The Wrap: 1000 Days. Bibi and Smotrich Lie. Haredim Shirk.
The moral corruption of Israel's political leadership is breathtaking.
Editor’s Note: To our many American subscribers, Happy 4th of July. 250 is a big number. And America remains the hope and beacon of the western world. Here’s to another 250.
Initially, I had intended to publish this note on Thursday, the 1,000th day since October 7. Then, on Wednesday evening - when I saw the range of events planned to commemorate 10/7 throughout Israel - I decided to wait.
And then, my back went out. I was briefly out of commission, sidelined by that excruciating pain that I’m sure many of you have experienced. A shot of cortisone and some other stuff have revived me somewhat. (Please. Don’t send me notes about the perils of cortisone shots. I know.)
Fun fact about Israel: physicians do not prescribe strong pain medication here. It’s just not done. Even for minor surgeries. Over the counter medicines – the equivalent of Tylenol – are kept behind the pharmacist’s counter. We have many problems in this country, but rampant opioid addiction is not among them.
Thursday, July 2 marked 1,000 days since October 7.
For 1,000 days, Israel has been embroiled in war upon war within war after war.
At the outset, the war was expected to last no more than three months. At least, that’s what political and military leadership signaled. And that relatively quick time frame was consistent with Israel’s historical management of armed conflict: quick, full throttle, decisive. We are a small country in size and population. For so many reasons we cannot sustain years-long, unrelenting armed conflict. A low attrition-like simmer? Yes. But the last three years have been too close to a raging boil for too much of the time.
From the outset, operational execution of the war with Hamas was a mess. Basic supplies were scarce. Reserve troops were not battle ready. The generals had very little understanding of the enemy and its operational capabilities, never mind intelligence to support ground ops.
The degree of negligence at every level of leadership – security, military and political – was shocking. The army and government disappeared one thousand days ago.
“Where is the IDF?” everyone asked on that day.
“Where was the IDF?”, we still ask.
1,002 days ago (I write this on Saturday), no one would have thought it possible that the same political leadership would be in power three years on. That we would still be waiting for a State Commission of Inquiry to begin its work. To take stock. Assess facts. Begin to process and analyze the scope of the failure of all critical institutions – intelligence, security, military and governmental.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated repeatedly that there is no need for a State Commission of Inquiry. He maintains that it would be controlled by the leftist, elitist “deep state” interests that permeate the judiciary and pundit classes. Or so he contends. They will be motivated to assign all responsibility and blame to him, he says, for political revenge. He has also consistently refused to accept responsibility for October 7.
The week leading up to Day 1,000 began inauspiciously.
The days leading up to 1,000 have been fraught and tense.
Bibi makes light of the unthinkable
On Sunday June 28, Prime Minister Netanyahu appeared on The Patriots, a popular political TV talk show on Channel 14 – a station which is owned by a Bibi loyalist, and makes no pretense of even trying to be remotely – forget neutral – accurate?
Bibi is asked how he changed as a result of October 7. “Well,” he says, smiling, “I lost weight.”
His response is incomprehensible.
People in the live audience are quiet. Even among the hardcore Likudniks there is disbelief. Did we hear him correctly?
He is making light of his weight loss in the wake of October 7. This is like making Holocaust jokes in 1946. There is nothing – absolutely nothing – funny about October 7.
The Bibi clip went viral.
As you might imagine, there was quite a backlash in mainstream media and on social platforms in Israel. Below is a particularly striking video collage – from a media channel that caters to the Tik Tok/Insta crowd; teens, 20 and 30-somethings. This response also went viral. They nailed it. The photos that are on the screen when dark music plays are of murdered hostages, soldiers and others. The collage closes with Bibi praising himself for having brought home all the hostages, a line he has been repeating - a lot - in the last few weeks. And then he asks the audience - “no applause? “ Clapping follows. (English subtitles by Maya Naftolin.)
Bezalel Smotrich picks up where Bibi left off
Also on Sunday, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich appeared on a different talk show. He boasted about how fiercely he had fought since October 7 to bring home the hostages. All of them. From day one. We did it, he said, because of me. Because of me.
His comments are outright lies. Throughout the hostage crisis, Smotrich and Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, voted against every single proposed deal that might return the hostages. Every. Single. One.
Smotrich was with Bibi in the “Total Victory” camp. He was and remains determined, furthermore, to occupy the entire Gaza Strip and re-establish Jewish settlements there. That has been his priority since October 7. For him to even attempt to be the hero who fought to bring home the hostages is grotesque.
