Netanyahu's handling of Oct. 7 emerges as key issue in Israeli election

Amna Nawaz:

Israel yesterday observed the solemn and terrible anniversary of the October 7 attacks. The nation is now barreling toward elections in less than three weeks, which could extend Benjamin Netanyahu's already record tenure as Israel's leader.

The Trump administration has worked in near lockstep with Netanyahu since the president's return to office. But an exclusive in today's New York Times reports that a top official in the U.S. Embassy is often rewriting cables that alter the picture on the ground in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

To explore that and the wider picture in Israel, I'm joined now by Ambassador Dan Shapiro, who served as an American envoy to Israel during the Obama administration.

Ambassador, welcome back to the "News Hour." Thanks for joining us.

Daniel Shapiro, Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel: Thanks for having me on.

Amna Nawaz:

So I want to start with that New York Times exclusive in which they said they talked to 15 U.S. officials, reviewed dozens of cables and documents and internal communications. And the characterization there is that this top aide was altering information making its way back to Washington in a positive light, in other words, not reflecting accurately some of the things that were making their way up in memos and getting that to D.C.

What's your reaction to that reporting?

Daniel Shapiro:

Well, I don't know the details of this particular case.

What I can tell you is that my experience as an ambassador and with an embassy staff is that what Washington policymakers need is clear and unvarnished reporting about what's happening in the country you're serving in. That means that, in a case like Israel, Israel is a security partner and there are aspects of the things that happen in Israel that certainly serve U.S. interests.

Certainly, with the case of the current government, which includes very extreme members of the Israeli political system, advocates for mass settlement expansion in the West Bank, people who are looking away from a wave of violence by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinian civilians, that should also be part of the reporting.

So, that's, I think, what an embassy's obligation is, an ambassador's obligation is and those who work for the ambassador.

Amna Nawaz:

One of the pieces of information The New York Times cites specifically is a memo that staff members in the embassy drafted about Israel expanding some of its West Bank settlements very quietly. They say, according to sources, that memo never made it to Washington.

And I should share with you what the ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said in response to their reporting. He called it a hit piece. He said: "I personally and categorically refute the elements of this proposed story," as he put it.

I have to put to you, since you have served in the role. Some will say, isn't it the ambassador's job to gatekeep that information, to edit cables before they go back to D.C.? Do you have any concerns about this reporting?

Daniel Shapiro:

A good embassy and ambassador gives clear and unvarnished reporting, but there's always judgment calls. And, in the end, the embassy's reporting should reflect what the ambassador believes and the views that he wants to share with the Washington policymakers.

Amna Nawaz:

As we noted, we're now speaking the day after Israel marked three years since those Hamas terrorist attacks, and we know the shadow of those attacks has loomed large over these upcoming elections.

You're there on the ground. We know Netanyahu's faced a lot of questions about what he knew before the attacks. How big a role are those attacks playing in this election?

Daniel Shapiro:

Yes, I have been here just about 24 hours, and it's very clear that this is the central issue in the closing phase of this election. Who bears responsibility for the October 7 attacks?

The opposition candidates led by Gadi Eisenkot as part of a coalition of parties are saying that Netanyahu was asleep at the wheel, had policies that underestimated what Hamas' intentions and capabilities were in Gaza, didn't respond in real time, nor were they prepared before the case for that -- attacks.

And they are making that case to try to cement the case against Netanyahu continuing in office. Netanyahu, for his part, and his allies are saying, no, it was the fault of security and intelligence chiefs, generals in the military. They were the ones who were asleep at the switch. They did not share information with him. They didn't wake him on the morning of the attack in time to make key decisions.

And he is trying to rally his traditional supporters to say he's still the person that can be trusted to deal with the various security threats that Israel still faces. It looks like it's a very close election, and it may be that neither side will really be able to form a coalition government coming out of it, in which case it's entirely possible that Netanyahu will remain in office as a caretaker while another election is run a few months from now.

Amna Nawaz:

We have seen Netanyahu say that he has no greater partner than U.S. President Trump, but we did see President Trump sort of sidestep a question recently about endorsing Netanyahu.

What have you noticed about relations between the two? Have they taken a hit recently?

Daniel Shapiro:

They certainly have cooled.

There was certainly a period earlier this year when it was fully expected, and I know Netanyahu was expecting it, that President Trump would give him a fulsome endorsement.

I think it's possible that Trump has concluded, or certainly some of his advisers have concluded that some of what he wants to achieve in the Middle East in the last two years of his presidency, trying to advance his 20-point plan to rebuild Gaza, trying to get Saudi Arabia to take a step toward normalization of relations with Israel, trying to expand the Abraham Accords, would actually be easier with a prime minister other than Benjamin Netanyahu and the very extreme right-wing coalition that he leads.

Amna Nawaz:

That is the former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro joining us tonight.

Ambassador, thank you so much for your time. Good to speak with you.

Daniel Shapiro:

Thanks very much.