Editor of the Makor Rishon newspaper, former journalist Hagai Segal, was interviewed on Nadav Perry's podcast, and he responded to the criticism against him from the Right, addressing the “day after” in Gaza and the “day after” the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Segal commented on the fighting on the southern front and said: "I am not one of those who believe that the IDF can capture everything in six days. This is a different kind of war. Obviously, there are also political constraints, and I don't think anyone can offer a different formula today. I don't think Ben Gvir and Smotrich can suggest a formula, claiming that if they were Herzi Halevi, Hamas would have already surrendered."
Segal was asked what he thinks will happen in Gaza, and he replied: "I can tell you what I hope will happen. At least they will not return to the north of Gaza or to Gaza itself in the foreseeable future. Just as the Nakba was burned in them, it should be here as well. I believe that then it will serve as a deterrent that will help Israel's security."
He was asked what he thinks will happen to the Right in the foreseeable future, and Segal estimated that "the Right will pay a price, and I believe that Likud will pay a heavy price. It will go in the same way that the Labor Party did in the end. It will slowly fade away and be given its punishment. Even I, who wants a right-wing government in the country, do not want it to be this kind of right-wing government."
Segal added: "Something sad has happened to the right. Responding to what the media did to it, they started cursing and being spiteful. It's intolerable. I do want to win arguments with the Left, but I don't want to overpower or humiliate them. You know what? I don't even want to beat them; I want to prove myself right more than I want to expose their mistakes because they are not my enemy."
Segal referred to the term 'Bibism,’ as stated by interviewer Perry, and said: "I wrote Netanyahu fans because I understood that the term is derogatory. It's quite sad because when I argue with someone about the future, let's say, about Gaza, then they should be guided by the principle and not by the man. I suffered badly from them. There were some exceptionally difficult years. I suffered severe slander, especially on Twitter. It was slightly amusing as if I were a leftist."
In response to a question about what he believes would be a good political outcome for Netanyahu, he said: "I think that after the war, it would be best for him to give up, and if he could hint to this now, it would also be good. There is some kind of plot developing here as if he wants to drag out the war to help him survive. I’m not even going to talk about that. It is clear that Netanyahu cannot continue after what has happened, and he's actually been in this position for a very long time, and it's not healthy."
Segal added that he believes there is a need for a different type of right-wing party and explained: "I would like a Right-wing party that is more centralized. I think that the next generation of the Hatchiya party needs to be established. The best thing would be for Netanyahu to hand over the reins to someone else in the Likud, maybe to Yuli Edelstein, and then Ayelet Shaked might join. It's a shame for Netanyahu; it's a tragedy that he didn't do this earlier."
In conclusion, he said: "I have to give Netanyahu credit – it is true that his current term is bad, but he also had good times. He stood bravely against Obama on the Iranian nuclear matter, and he gave the Bar Ilan speech that caused me to explode with rage, but in the end, he said 'yes' and did 'no', which was such a pragmatic move. He also led the gas plan to success."