October 7th… A Day of Salvation or a Day of Reckoning?
The night that marked the downfall of the quartet—Netanyahu, Hamas, Abbas, and Dahlan—along with all the old figures who had traded on the Palestinian cause.
Perhaps the picture is beginning to clear.
According to an investigation published by Haaretz, ten days prior to October 7th, Netanyahu received a direct warning from Mohammed bin Zayed—conveyed via Mohammed Dahlan—regarding a major operation Hamas was preparing; yet, he took no action and did not share the warning with security leadership.
Before October 7th, Netanyahu was facing one of the most perilous political crises of his career; his judicial overhaul plan was fueling deep divisions within Israel, while corruption charges and his ongoing trial were exerting immense political pressure on him.
Then came the attack.
Suddenly, all domestic battles were put on hold, and Netanyahu transformed from a prime minister on the brink of collapse into a wartime leader.
The irony is that October 7th—despite representing the greatest security and political failure of his tenure—temporarily saved Netanyahu from falling.
Yet, what is postponed is not cancelled.
With the end of the war, the return of elections, and the moment of accountability, the old questions will resurface—perhaps even more harshly: Who knew? When did they know? And who ignored the warnings?
The day that offered Netanyahu political salvation may well turn into a day of reckoning.
Conversely, neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority emerged from this war the same way they entered it. Gaza has been devastated, Hamas has suffered a massive blow, and the Authority—under Mahmoud Abbas—has reached one of its weakest points.
We may, therefore, be witnessing the end of an entire era.
But the issue is not about Netanyahu alone.
And the matter does not stop with these figures. Gaza has been devastated, Hamas has suffered a massive blow, and Mahmoud Abbas faces the end of a long political era. Even Mohammed Dahlan—once viewed as a potential alternative within the Palestinian landscape—can no longer return in his old guise; the Palestinian and regional equations have shifted entirely. Ironically, Dahlan has recently resurfaced in discussions regarding Gaza’s future, suggesting that the “fall” in question is that of the old formula, not necessarily the man’s disappearance from the scene.
Even traditional Palestinian figures and factions that defined the political landscape for decades—from Mustafa Barghouti to the Popular and Democratic Fronts—now find themselves confronting a radically different reality.
In other words, the issue is not the downfall of a specific individual or organization, but the collapse of the entire old political formula and system.
Netanyahu, Hamas, Abbas, and Dahlan—along with the figures and forces tied to the era of recent decades—all face the same question:
Do they still have a place in the landscape taking shape after October 7?
This may well mark the end of an entire era, yet the problem remains that no alternative has yet emerged.
The old pillars of the triangle have collapsed, taking with them many of the figures who dominated the Palestinian and Israeli scenes for decades. The real question now is: Who will fill the void?
For the fall of individuals does not necessarily mean the end of the crisis—unless a new project and path emerge, capable of filling the vacuum left by this era.
التاريخ 8-9-2026
