Benjamin Netanyahu has taken up his wartime quarters on Caspi Street in Jerusalem. Agents from Shin Bet, the internal security service, have hung cameras from the cypress trees of this dead-end street perched on a ridgeline overlooking the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan. They have erected secure antennas on the roofs of the mansion with a swimming pool where the prime minister, whose residence is under construction, is now staying with an American friend, Simon Falic, based in Miami and close to the Israeli political right.
"I have nothing left to lose. I want Bibi to see me." On Saturday, October 28, Shin Bet agents lowered their arms in front of Yael Alon, the mother of a soldier killed by Hamas on October 7. They dared not prevent Alon from expressing her grief under Netanyahu's windows. Since Thursday, she has carried a sign proclaiming: "My father died in the negligence of 1973 [during the Yom Kippur War]. My son died in the negligence of 2023." Dor Alon, a lieutenant in the Golani Brigade, was killed shortly before his 23rd birthday near the kibbutz of Kfar Aza.
Alon joined two dozen demonstrators on Caspi Street, calling for the prime minister's resignation. Neighbors brought them coffee. Others, with their children, have hung signs on their gates telling the head of government: "You will not try to escape your responsibilities." "It's your fault. You destroyed the army," retorted a Sephardic couple. They blamed the defeat on the reserve officers who were still demonstrating in September – which feels like an eternity ago – against Netanyahu's reforms: "You betrayed us. It's not Bibi's fault, it's that of the army and the Shin Bet."
Israelis have been repeating this line since October 7. For or against "Bibi": The war prolongs a persistent dilemma. "King Bibi" is no more, but he remains in office. The former "Mr. Security" infuriates his fellow citizens. He appears distant and isolated. Editorial writers of all stripes criticize him when he is silent and sigh when he appears. They denounce the incompetence of his entourage – the director general of his office, Yossi Shelley, and the government secretary, the loyal Tzahi Braverman.
At a press conference on Saturday evening, Netanyahu, answering questions from Israeli journalists for the first time in years, again admitted that "all those responsible" would have to answer for October 7, but refused to dwell on his own faults and blamed his generals. Interviewed by public broadcaster Kann, he denied that his officers had warned him about an attack in the preceding months. This attitude sparked controversy.
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