Here is what Gil Dickmann had to say in response. Gil’s cousin, Carmel Gat, was held hostage until she was murdered with a bullet to the head at point blank range in the tunnels on August 30, 2024, along with five others. Carmel’s mother was murdered outside her home on Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7. Her sister-in-law was also kidnapped by Hamas. (She was released in November 2023.) Gil Dickmann and his sister, Shay, campaigned relentlessly for Carmel and all the hostages until the very last one was home. He continues his fierce and effective activism today to hold the government accountable. Here is a transcript of the video of Dickmann’s post to Smotrich. The link to the Instagram post follows:
Smotrich: I think all the hostages are here because of me.
Dickmann: Every word of that sentence is a lie.
Smotrich: Because all the hostages are here.
Dickmann: Not all the hostages are here. Because Carmel and Alex and Almog and Eden and Ori and Hersh and another 40 hostages were murdered in captivity and it doesnt matter how hard your try to erase that…..
Smotrich: I think that all the hostages are here because of me.
Dickmann: And forsure not because of you. You. Who said that you’d prefer to sacrifice 133 hostages. You. Who said that the hostages are not the most important thing. You were determined to continue the war and sacrifice them. To their deaths. And now you have the chutzpah (nerve) to say that because of your efforts they are here.
Smotrich: People are trying to turn me into someone with no heart….
Dickmann: You do not just lack a heart - you are actually the minister who sacrificed the hostages.
And for the sake of completeness, here’s a very similar clip that Dickmann made and directed at Bibi. It’s very similar to his message to Smotrich. In addition, Dickmann says: “It doesn’t matter how many times you repeat the lie - you know it’s not true. You did not bring back all of them. And it was your responsibility to bring them home alive. And this will follow/dog you until your last day.”
Here’s the clip:
In the final days leading up to 1,000, the senior political leadership in Israel seemed to be testing some trial balloons - to see just how far they could peddle their lies and rewrite history. Well, it did not go well for them.
On Monday, following his Sunday radio appearance, Smotrich spoke at a gathering in the Gaza border area. Unbeknownst to him. Eyal Eshel, the father of Roni Eshel z”l, planned to ambush him. Roni was murdered by Hamas while on duty at the IDF Nahal Oz base on October 7, a brave warrior to the end. We have written about Roni here and here. (Both pieces feature interviews with Eyal Eshel from March, 2023. The second piece includes audio clips of Roni’s final desperate radio pleas for armed IDF backup as she watched Hamas terrorists breach the border fence and begin their attack on the Nahal Oz base.)
Eyal has been a tenacious advocate for a State Commission of Inquiry. He is fearless, courageous and righteous. When you lose a child in such an incomprehensible “event”, and the government has been so hard-hearted and cruel, there is nothing left to fear.
Here he is, going at Smotrich on Monday. We decided to summarize his remarks rather than add subtitles. You don’t really need a play-by-play to get the point. (Smotrich had scheduled three whistle stops in the Gaza envelope area that day and two kibbutzim told him to stay away after his repugnant comments the day before. Kibbutz Ein HaShlosha did not rescind their invitation for him to speak. This video clip is from that kibbutz.) There are many clips of Eyal Eshel from different angles on that day but this one captures most of his comments and also shows Smotrich.
As soon as Smotrich begins to speak, Eyal Eshel hammers him. Verbally. He lashes out. (I am including here a compilation from different clips I have seen…..no single one caught it all.)
Eyal Eshel
“Bezalel. Come down from the stage. You have no right to be here. It is not appropriate for you to be here. You are coming here for a PR stunt. You should have resigned on that Saturday morning. (October 7, 2023.) Why didn’t you do that? Why didn’t you resign?”
Smotrich attempts to continue his planned remarks, saying that he came to thank the people of the region that was attacked. He says that he loves the people there.
Eshel shouts back. Smotrich continues to say that he understands their anger.
Smotrich says that he protects them. Respects them. Eshel shouts back. “You didn’t protect Roni. She burned (to death) in the war room (of Nahal Oz). You did not protect her and you do not love me at all.”
At one point, a man comes to hug Eyal in an attempt, it seems, to quiet him. It is Doron Almog. He is currently the head of the Jewish Agency and is no stranger to tragedy. In October 2003, five members of the extended Almog family were murdered in a suicide bombing at a beachside restaurant near Haifa. On October 7, two more family members were murdered. Four – a mother and three children (who had just seen their father and sister murdered in their home) – were taken and held hostage by Hamas.
This is the reality of Israel. Everywhere.
Eyal Eshel never backs down. He will never be silenced. Ever. He has become the voice of millions of Israelis whose disgust with the coalition government is total.
After several minutes of Eyal Eshel blasting him, Smotrich left the stage.
Hell hath no fury like a proud nation scorned and deceived; like the father of a young, unarmed, female soldier who was utterly forsaken by the IDF and political leadership.
The Draft Dodging Ultra-Orthodox
That the anti-Zionist, ultra-orthodox “haredi” political parties wield enormous power in this coalition government is next level madness.
