This was the scene Netanyahu

[Israel's military leadership resigned at the same time]

This was the scene Netanyahu feared for the past 15 months.

General Herzl Halevi, Israel's army chief of staff, Yaaron Finkelman, commander of Gaza operations, and Aaron Haliva, commander of military intelligence, announced their intention to resign immediately after the cease-fire. They will be discharged in early March, according to procedures. Ronen Barr, Israel's chief of domestic intelligence, also immediately offered to resign, but remains in office due to the severity of the intelligence. (I am reportedly trying to quit, but the judiciary is protecting Ronenba's job to keep the government in check.)

Why did Israeli military leaders step down as if they had been waiting? They were held accountable for failing to prevent Hamas from attacking on October 7, 2023. As has been stated in several columns and posts, allowing Israeli leaders to attack the enemy is the worst case of crime. This is why Prime Minister Goldameir and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan dramatically reversed the tide of war during the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and withdrew after winning the war. Most of the generals were also undressed at the time.

Though Hamas' ruthless asymmetric retaliation attacks have led to international criticism (except for responsibility and evaluation), the Israeli military has made good progress. It has destroyed the leadership of the enemy, including the head of Hezbollah and Hamas, through formidable attacks. It is true that the Israeli military won the battlefield, making it difficult to rebuild the Hamas organization for the time being. During the war, Defense Minister Joab Gallant, who had already resigned, the chief of general staff, and Chief of Staff Mossad Sinvette clashed with Netanyahu. He insisted that the rescue of hostages should be the top priority. Nevertheless, uniformed soldiers who were subject to civil control obeyed Cabinet orders.

These generals were well aware that they would be held accountable for the situation at the end of the war. They remembered that the subsequent victory would be offset by negative anyway because the responsibility for the surprise attack was severe.

This is why Netanyahu rejected the ceasefire proposal. As prime minister, his responsibility is the most serious. The structural reason for allowing Hamas to storm is that Netanyahu attempted to reform the judicial system while forming the far-right coalition. Regardless of that, everyone is aware that the simple fact that he failed to prevent the enemy's surprise attacks as prime minister should take the primary responsibility.

In July, I visited the border area of Gaza Strip, Israel, and interviewed the victims. At that time, everyone was silent about the government's incompetence, but one thing was certain. To prevent this from happening again, he was determined to find out the truth and hold them accountable after the war.

Now, General Halebi's resignation will strike Prime Minister Netanyahu as it is.

"On October 7, 2023, under my command, the Israeli military failed in its mission to protect our people. The responsibility for this terrible failure will be borne by me every day, every hour, and for the rest of my life. I have long decided to resign, and now that the Israeli military has created a brilliant criminal record and secured deterrence, I am stepping down."

Some analysts say that the move came first because Netanyahu attempted to shift the blame onto General Halebi and the military command. But anyway... the Israeli military leadership acknowledges its failure and declares that it will be discharged and investigated with a ceasefire is impressive.