinwar was manipulating the families of hostages, and that those families were either being naive in calling for a deal to return the hostages, or were prepared to sacrifice the good of their country for their own “selfish” desire to see their loved ones come home.

Netanyahu himself is not, at least for now, a suspect in this case but it is nevertheless an indictment of the permissive environment he has created, in which his closest circle of aides believes that ensuring his political survival should be placed ahead of the national interest. 

Yossi Mekelberg

Then, mysteriously, as the protests calling for a deal with Hamas were gathering momentum, a completely fabricated report was published in London’s Jewish Chronicle newspaper. Claiming to be based on captured documents, it said Sinwar planned to smuggle himself and the Israeli hostages out of Gaza through the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land between Gaza and Egypt.

The very next day, the German tabloid newspaper Bild published a story with the headline: “Chilling! This is what Hamas leader plans to do with the hostages.” It claimed, based on a “previously unknown document from Hamas’ military intelligence” in Gaza, the group was unwilling to end the war, regardless of the dire consequences for itself and the people of Gaza, and was pursuing a strategy of creating divisions in Israeli society.

This article gave the impression that Sinwar was behind this document as well, although it was later proven this was not the case. But to be honest, it is no great revelation that two enemies at war would be attempting to sow divisions among each other’s peoples. Israel does this too. The main issue is why those documents were leaked and by whom.

If one was to be lenient in criticism of Netanyahu over this matter, one might accuse him simply of gross neglect in allowing individuals with no security clearance to access top secret documents, or perhaps accept that he simply did not know there was a chance that they might end up being published in the foreign press.

The leaking of documents on such sensitive issues would naturally be regarded as a serious criminal offense, especially during a war. If, as has been suggested, it was the result of collusion between certain elements in the Israeli military and a spokesperson in the prime minister’s office, it would be no surprise to hear claims that those involved have committed treason.

• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg