Israel’s dangerous consensus - by Caroline Glick

...Today Israel is facing complex, multifaceted security challenges that exist and grow in an equally complex, multifaceted diplomatic environment. To develop the means of dealing with the challenges, our security establishment needs to cultivate a permissive intellectual climate among our commanders that rewards free thinking and promotes free thinkers. Perhaps that retired Mossad commander was just a blowhard. Perhaps he was giving an accurate accounting of the intellectual climate in the senior ranks of Israel’s national security establishment. In all likelihood, the truth lays somewhere in the middle. But what is clear enough is that the time has come to air out the ranks of our national defense establishment. Our senior commanders need to reassess their operational assumptions in order to develop plans going forward that are based on a broad spectrum of ideas.

Caroline Glick..
Column One..
18 February '16..

Recently I found myself in a chance conversation with a former head of the Mossad’s Directorate of Operations. The former master spy, whom I had never met before, knew that I am a journalist.

He was aware of my political views.

Directing his remarks at a friend of mine, he declared that 99 percent of Mossad and Shin Bet officers are leftists. He then added triumphantly that according to a former commander of the air force whose name he cited, 99% of the air force’s pilots are similarly leftists.

Initially, I dismissed his comments as obnoxious chest-beating by a man who felt like irritating a group of right-wingers.

But given the source, it is impossible to simply brush off what he said. And to be clear, far more troubling than the prospect that Israel’s security establishment is uniformly leftist is the notion that there is any intellectual or ideological uniformity of any kind in the ranks of our defense community.

But given our defense community’s record in recent years, there is ample reason to believe that there is more than a grain of salt in the spy chief’s boast.

Consider Israel’s handling of Gaza.

According to a number of senior officers, at the end of Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the IDF’s senior commanders convened in Tel Aviv to determine how to handle the Hamas regime going forward.

During Protective Edge, Israel learned a few things about Hamas and about the strategic balance of power between Israel and Hamas in the region and the world.

On the ground Israel learned that Hamas bases its offensive capabilities on civilian infrastructure.

Hamas placed its missiles, its communications centers and its operational commands inside civilian buildings including private homes, hospitals, clinics, schools, mosques and UN offices.

As far as the strategic balance and resources of both sides, during the war Hamas enjoyed the de facto backing of the Obama administration.

Throughout the war, the administration pressured Israel to accept Hamas’s cease-fire terms as dictated by its state sponsors Qatar and Turkey.

On the other hand, Israel was able to avoid bowing to the US’s pro-Hamas demands because throughout the conflict we enjoyed the open support of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

In other words, during the war, Israel discovered that Hamas’s military strategy was based entirely on an implicit alliance with the West, which attacked Israel for targeting Hamas’s military infrastructure, which, again, was all based in civilian structures.

It might have been assumed that the IDF senior commanders would have based their post-war deliberations on these lessons. But according to senior IDF sources, that didn’t happen.

Statements Concerning "Israel’s Security Establishment" and the Iran Deal

So anyone citing Goldberg's piece, or J Street's advocacy, to suggest Israel's security establishment supports the agreement as a "good deal" should be corrected. (A good place start? The Washington Post should correct its highly misleading headline, "How the Iran deal is good for Israel, according to Israelis who know what they're talking about," under which Amos Yadlin is listed as one of those "Israelis who know what they're talking about." Yes, the same Yadlin who referred to the deal as "not good," "problematic," and even "bad.")

Gilead Ini..
CAMERA Media Analyses..
23 July '15..




July 24 update appended below.

An opinion piece published in the Forward carries a headline that might lead readers to believe that a consensus of senior Israeli security experts views the recently signed Iran nuclear deal as a good deal.

The piece, by Forward editor J.J. Goldberg, is titled "Israel Security Establishment Breaks With Bibi on Iran Deal," and cites a long and impressive list of members of Israel's security establishment.

But the title and thesis of the piece is worded in a way that might confuse readers looking to gauge Israeli support for the deal. The security establishment "breaks with Bibi," says the title. Support for Netanyahu's "war against the Iran nuclear agreement" has been cracked, says the first paragraph. Generals and spymasters are "questioning" Netanyahu. But none of this quite means these security officials believe the agreement is "good."

"Good" is what J Street calls the Iran deal. The lobbying organization, which focuses on holding Israel responsible for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, is engaged in an all-out campaign to convince American Jews that the deal is good for everyone involved: America, Israel, and the world. It has gone so far as attacking AIPAC, the mainstream pro-Israel lobbying organization, for claiming (in J Street's words) that "the deal does not ensure ‘anytime, anywhere' short-notice inspections," even though Secretary of State John Kerry openly admits that it does not.

So when J Street posted to Twitter a link to Goldberg's piece, it surely hoped to convince its followers that "the establishment," too, believes the agreement is good.

