Dozens of former Israeli security officials have signed a petition calling for immediate elections to replace the political leadership amidst the ongoing situation and the war on the Gaza Strip, as reported by local media.
Yedioth Ahronoth, a major Israeli newspaper, published the petition on Friday which was signed by over 170 former security officials, including leaders from the intelligence services Mossad and the Shin Bet internal security service, the military, and the police. The signatories have named themselves the "Israel Protective Wall Forum".
Among the notable signatories are former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo, and former Shin Bet heads Yuval Diskin and Carmi Gillon, as well as former police chiefs Shlomo Aharonisky, Raffi Peled, and Moshe Karadi.
The former officials stated that Israel "paid a heavy price in blood due to the failure of the political and security echelons" and despite showing unity, Israel "found itself in another military conflict for its very existence." They emphasized that "the time has come to choose leadership that has the trust of the people."
The former commander of the army's Northern Corps, Major General Noam Tibon, expressed that "the security situation requires new leadership that the public can trust, and the proper way to do that is through elections." He pointed out that the current government did not provide security and that "we need to select individuals who can restore safety."
Tibon anticipates that the Knesset will agree on a date for elections in the current session, following what he referred to as the failure of the "October 7 Massacre" operation. He affirmed that "this government and anyone who has held office must take responsibility and resign, and it is required to return the mandate to the people."
These calls come amid reports of disagreements among Israeli officials and accusations regarding the responsibility for the failure in managing the operation "Al-Qassam Brigades," the military wing of the Islamist resistance movement Hamas, launched on the dawn of October 7, 2023.
This coincides with polls in Israel criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as 64% do not view his performance in the Gaza war favorably, amid expectations of a decline in Likud party support, while the State's Camp led by Minister Benny Gantz is on the rise.
Thousands of Israelis have repeatedly demonstrated demanding the government's resignation and the calling of early elections, alongside ongoing criticism from the opposition and former officials and military personnel accusing Netanyahu of failing to manage the government and the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, now in its 99th day.
