before you blame the “deep state” for war-mongering bad intelligence, remember that 9/11, the Iraq War run-up, and now Israel’s catastrophe have been characterized by the elected executive ignoring the professional intelligence bureaucracy or tendentiously freelancing their own intelligence. cf #ElenaGrossfeld https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/11/israel-intelligence-gaza-hamas-war-1973/
Text: Grave warnings by Netanyahu's defense chief and the heads of Mossad and Shin Bet (Israel's domestic security service) on the impact of widespread conflict within Israeli society on military preparedness not only went unheeded but were used by the representatives of right-wing parties as further proof of the IDF and the intelligence community's bias and supposed left-wing prejudices. Rumors of Mossad-instigated protests, right-wing coalition partners blaming the military's soft approach to reservists threats to stop volunteering, and the persistent resistance of the Shin Bet to the policies proposed by the settler extremist turned national security minister showed the deep rift between politicians and some of the most respected Israeli institutions.