Goldberg's piece, headline notwithstanding, admits otherwise, and it's worth drawing attention to the views of some of the officials named in the piece before it unhelpfully gets passed around as a list of experts who support the deal. Some of the Israeli security experts cited, Goldberg notes, believe only the deal is not "as bad" as Netanyahu describes it. And some straightforwardly say the deal is "bad," he admits. Here's one example of the latter, in Goldberg's words:

Those who don't see fit to protect their brothers' lives

...This en masse absence without leave is an immoral act by people without a conscience. I am repulsed by the Hebrew expression "beautiful souls" that is commonly used to describe people like these. There is nothing beautiful about the souls of those who leave their posts, about those who don't see fit to protect their brothers' lives. Self-justification isn't justice and piety isn't devotion.

Uri Heitner..
Israel Hayom..
14 September '14..

A total of 1,500 Israelis were murdered in terrorist attacks in the decade following the Oslo Accords (1993-2003). In the 10 years after that, there were nearly no attacks. This was not due to a change in the Palestinians' beliefs or motivation. It was the result of a daily war against Palestinian terrorism through military operations and intelligence, a fight that saved human lives. Obviously, the terrorists continue to employ other methods, like firing rockets and digging attack tunnels, and the struggle against them continues -- a hard one, fought every day, mostly drudgery. Thousands of soldiers and members of the security forces are part of it. Some are combat soldiers, and some are in intelligence.

The IDF's Unit 8200 is one of the most important arms in protecting the State of Israel in general, and fighting the Palestinian enemy in particular. In exhausting, daily gruntwork of bugging and intercepting information its soldiers put details together, and the information they bring in thwarts terrorist attacks by helping the Israel Defense Forces stop suicide bombers or take out a terrorist operative. They do holy work.

The state owes them a great deal and gives them a great deal in return. They enjoy much better service conditions than the combat troops. They don't put their lives at risk. And in civilian life, the knowledge and experience they acquire through the enormous resources invested in their training opens doors in the high-tech sector in Israel and abroad, as well as paving the way to top management positions in Israel.

And now, a group of reservists from the Unit 8200 has stood up and decided to throw it all away, to abandon their posts in the war on terrorism. These people in whom the government invested vast resources in training and exempted from military roles that would endanger their lives, because it understood that they were necessary to the defense of the state and the lives of its citizens, have suddenly decided not to repay the state's investment, to go AWOL from the fight, to abandon their posts, to stand by in the face of their fellow citizens' spilled blood -- the blood of children -- while continuing to get rich thanks to all we put into them.

The US intelligence community's vindictive attitude towards Israel

...All these – the attempt to prevent the release of Pollard, the attempt to block Israel's ascension to the Visa Waiver program, and the attempt to shame the Israeli intelligence community for its past transgressions, as well as the possible attempt to head-butt Obama, make up the motivation behind Newsweek's second, but no less embarrassing, report on Israel's alleged spy efforts against the US.

Ron Ben-Yishai..
Ynet/Israel Opinion..
11 May '14..

The second Newsweek article on Israel's alleged spying efforts in the US, titled "Israel’s Aggressive Spying in the US Mostly Hushed Up", embarrasses its author and sources almost more than the original piece published last Tuesday.

It serves as additional proof to what anyone who has ever worked in Washington DC and with the White House knows – American analysis of events pertaining to foreigners is at times distorted or even downright mistaken.

US security and intelligence officials have a tendency to judge the actions of others as if they were undertaken by the Americans, resulting in the pot calling the kettle black.

The US intelligence community, which eavesdrops on every corner of the known world, attributes the same to us at times, especially when it serves US interests. The best example of this is actually the incident regarding Israel's alleged attempt to place a spy in Al Gore's hotel room, the incident which opens Jeff Stein's second Newsweek's article.

The article cites a Secret Service man who reportedly secured the then-vice-president's hotel room in Jerusalem, probably, the Kind David Hotel, and made sure the room was free of wire taps.

As is protocol in such cases, and this is well known to Israel's security and intelligence officials, one Secret Service man remains in the hotel room to make sure it remains 'clean' and no would be assassins attempt to enter while the room is vacant.

According to the Newsweek report, the bodyguard was alone in the room when he suddenly heard a noise from the air-condition vent and saw its cover being removed from within the vent. Someone was allegedly attempting to enter the room through the now open duct.

The Secret Service agent then coughed to alert the intruder of his presence and the "Israeli spy" whom he reportedly caught red-handed, did an about-face and returned up the vent to whence he came. That is the article's proof of Israel's "aggressive" spy tactics.

Anyone in the loop knows that if Israeli intelligence services wanted to spy against Al Gore, it could have done so in numerous ways, especially while in Israel where they enjoy a home field advantage.

In this case, sadly and embarrassingly for Newsweek, it is probably no other than a hotel maintenance worker taking care of the AC system. It was probably nothing but a routine examination, one conducted in anticipation of the State visit of such a senior ranking figure.

The story is full of additionally 'embarrassing' stories for the Israeli spy service, including stories of senior Israeli military industry CEOs being invited to the US for tours of possible business opportunities and these business trips were framed in the article as clear-cut proof of Israel's malicious intentions.

Doron Zahavi, Fighter for Israel

...Whoever is recruited to 504 has agreed to put his or her life in danger. And while they have been exposed to stabbing and betrayal, not a single one of them serving in this distinguished unit have been trained what to do when they're being stabbed in the back by their own countrymen.

