In a recent interview with Al Jazeera, Gideon Levy, a renowned author and columnist for the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz, discussed the implications of what he termed as Israel’s ‘intelligence failure’. Levy attributed this failure to Israel’s arrogance and overconfidence in its security measures, which he believes led to the country being caught off guard by the recent Hamas operation.

Levy also touched on the political turmoil in Israel, which he believes has led to the neglect of the southern front in favor of protecting settlers in the West Bank. However, he dismissed the idea that the political crisis and protests were directly responsible for the intelligence failure.

Discussing the recent anti-government protests over judicial reforms proposed by Netanyahu, Levy expressed his belief that despite the unrest, reservists would still report for duty in times of war. He stated that, to his knowledge, there have been no cases of refusal to serve.

Levy concluded the interview by discussing the psychological impact of the Hamas operation on Israelis. He suggested that the operation could potentially change perceptions about the Palestinians and their capabilities, but noted that it would take time for these changes to be fully understood and accepted.

Watch the full video at Al Jazeera‘s YouTube channel.