Three Years After October 7, Israel Still Under Netanyahu
On the third anniversary of the Hamas-led attack, Benjamin Netanyahu remains prime minister with a real chance of re-election. A France 24 debate programme also asks what Zionism means today.
Three years have passed since the attack of October 7, 2023, the bloodiest day in Israel's history. On the anniversary, people gathered at the memorial at the Nova music festival site near Reim in southern Israel, where partygoers were killed and kidnapped.
In Israeli politics, little has changed so far. After the attack, commentators predicted a swift end to the right-wing prime minister's career, yet Benjamin Netanyahu is still in office and, according to France 24, has a fair shot at re-election. A general election is scheduled for October 27. Even if the Likud leader is voted out, his most serious rivals do not advocate a radical break in approach to the Palestinians.
The programme's producers say the country has still not reckoned with the security failures on the day, the root causes of the attack, or the war of vengeance that followed.
The meaning of Zionism
Three years on, certain words, such as "genocide", leave many supporters of Israel either angry or uneasy. Another term central to the country's direction is Zionism. The UK's Green Party has gone as far as equating it with racism.
The Debate asks what Zionism meant in 1948, when Israel was founded, what it means now, and whether the concept can be compatible with a lasting solution that brings peace to the Middle East.
