Nearly two-and-a-half years after the October 7 attacks, Israelis have demonstrated a willingness to accept - or at minimum, comprehend - shortcomings. Yet they refuse to tolerate sidestepping accountability or distorting the facts.

This reality rendered Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar's statements on Sunday morning particularly discordant.

In a 103FM interview, Zohar sought to deflect blame for October 7 onto the administration of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, claiming that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar viewed that coalition as feeble and devised the assault during its time in office.

"[October 7] occurred under our leadership, but the scheme originated in the Bennett-Lapid era," Zohar stated. "Sinwar devised it upon perceiving that government's frailty."

Zohar further cautioned that forming a comparable coalition dependent on Arab parties tomorrow would pave the way for another October 7.

Israelis evaluate their leaders not from the instant adversaries initiate plotting, but based on whether the administration in place during the incident identified dangers and prevented disaster - a task this government did not accomplish.

Throughout history, every foe Israel confronted devoted years to plotting assaults, frequently spanning various administrations and voting periods - particularly prior to October 7, amid Israel's five election rounds in merely two years.

Engaging in Finger-Pointing

What resonates as particularly empty for numerous Israelis is that, almost three years following the deadliest slaughter in the nation's history, top ministers continue hunting for external culprits.

If Hamas scheming under a prior regime constitutes evidence of inadequacy, what does the massacre's actual implementation under the present one imply?

Such a query defies resolution through partisan catchphrases or campaign rhetoric targeting coalitions "dependent on Arab lists." It demands leaders ready to face harsh realities and initiate probes into the conceptzia - the flawed premises - that bred prolonged overconfidence within Israel's political and defense frameworks.

Nevertheless, one truth stands undeniable: culpability extends beyond a single faction.

The notorious conceptzia did not materialize suddenly in October 2023. It predated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ongoing term and the preceding one.

For years, the belief that Hamas sought to avoid all-out conflict was propagated not only by officials but also by defense and intelligence personnel, strategists, research institutes, and analysts certain that Hamas favored financial perks and restrained clashes over total warfare.

This misconception turned fatal, prompting a profound reassessment in Israel's defense hierarchy.

Over the two-and-a-half years post-October 7, significant portions of Israel's top military ranks have departed or been succeeded. Figures like Shin Bet director Ronen Bar and IDF head Herzi Halevi stepped down, with Bar effectively ousted by the prime minister.

Officers across Halevi's command structure yielded positions to fresh appointees free from direct ties to October 7 lapses, such as Israeli Air Force commander Tomer Bar, who ended his service last week.

Although debates persist on apportioning blame among Israel's institutions, the security apparatus grasped a fundamental tenet: command entails accountability, regardless of ill intent. Elected representatives have yet to impose this benchmark on themselves.

Israelis harbor no illusions of flawless governance from their officials; still, they insist on candor, including recognition that the coalition holding power on massacre day shoulders blame for not averting it.

Above all, it involves grasping that the public wearies of perpetual scapegoat pursuits.

Families of the grieving seek not details on which alliance first glimpsed Hamas blueprints - they crave solutions barring future devastation. Released captives and kin of Gaza-fallen troops disregard Zohar's partisan alignments in assessing fault.

IDF reservists, back from prolonged battlefield stints, grow impatient witnessing commanders indulge in accusations while they hazard lives across Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank.

In forthcoming Israeli polls, the electorate will shun politicians peddling the cleverest rationales for October 7. They will embrace those persuading them that the tragedy's teachings have been authentically internalized.