And Now a Word from the Israeli Security Professionals...

Adam L. Silverman, PhD*

COL Lang has been covering the developments in the P5+1 negotiations over Iran's nuclear program, including the growing rift between the US and Israel in regard to the process and its potential outcomes. One of Israel's top former security and intelligence professionals has also weighed in. Carmi Gillon, who was head of Shin Bet when Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated**, recently the Chicago Sun-Times reported that he stated: “The American policy is a policy of wisdom.” and “In my eyes, American policy is not coming out of weakness. It comes out of power" (h/t Ben Armbruster at ThinkProgress).

Gillon is just the latest in a long line of former Israeli security and intelligence leaders to publicly come out and contradict or try to contextualize Prime Minister Netanyahu's positions regarding Iran, as well as other Israeli security issues. We have previously covered former Mossad Director and Israeli National Security Advisor Ephraim Halevy's opposition to Netanyahu's stated positions and actions, but both he and several other former senior Israeli security and defense officials have made more recent statements about Israel (read Netanyahu) not giving the US ultimatums (h/t Armbruster - same link as above).

To get an even better idea of what Gillon and five of his former colleagues think about the reality, let alone the need, for speaking to Israel's adversaries, you should check out the documentary the Gatekeepers that I wrote about last Spring. So you don't have to watch the whole thing right this minute, check out this promotional video starting at the 6:01 mark. I especially like the remarks of Avraham Shalom, the oldest of the six former Shin Bet directors interviewed for the film starting at the 6:07 mark.

 

* Adam L. Silverman is the Cultural Advisor at the US Army War College. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the US Army War College and/or the US Army.

** This is covered in the Gatekeepers documentary, including Gillon's attempts to get Rabin to take the potential threat to his life as a result of opposition to the peace process, as well as incendiary political and religious rhetoric related to the Israeli political campaigns that were taking place at the time.

Comments

[Harper]

Netanyahu knows that if a deal is struck between the P5+1 and Iran, his political future is doomed. He is tolerated because of the fear factor so dominant in Israeli politics, but if this Iran bogeyman is tamed, this will trigger a long-overdue political realignment of sane political forces and Bibi will be history. He is so divorced from genuine Israeli security interests that the ex-Mossad and IDF people will continue to come out against him. Even Avigdor Lieberman in his first day back as Foreign Minister attacked Bibi's loud mouthed attacks on the US around the Iran talks.

[Charles I]

And yet the appointment of Lieberman as FM - albeit arguably out of domestic political expediency - says it all.

[Matthew]

So does this: http://rt.com/news/palestinian-children-settler-attack-738/

I'll bet that the White House will really condemn this....until they realize the terrorist was Israeli.

[Stephanie]

Very good movie. According to others interviewed in the film Shalom, who looks quite grandfatherly and speaks strongly for talking to the enemy, was the toughtest of tough guys and frightened everybody out of their wits back in the day.