by Zalman Shoval
Former Shin Bet chief
Yuval Diskin's claim that "resolving the Palestinian issue is more
important than tackling the Iranian nuclear threat" is just absurd, even
ridiculous. It is also dangerous as it can impede progress in the talks
with the Palestinians and can compromise the efforts to stop Iran's
nuclearization.
Perpetuating the
conflict with the Palestinians does indeed entail risks on various
levels, but only those who choose to ignore reality (in this case
Diskin, probably knowingly) can sound the rhetoric of "Agreement Now."
Even the Americans have come around to the realization that the
Palestinians are still determined to pursue their rejectionist strategy
and avoid any path that may require them to make compromises and
concessions on core issues: the refugees, Jerusalem, the holy sites, and
the recognition of Israel as the Jewish nation state.
Does Diskin really
believe the Israeli public would buy his claim that it is the government
-- perhaps exclusively so -- that has the secret ingredient that would
make a deal possible? Energetic U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry may
have told reporters on Friday that we have never been closer to a deal,
but he too knows that even if security issues were to be ironed out (a
must if we were to discuss the other parts of a deal) a comprehensive
deal is not in the offing. He also knows that at best, the current round
of negotiations would culminate with a partial or interim deal. But
even the chances of that prospect being realized are slim, in part
because of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' rejectionism.
Statements such as the
one made by Diskin, who until recently was a senior government official,
serve the Palestinians in their efforts to deceive the world, and
especially the U.S. Of course, aside from the Palestinian issue are many
others whose perpetuation can pose a serious challenge for Israel's
future, among them the shortcomings in our schools, income disparity,
poverty, the low number of haredim and Arabs who take part in the
Israeli economy and even the ramifications of assimilation and
intermarriage in the Jewish Diaspora.
But the Iranian nuclear
threat is unique. It is immediate and tangible, evident and obvious.
Lacking a solution in the near future, it would continue to be an
ever-turning sword. This sword requires us to take a look at the
immediate and distant future and take the necessary steps, because our
actions may have an adverse effect on our way of life and our set of
priorities, on many levels. This includes the issues listed above: the
Palestinians, education, the economy and so forth.
Diskin's comments and
those made by his supporters essentially sanction Iran's nuclearization,
all the while blurring the immediacy of its goals. The former Shin Bet
head doesn't have to be an expert on strategy and international
relations like Isser Harel and other Shin Bet chiefs. Harel served as
the head of the Shin Bet and the Mossad simultaneously but he too had
his share of mistakes -- the controversy surrounding the alleged
activity of German missile scientists in Egypt comes to mind. Diskin,
like others before him, is no Harel.
The Shin Bet is
supposed to fight subversion and other threats to Israel's security.
Among other things, it engages in counterintelligence and
counterterrorism, protects senior officials and vets office holders
before they get security clearance. On all of those matters, the Shin
Bet has been superb; this was definitely the case under Diskin's watch.
No one disagrees with that.
But his recent
comments, made at a gathering marking the 10th anniversary of the Geneva
initiative, probably prove that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made
the right call by not appointing him as Mossad chief. Israel's spy
agency has an area of responsibility that is very different from
Diskin's field of expertise. Rumor has it that Netanyahu's decision is
what made Diskin carry out such erratic attacks on Netanyahu.
There is no specific code of
conduct on how former public officials (including former prime
ministers) should behave once they become ordinary citizens. You would
think that those who have once been at the helm would know how to
maintain an honorable posture once they end their service in government.
But that could have been too much to expect.
Zalman Shoval
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6595
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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