Elliot Kaufman
ON THE RECORD · 11 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“I have not heard him take responsibility for what happened on October 7th.”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman said Netanyahu has not taken responsibility for what happened on October 7th.
“Vice President Vance played a critical role in ultimately securing American participation in the highly successful 12-day war,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman credited Vice President Vance with helping secure Trump's final authorization for Operation Midnight Hammer.
“Over time, he would gain confidence in the IDF, regain confidence in the military, in Israel's intelligence services, and end up outlasting, exhausting, or simply firing all of his war room rivals,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman described how Netanyahu eventually approved the ground operation in Gaza after weeks of internal debate.
“The United States may not have been in Israel's war room, but it could never be denied a seat at the table when it asked,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman said the confrontation between Israel and the U.S. exposed a fundamental difference in how the two governments approached the war.
“From Israel's point of view, it had been sitting and waiting for 10, 11 months while Hezbollah had been pounding the north of Israel with rockets and with anti-tank missiles, waiting for American diplomacy to succeed,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman argued that Israel had spent nearly a year waiting for American diplomacy to end Hezbollah's attacks on its northern communities.
“What I was told from the Israeli prime minister's office is ‘America's goal is to de-escalate the war. Our goal is to win the war,' and we saw that clash at every point, especially during the Biden administration.”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman relayed what he was told from the Israeli prime minister's office about the difference between U.S. and Israeli war goals.
“Almost all of the real achievements of this war came later in the war,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman argued that subsequent weakening of Hezbollah, the collapse of the Assad regime, and attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities complicated claims that continued fighting served only Netanyahu's political interests.
“It didn't work. Something had to change on the northern front.”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman argued that Israel's waiting for American diplomacy to succeed against Hezbollah had failed.
“There were real strategic interests to be pursued,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman challenged the argument that Netanyahu's sole motivation for prolonging the war was political survival.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu had just seen the IDF, Israel's military, fail miserably on Oct. 7, and Israel's intelligence services fail miserably on October 7,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman described how Netanyahu initially resisted launching a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.
“I have spoken to Prime Minister Netanyahu several times in person, even more on the phone. I had a three hour conversation with him extending well past midnight in Israel,”
Elliot Kaufman · said date not stated · reported 2026-10-11
Kaufman described his personal conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu when asked about Netanyahu's accountability for Oct. 7.