All they care about is that a law be passed enshrining religious study as being “equal” to military service. Currently, there are 100,000 haredi men of draft age who shirk their legal duty. They simply refuse to show up when summoned for service by the IDF. On top of that, they demand and receive generous financial support from the state to study full-time. They believe that it is their right not to work. Their families are large, with ten to 12 children being quite common.
The haredim have earned the deep loathing of most Israelis.
They have the audacity to declare that their study of religion reflects a degree of righteousness that trumps all other values. They send others to battle, saying that it is their devotion to prayer and religious study that saves Israel, not our guns and air force.
Not only is that poppycock, but their “version” of Judaism is a welfare-system that has become entrenched in Israel and really is the outcome of crude vote-buying.
Haredim living outside of Israel work. Many orthodox Jews living in Israel work and serve in the IDF. The haredi boondoggle is deeply corrupt and corrupting. Morally and financially.
In early April, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told a cabinet meeting that he was “waving ten red flags”, saying that the ongoing demands placed on the IDF are excessive and unsustainable. There is today an urgent need for 20,000 soldiers. So, you might ask – what is the solution? Enforce the draft regarding haredi dodgers?
Nope.
The coalition government has directed the IDF to extend the service of conscripts due to be released imminently by two to three months. And to extend the already insane reserve duty requirements for tens of thousands of others.
Put aside the negligent management of this country’s security for years leading up to October 7 and in the three years since, the political echelon just barrels ahead and decides to move forward on the least rational and just option. They have decided to place a greater burden on those who serve and reward the haredi shirkers with yet another “get out of jail free” card.
Next we show one of many clips from various Knesset committees that convened during the last week. Minister of Housing and leader of the haredi United Torah Judaism party, Yitzhak Goldknopf, is berated by Sharon Nir of the Yisrael Beitenu party (led by Avigdor Lieberman). This is one of numerous scenes of intensifying rage and frequency as election season approaches. Sharon Nir is referring to a law that the haredim are working hard to ram through the Knesset before it ends this session, the last one of this government. The law? It elevates religious study to the level of army service. It purports to exempt haredi men from any form of national service. It is putrid.
On Friday evening, I was speaking with an Israeli political leader in the mix for the coming election and I remarked, with exasperation, “Are they on drugs?”
“Precisely,” said my friend. “They have become addicted to this ever-growing state support, and they sense that it’s about to end. And they are panicked.”
The mood in Israel is bleak. Fatigue runs deep. People are worn out and numb. The coalition government that has been in power for close to four years is seen by the majority of Israelis to be destructive. Corrupt. Beholden to extreme interests controlled by a minority of the population.
Israelis also understand that they are in an existential fight to salvage the nation. The greatest threat to this country is from within.
The Eve of Day 1000
Wednesday July 1, night, Sha’ar HaNegev Municipality
Regrettably, I was unable to be present for these remarks made by my dear friend and extraordinarily talented journalist, Amir Tibon, on Wednesday night in the Sha’ar HaNegev district. Officially still day 999. (And we did not have ample time to translate it to English. But it is still interesting to watch a bit and quite a few of our followers understand Hebrew.) `It gives you a sense of the grassroots activity. Scenes like this were all over Israel.
In his remarks, Amir acknowledges the melancholy that characterizes the national mood. We still await proper answers. Most movingly, I thought, was how eloquently he reminded us that one year ago at this time we persevered through the punishing summer heat and humidity to remind Prime Minister Netanyahu and the coalition government that there were 48 hostages remaining in captivity with monsters in Gaza. And he said, with certainty, that had we not demonstrated that they may never have come home, alive or dead. Tibon implored those present and beyond to rediscover and channel the resolve from last summer into the coming election period, to work hard to ensure that we elect a government that is worthy of the Israeli people.
DAY 1000
Hostage Square, Tel Aviv, Thursday July 2
State of Tel Aviv and Beyond editorial assistant and social media maven, Maya Naftolin, was at Hostage Square for several hours on Thursday. It was hot. Intense. Somewhat surreal.
Here, you see a woman holding a sign stating, “love thy neighbor.” The biblical phrase was also hurled at Minister Goldknopf in the clip we posted, above. It has become a shorthand way of asking those who shirk their responsibilities to the state: On what basis do you decide that you are better than others? That you may determine who serves and who does not?
Walking behind her is Eitan Horn, who was held hostage by Hamas for 738 days. He was released along with the remaining 19 living hostages on October 13, 2025.
From morning to night on Thursday there were events, gatherings, exhibits, speeches. And many of those who had been freed, their loved ones, walk among us all.
In a building on the edge of the square there was a special exhibition of items that belonged to hostages and Hamas murder victims. We share a sampling here.
Below is a photograph of Roni Eshel, Eyal Eshel’s daughter. Roni’s military beret (in the glass case) was retrieved by the IDF from a private apartment in the Gaza Strip long after October 7, along with other personal belongings that had been taken by Hamas terrorists. The beret was returned to Roni’s family in the blue box, also on display at Beit Ariela.
