Amnon Shashua, president of autonomous vehicle technology company Mobileye and a well-known Israeli businessman He publicly called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to resign immediately. Such public and frank criticism rarely comes from the Israeli business world. Shashua accused Netanyahu’s government of “failure, disharmony, and incompetence” following the October 7 Hamas incursion from the Gaza Strip into cities in southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of many Israelis.
In an opinion piece published by financial daily Calcalist, Shashua urged quick action to mitigate further damage. “We need to cut our losses, and fast,” he said. The only solution to the current situation in Israel is to replace the government, and this must happen immediately.”
The prime minister himself sparked controversy on Sunday when he criticized his intelligence chiefs for failing to warn him of the planned Hamas attack. However, he later retracted his statements and apologized. When Reuters asked for comment on Shashua’s op-ed, Netanyahu’s office did not respond.
According to Shashua, the government appears to be more concerned with its long-term political survival than “the interests of the country.” He proposed forming a new coalition within the current parliament without calling for new elections, thus reducing potential political instability.
Netanyahu has not yet accepted responsibility for intelligence or operational shortcomings, saying only that there would be an opportunity to conduct a comprehensive investigation, including a self-examination, after the conflict. Israeli officials confirmed that a comprehensive investigation would be conducted into the events leading up to the Hamas attack and its handling.
Shashua co-founded Mobileye in 1999. Intel acquired the company in 2017 for $15.3 billion, then went public again last year. The news agency reports that Shashua is also the founder of One Zero digital bank and AI21 Labs.
Cover image source: MTI Photo/Sultan Abir
