By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Israeli writer says Netanyahu failed in Iran war, causing strategic damage while Israel was excluded from ceasefire diplomacy.

Key Takeaways

• Israeli writer says Netanyahu caused “enormous strategic damage” and failed to justify war outcomes.
• Israel excluded from ceasefire process led by US through Pakistan, with Russia and China involved.
• Iran retains nuclear material, missile arsenal, and political stability despite war’s heavy human and economic toll.

‘Who Does He Owe an Explanation To?’

An Israeli political commentator has launched a sweeping and unusually blunt attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of leading Israel into a costly war with no clear outcome.

Writing in Walla, Barak Seri said that “hours after the ceasefire, Netanyahu does not see fit to explain what we achieved during all the days of intense fighting,” raising a deeper question about accountability.

“Who is the Israeli public,” he asked, “that he should owe it an explanation?”

Seri framed the war as a prolonged national ordeal, writing that Israelis were left to “listen to announcements from the United States, from Pakistan, from Iran—and understand what is happening after 40 days in shelters and safe rooms.”

He sharpened the criticism with biting sarcasm: “Forty years we walked in the desert? Sit 40 days in shelters. That’s nothing for you.”

‘Enormous Strategic Damage’

Beyond the immediate frustration, Seri argued that the consequences of the war are far more serious.

He described “a massive failure by Netanyahu,” writing that the prime minister “caused Israel enormous strategic damage,” undermined its deterrence, and contributed to a growing perception in Washington that Israel is “a burden, not an asset.”

Despite this, Seri noted, Netanyahu still “does not see the need to explain what we achieved from all these days of war,” reinforcing what he portrays as a widening disconnect between leadership and public accountability.

Israel Left Out

One of the most striking elements of the critique concerns Israel’s exclusion from the ceasefire process.

Seri wrote that “the most insulting part is that Israel was not part of the decision on the ceasefire,” describing a diplomatic process that unfolded entirely without Israeli involvement.

According to his account, “the United States spoke with the mediator Pakistan, which spoke with Iran, which consulted with Russia and China—and everything happened above Israel’s head.”

He dismissed official Israeli claims of coordination, asking: “What exactly was coordinated?”

‘An Achievement That Already Existed’

Turning to the outcome of the war, Seri dismantled the idea that any real gains were achieved.

“The only ‘achievement’ of this difficult war,” he wrote, “is that the Strait of Hormuz, which was open before the war, will remain open.”

This, he argued, renders the entire campaign strategically hollow, especially when weighed against its human and economic cost.

He pointed to the consequences inside Israel: “civilians and soldiers were killed and wounded, massive destruction was caused, the economy was paralyzed, and millions of children sat at home.”

Iran Emerges Intact

Seri further stressed that Iran’s core capabilities remain untouched.

“What did we achieve?” he asked again, before answering: “440 kilograms of enriched uranium remain in Iran’s hands. A major danger to Israel.”

He added that “the ballistic missile stockpile remains, the regime remains in place—more extreme than before, led by the Revolutionary Guards, cruel and vengeful.”

At the same time, he noted that regional dynamics have not shifted in Israel’s favor: “Hezbollah and Hamas are still standing—no dismantling, nothing.”

Summing up Netanyahu’s leadership, Seri wrote: “He does not know how to win, he does not know how to decide—he knows how to talk, to give excellent speeches. What English he has—wow. ‘Mr. Security,’ supposedly.”

‘Israel Will Do Exactly What I Tell It’

The article also points to a deterioration in relations with the United States.

Seri cited reporting that Netanyahu pushed Washington toward war based on unrealistic promises, noting that this “confirmed all the suspicions in the United States, in both major parties, that Netanyahu and Israel dragged the US into war.”

He highlighted a remark attributed to Donald Trump: “Israel will do exactly what I tell it,” suggesting a shift in how Israel is perceived in Washington.

The criticism from US officials, as reported, was even sharper.

The CIA director reportedly described the Israeli plan as “a farce,” while other officials dismissed it as “nonsense.”

One senior military figure was quoted as saying: “From my experience, this is a standard Israeli method—they exaggerate their capabilities, but their plans are not fully formed. They need us, so they try to sell it to us.”

A War Driven by Illusion

According to Seri, Netanyahu had promised that a joint US-Israeli operation could “eliminate Iran’s leadership, reduce its regional influence to a minimum, bring the Iranian public into the streets, and lead to regime change.”

Instead, none of these outcomes materialized.

Even the assumptions presented to Washington—that the war would be short and would not risk escalation in the Strait of Hormuz—proved detached from reality.

A Strategic Collapse

In the end, Seri portrays the war not merely as a failure, but as a turning point.

Rather than strengthening Israel’s position, it has, in his view, exposed its dependence, weakened its standing, and revealed the limits of its strategic vision.

The result, he suggests, is not victory—but a deepening crisis, in which the costs are clear, but the achievements remain unanswered.

After Iran: Is This the Unraveling of the US-Israeli Order?

(PC, Walla-Hebrew)