Former Israeli PM Barak: Netanyahu’s latest statements “reckless and stupid”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated that the current Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has deviated from course, strongly criticising his government’s escalation of tension with Turkey against the backdrop of military developments in Syria.

In a post that he wrote on the “X” platform, Barak said that he cannot speak about all the details, but he stressed that “the deliberate” escalation led by Netanyahu in confronting Turkey is a “reckless and stupid” act, adding that it is difficult to determine which of the two descriptions applies to him more.

He added that the escalation carries indicators of a political desire to reach the election date amid a series of security tensions that arouse concern and fear among the Israeli public.

“Turkey is neither Iran nor Assad’s Syria,” Barak wrote, stressing that there is no strategic problem with Turkey that cannot be solved, contained, or postponed for the long term, through secret contacts and in coordination with the United States, whose influence in Turkey and Syria can be utilized.

Barak accused Netanyahu of having “completely gone off the rails,” adding that in light of Netanyahu’s “absolute failure” to achieve the goals of the war, and of his expected “political defeat” in around two months, he is no longer busy with Israel’s security, but rather with maneuvers for political survival carried out by “a compulsive gambler.”

Knesset elections are scheduled to be held on October 27, the first elections since the events of 7^th October 2023, and the subsequent wars and regional confrontations.

Barak warned that Netanyahu’s “reckless” behavior raises deep concerns among Israel’s allies and friends in the region and the world, noting that Netanyahu’s successors will be more capable of bearing responsibility for Israel’s security.

He called for postponing any “radical handling” of the situation until after the elections, adding that repairing the damage that he said Netanyahu inflicted on Israel over the past three years, at both the security and political levels, will take a long time.