Netanyahu cousin quits Likud over 1,200 deaths in 2023 attack

More than 1,200 civilians and security forces were killed in the October 7 attack, a figure that has become central to a new political break within the Likud party.

Nathan Netanyahu, a professor at Bar-Ilan University and a cousin of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, announced he will not vote for Likud in the upcoming election. He published a letter on X on Tuesday evening stating that the party has abandoned its original values and inflicted a deep national rift on the country.

The professor listed four specific failures he attributes to the current government. These include the judicial reform process, the October 7 attack, the failure to support citizens, and the refusal to accept responsibility. He described the judicial changes as a coup that concentrated power and weakened democratic controls.

Nathan Netanyahu noted that he warned about threats to judicial independence in an April 2023 speech. He stated that the country’s cohesion was shattered during the subsequent debates, with senior security officials warning of the dangers. He argued that the government continued its attacks on democratic institutions even while at war.

The letter details the collapse of the government’s long-standing policy of containing Hamas. Nathan Netanyahu wrote that the strategy of buying peace through Qatari funds and economic concessions was destroyed on October 7. He noted that the terrorist organization grew stronger under this policy and prepared for the attack.

He cited specific statistics from the day, including 251 people kidnapped to Gaza and towns that were occupied. The war that followed resulted in hundreds of additional deaths and tens of thousands of wounded, he wrote. He also pointed to the government’s handling of the Haredi draft exemption, arguing that reservists fought while ultra-Orthodox parties received large sums for coalition survival.

The professor concluded by announcing the immediate termination of his Likud membership. He said he would consider renewing it only when a leadership untainted by these shortcomings is elected, referencing a quote from the prophet Amos about not choosing the government due to its crimes.