Netanyahu's Apology Over Hospital Incident - Necessary Or Humiliating?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's almost apologetic statement today (Monday) regarding the incident at Nasser Hospital, where the IDF targeted a Hamas operative using a camera to monitor IDF troops for the terrorists but which also ended up killing a number of journalists and medical staff there.

Hawkish journalists like Hallel Bitton Rosen and Almog Boker repeatedly pointed to how Nasser Hospital has often been used as an effective Hamas base, with hostages being kept there, terrorists establishing headquarters there, and hospital staff even refusing to treat GHF employees shot by Hamas terrorists.

They and others strongly oppose what looks like throwing IDF soldiers under the bus during a highly difficult war when motivation for combat is key, especially since the IDF has not even completed its inquiry to find fault with IDF conduct.

However, the Prime Minister, as concerned as he is for IDF motivation and morale - the Prime Minister often visits the front and individual units and sings their praises - the international arena matters. This is especially the case when it comes to the support of President Trump, the core linchpin of Israel's war operations and the bulwark against increased European hostility towards Israel.

If the IDF is to successfully fight on in any capacity, he needs to remain on Trump and the Republican Party's good side more broadly, and while it is true that Nasser Hospital did and does serve as a Hamas base, by the IDF's own admission, the journalists and hospital staff were not official targets due to terrorist affiliation or other violations of international law.

Israel and the world will now have to await the results of the IDF investigation into the incident, which should be completed as soon as possible.