Dr. Reuven Berko..
Israel Hayom..
06 January '14..

Doron Zahavi, from the Israel Defense Force's elite 504 intelligence unit, is a hero, but he was abandoned on the front lines. Bypassing the deleterious campaign against him, this is my attempt to clear his name.

Because of his special abilities, the state sent Zahavi to mix with our bitterest enemies, acting as an agent in their midst. He and others like him spent years of their lives in interrogation rooms trying to extract critical, life-saving information from terrorists. He joined missions penetrating deep into enemy territory to capture conniving terrorists.

Whoever is recruited to 504 has agreed to put his or her life in danger. And while they have been exposed to stabbing and betrayal, not a single one of them serving in this distinguished unit have been trained what to do when they're being stabbed in the back by their own countrymen.

The enemy doesn't rule out using any missile or means. Senior Hezbollah official Mustafa Dirani chose to kill one of our finest sons with a baseball bat. The situation is absurd: One of the most senior officers in a terrorist organization, who dreamed to kill Israeli citizens and was involved in air force navigator Ron Arad's imprisonment, is demanding compensation from Israel because, according to him, he was humiliated, threatened with rape and other indecent acts (which included, among other things, baseball-bat abuse).

When I saw footage of Dirani's interrogation in the media, I was unpleasantly surprised by its shallowness. Dirani -- a veteran of the Hezbollah system that rapes women and children in Lebanon and Syria, ties the tormented bodies of its enemies to the backs of cars and drags them through the streets, denails and electrocutes its prisoners -- must have giggled to himself at the offensive "sexual" acts being done to him while he was dressed in his underwear.

I am proud to admit that in the past I was also a fighter like Zahavi. I can also recite the lofty ethical code guiding his actions; I know the officers involved in his line of work. Because of this, I can empathize with Zahavi's public battle to clear his name. As a professional experienced in motivational theory, I have asked myself more than once: Why do certain individuals here have the perverse desire to inflict damage on our country, both inside Israel and internationally? Without thinking, as someone who recruited and ran agents, I can occasionally pick out the journalists denigrating our country, the type attacking Zahavi and his actions today, with the perfect mix of personality traits and motivation that had they been among our enemies back in the day would have made great agents. Such personalities are multifaceted, comprising a mixture of perceived deprivation, an inferiority complex and self-hatred, a sort of "know it all," undeserved air of superiority and the belief that their betrayal is justified and that their countrymen, in their stupidity, simply cannot understand it.

Israels Ambassador to D.C. undermines credibility - repeats decades old lie about Pollard operation in WTOP interview

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
21 June '10

Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA

(Update: Netanyahu: Pollard acted as Israel agent
By GIL HOFFMAN The Jerusalem Post 06/22/2010 22:01
www.jpost.com/Home/Article.aspx?id=179209

Michael Oren claims Pollard didn't act as Israeli agent.

Jonathan Pollard acted as an agent of the State of Israel, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, in reaction to a comment from Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren that was interpreted as suggesting otherwise.

Pollard is in the 25th year of a life sentence for passing classified information to an ally. While Israeli governments initially made a point of distancing themselves from Pollard, in Netanyahu's first term, the government formally recognized him as an Israeli agent in May 1998.

Oren appeared to backtrack from this in an interview with Washington radio station WTOP that was interpreted by American and Israeli media as suggesting that Pollard was merely part of a rogue operation.

"Jonathan Pollard occurred in the mid-1980's" Oren told the station. "Now, we're talking about an event that was run by a rogue organization in the Israeli intelligence community. That was, what, 25 years ago?"

Following reports about Oren's interview on Army Radio, both Netanyahu and Oren issued clarifications. "Pollard worked as an agent of the State of Israel, and no one is trying to deny this" Netanyahu said in closed conversations.)

In a stunning move, Israel's ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren told the Washington radio station WTOP, that the spy operation involving Jonathan Pollard was "rogue organization in the Israeli intelligence community" - a variant of the very same lie (that it was a "rogue" operation) that infuriated America 25 years ago when Israel first made it. A lie that has long ago been dropped as Israel officially acknowledged that Pollard was an Israeli agent.

The move by Oren - allowing himself to be caught on a lie - with the bizarre situation that he said it when clearly he should be aware that his audience knows he isnot telling the truth - undermines the credibility of Israel's point man in Washington.

To make matters worse, Oren made the remark within the context of assuring that Israel is not spying on America today.

How can Ambassador Oren do damage control? He can issue an apology and correction, explaining that the correction is in the wake of a briefing he has just received - thus explaining his previous claim as reflecting a lack of information on his part rather than any intention to deceive.

Israeli spy in U.S. part of 'rogue operation'
June 21, 2010 - 9:14am

Jonathan Pollard, once thought to have been an Israeli spy, may have been part of a rogue operation. (AP) J.J. Green, wtop.com

WASHINGTON - Twenty-five years after his arrest, the truth about for whom Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard was working is still in doubt.

The former civilian intelligence analyst, sentenced to life in prison on charges of spying on the U.S. in 1987, was allegedly not working for official Israeli intelligence, as previously thought.

(Read full article)

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