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The Palestinian Move
A former head of Mossad, Meir Dagan, has publicly criticized the current
Israeli government for a lack of flexibility, judgment and foresight,
calling it “reckless and irresponsible” in the handling of Israel’s
foreign and security policies. In various recent interviews and
speeches, he has made it clear that he regards the decision to ignore
the 2002 Saudi proposal for a peace settlement on the pre-1967 lines as a
mistake and the focus on Iran as a diversion from the real issue — the
likely recognition of an independent Palestinian state by a large
segment of the international community, something Dagan considers a
greater threat.
What is important in Dagan’s statements is that, having been head of
Mossad from 2002 to 2010, he is not considered in any way to be
ideologically inclined toward accommodation. When Dagan was selected by
Ariel Sharon to be head of Mossad, Sharon told him that he wanted a
Mossad with “a knife between its teeth.” There were charges that he was
too aggressive, but rarely were there charges that he was too soft.
Dagan was as much a member of the Israeli governing establishment as
anyone. Therefore, his statements, and the statements of some other
senior figures, represent a split not so much within Israel but within
the Israeli national security establishment, which has been seen as
hard-line as the Likud. Read more »
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