Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has sharply criticized current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, labeling his recent escalation of tensions with Türkiye as both "reckless and stupid." Writing on X on Wednesday, Barak questioned the underlying intent of these actions, suggesting that they appear driven by a political desire to enter elections while surrounded by security crises that heighten public anxiety.
Barak emphasized that Türkiye should not be compared to Iran or the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. He argued that there is no strategic conflict with Ankara that could not be managed, mitigated, or deferred through discreet, US-coordinated diplomacy. According to Barak, Netanyahu has "completely gone off the rails" and is prioritizing his own political survival over the security of Israel, behaving in a manner he likened to a "compulsive gambler."
The former leader noted that the ongoing failure to meet the stated goals of the current war, combined with Netanyahu's expected political defeat, has fueled this behavior. Barak warned that such conduct is alarming Israel's remaining international and regional allies. He concluded by cautioning that the diplomatic and security damage caused by Netanyahu will take a significant amount of time to repair, and urged against further reckless measures that could ultimately prove counterproductive.