Arbel Yehoud lived on Kibbutz Nir Oz with her partner, Ariel Cunio. As they were violently kidnapped from their home, they were separated. Arbel was held by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and released after 482 days in captivity on January 30, 2025. Almost one year after her release Arbel spoke of the daily abuse and sexual violence she suffered in a televised interview. She had been held captive in the home of a “family”, headed by a man who lived with his several wives and children. Below is a photograph of the “Certificate of Release” given to Arbel by PIJ (on the right).
The next photo shows a Hamas “certificate” of release with a framed poster celebrating the terrorist group’s war and cause. These “souvenirs” were given to Ariel Cunio when he was released in that still hard-to-believe “deal” brokered by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. On October 13, 2025, Ariel Cunio saw his older brother, David, for the first time. The brothers were held separately and throughout their captivity had no idea if the other was alive until shortly before their release. David’s wife, Sharon, and identical twin three-year-old daughters were also held by Hamas until late November, 2023. The family had been together in the tunnels until then. As they were separated, David wept and said to Sharon: “I’m scared to death.”
The beautiful orange haired boys, four-year-old Ariel Bibas and his little brother, Kfir, 9 months when brutally kidnapped on 10/7, have become tragic icons of the horror and its aftermath. They were murdered in captivity, along with their mother, Shiri. Their father, Yarden, survived 484 days in captivity and was released on February 1, 2025. His pain is inconceivable, a modern-day Job. Below. Ariel’s bicycle.
On Day 1,000, throughout Israel people gathered and voiced their sorrow and anger. Many held signs aloft that read “No Faith”, reflecting a despair that is deep and wide. They are referring to the IDF. The Shin Bet. The Prime Minister. The government. It is mind-boggling that we face the same issues today as we did 1,000 days ago. That PM Netanyahu still clings to power with the most unseemly and destructive political allies. People have lost faith in leadership.
The Mood in Israel
For 1,000 days, Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused to accept any responsibility, personally, for the disaster that transpired on his watch. Instead, he assigns blame to others. And he may well be right in doing so. That is for a State Commission of Inquiry to sort out. But it is not honorable to point fingers when you run and ran the show. The proverbial buck stops with the top guy. And that has been Benjamin Netanyahu for all but two years since 2009.
He has refused to constitute a State Commission of Inquiry into October 7. Such a body would be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court and comprised of a range of competent individuals, including lay people. The Commission would have the power to compel witnesses to appear and testify. It would have the power to subpoena documents and all relevant information and data. And it would then issue a report to the public, explaining what, exactly happened. And what did not.
There have been many State Commissions of Inquiry in Israel’s history, the most famous, perhaps, being the Agranat Commission, which lay the blame for Israel’s lack of preparedness for the 1973 war on military and intelligence leadership. The Commission’s findings were much less severe in its findings regarding then Prime Minister Golda Meir. Nonetheless, as the person at the top of the food chain, Golda quite rightly decided that she must take responsibility, ultimately.
Golda Meir resigned from her position as prime minister on April 11, 1974.
No one would have believed that 1,000 days later, Benjamin Netanyahu would remain prime minister, leading the most extreme government in Israel’s history; that he would continue to resist the creation of a State Commission of Inquiry; that this government would have survived for four years – a first in Israeli history; that Israel would still be in a state of war; and that one of the main issues in the election would be whether 15% of the population of Israel should be given a blanket exemption from service in the IDF.
60% of Israelis want Netanyahu to go home.
A majority want a State Commission of Inquiry.
Just under 70% of Israelis support drafting ultra-orthodox men to IDF service. We do not have the luxury of doing otherwise. And yet, in these final days of this coalition government they are obsessed with ramming through the Knesset a law that will recognize full-time religious study as being equivalent to IDF service. In other words, if you study then you are contributing equally to the state as a soldier. Sheer madness.
Israelis feel that this election is their last chance to save and restore honor and dignity to their country. Elderly people who have survived all the wars, who fought for independence in 1948, say that the future of Israel is at stake. They have seen everything. But this? The supreme arrogance of this destructive and extreme coalition?
Unprecedented. Inconceivable.
We can only hope that the electorate decides well.
As always, we end on an upbeat note.
I absolutely love this post of John Ondrasik’s (of “Five for Fighting” fame). He has been a stalwart voice of morality and support for the hostages since October 7. State of Tel Aviv interviewed him when he was in Israel - and performed in Hostage Square the night of the first Iran attack on Israel: Saturday April 13, 2024. Ondrasik did not flinch.
He developed a special bond with the family of Alon Ohel, a wildly talented musician who was held by Hamas until October 13, 2025. Today, they performed for American troops in their 4th of July celebrations aboard the USS Nimitz.
How crazy cool is this??!?!?
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