by Yaakov Amidror
The Wall Street Journal report is part of an intentional Obama administration campaign to undermine Israel's ability to argue against the bad agreement the West, led by the U.S., is poised to sign with Iran.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Tuesday
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Photo credit: AP  |
A new American accusation against Israel
surfaced on Sunday, suggesting that in its effort to learn of the
progress made in the West's nuclear negotiations with Iran, Israel had
further undermined its relations with the U.S. by spying on the talks.
This claim, published by The Wall Street
Journal, reminds me of two friends who were also business partners, and
one day found that a big company was planning a hostile takeover of
their firm.
One of the partners, a longtime friend, asked
me for advice. I suggested he hire a private investigator to find out
exactly what moves the big company was planning against his firm. He
felt that if he were to lose his business he would lose his livelihood,
and therefore any effort to determine what his adversary was doing was
worthwhile.
A few weeks later, the same friend told me
with alarm that the private investigator had discovered the person
plotting the hostile takeover was none other than his partner. I advised
him to speak with his partner, and he did. His partner told him, "Since
you spied on me, our partnership no longer exists."
This is essentially what the Americans are
saying, according to the report. Israel was keeping tabs on Iran -- its
greatest enemy -- when it learned that the U.S. -- its greatest friend
-- was hiding the fact that Washington was negotiating with Tehran.
Israel turned to Congress and the Senate in
its effort to understand why its partner would go behind its back to
negotiate with Iran, and the U.S. protested -- the cry of the wronged
Cossack -- that Israel was spying on it.
Washington's attempt to negotiate with Tehran
behind Israel's back inflicts serious damage on its relationship with
Jerusalem, but it is also insulting. Was there really someone in the
administration who thought this kind of negotiation could be kept from
Israel, and that the Israeli intelligence community would not be made
aware of it?
The mere fact that someone in the U.S. thought
that would be possible illustrates just how oblivious the Americans are
to the magnitude of the Iranian threat to Israel. It also illustrates
that the Americans have failed to realize how determined Israel is to
get a better understanding of Iran's plans.
The gall of the accusation published in The
Wall Street Journal is part of an intentional American campaign to
undermine Israel's position among the American public and elected U.S.
officials, with the aim of limiting Israel's ability to argue against
the bad agreement the West, led by the U.S., is poised to sign with
Iran.
For Israel, this is a vital struggle focused
on a highly sensitive matter of national security. The Americans know
this and are still sparing no effort to undermine Israel's determination
and abilities.
The ugly accusation alleging Israel was spying
on the U.S. is part of the American gambit. Israel is not spying on the
U.S. and they know it. Everything else is manipulation meant to
undermine Israel's credibility in American public opinion.
It is a shame things had to come to this, but
Washington's insistence to reach a deal -- any deal -- with Iran, has
led to an unavoidable conflict.
The Iranian challenge and relations with the U.S. will
surely be two major foreign policy issues for Israel in the foreseeable
future. Israel will have to decide how to fight the deal without
compromising its relations with the U.S. Given Washington's conduct, it
will be anything but simple.
Yaakov Amidror is a former major general and National Security Advisor of Israel, and was also the head of the Research Department of Israeli military intelligence.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=24405
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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