Israel's mediabots are tweeting this article by Barak Ravid (and Ravid is retweeting it which is why I have seen it even more times) all over social media. The article cites two 'senior Israeli officials' who claim that Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet recently that 'our biggest fear' is that Iran 'will honor the nuclear deal.'
The meeting of the security cabinet was called on
short notice on April 3, a few hours before the Passover seder. The
evening before, Iran and the six powers had announced at Lausanne,
Switzerland that they had reached a framework agreement on Iran’s
nuclear program and that negotiations over a comprehensive agreement
would continue until June 30.
The security cabinet meeting was called after a
harsh phone call between Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama over
the agreement with Tehran.
The two senior Israeli officials, who are familiar
with the details of the meeting but asked to remain anonymous, said a
good deal of the three-hour meeting was spent on ministers “letting off
steam” over the nuclear deal and the way that the U.S. conducted itself
in the negotiations with Iran.
According to the two senior officials, Netanyahu
said during the meeting that he feared that the “Iranians will keep to
every letter in the agreement if indeed one is signed at the end of
June.”
One official said: “Netanyahu said at the meeting
that it would be impossible to catch the Iranians cheating simply
because they will not break the agreement.”
Given that we are between governments, it's kind of hard to say who is in the security cabinet right now, but hopefully it's not Yair Lapid or Tzipi Livni, who were in the security cabinet until Netanyahu fired them, precipitating our most recent election.
In any event, what all the Leftists are leaving out (and Ravid is happy to see them do so) is the second half of the report, which makes clear that Netanyahu's fear is entirely rational.
Netanyahu also told the ministers that in 10 to 15 years, when the
main clauses of the agreement expire, most of the sanctions will be
lifted and the Iranians will show that they met all their obligations.
They will then receive a “kashrut certificate” from the international
community, which will see Iran as a “normal” country from which there is
nothing to fear.
Under such circumstances, the prime minister said,
it will be very difficult if not impossible to persuade the world powers
to keep up their monitoring of Iran’s nuclear program, not to mention
imposing new sanctions if concerns arise that Iran has gone back to
developing a secret nuclear program for military purposes.
Sounds like good reason to fear Iran keeping to the agreement for 10-15 years, doesn't it? And just imagine if they manage to violate the agreement in secret, as they have done so many times before.
7 ministers send letter to Netanyahu asking for Knesset session on terrorist release
Buried in a story about Naftali Bennett's eulogy for murdered IDF soldier Gabriel Gal Kobi HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) on Monday was this:
Bennett joined six other Knesset ministers in sending a letter to
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to convene the Knesset with the aim of
discussing the ongoing release of Palestinian prisoners as an integral
part of the continuing peace talks.
Other ministers who signed the
letter included Transportation Minister Israel Katz, who has recently
lashed verbal attacks in Netanyahu's direction and Senior Citizens
Minister Uri Orbach.
Bennett told mourners present at the funeral
that Israel must exact a price on terrorism to show Israel places value
on its soldiers lives.
"We must stop giving our enemies the
impression that Jewish blood has become the cheapest commodity in the
Middle East," Bennett declared. "Make no mistake about us. We will not
lay down our weapons. We will not blink."
I'm not finding it now, but I have a vague recollection that one of the reasons for the terrorists being released in four stages was that each stage would have to be brought to the cabinet for approval. If that's the case, and if Bennett can bring it to the Knesset and thinks he can pass something there, why can't Bennett mobilize enough cabinet members to vote down the next phase of the release? Or is Bennett afraid that if he does it that way, Netanyahu will threaten to fire everyone and win?
I have never seen a more spineless collection of politicians than what we have in this country.
Furious Netanyahu cancels security cabinet meeting over leaks
In earlierposts, I reported on developments relating to Iran that emanated from Tuesday's security cabinet meeting, which was supposed to be top secret. While Prime Minister Netanyahu did not blame the media for publishing those stories ('they're just doing their job'), he is furious at ministers for leaking the stories to the media. Therefore, he canceled a continuation session that was to be held on Wednesday after all the ministers arrived at his office.
Netanyahu, according to a statement issued by his office, said at the outset of the meeting that "something grave happened shortly after the conclusion of the meeting yesterday: leaks from the security cabinet meeting."
Netanyahu convened the security cabinet on Tuesday for an annual meeting on the country's intelligence assessments, a meeting that dealt in depth with the Iranian issue.
Netanyahu said the security of the country rests on the ability of the security cabinet to hold classified and in-depth discussions where all the "facts, opinions and ramifications" are presented.
"This is basic tool for managing the country's security. Someone yesterday harmed in a grave manner the confidence that the citizens put in this body. He broke the basic rules governing discussions in the security-cabinet. He also harmed the good name of all those who were in the meeting and did not leak the information," he said.
Netanyahu's ire was apparently aroused by the lead headline in Wednesday's Yediot Aharonot, which read: "Disagreement about Iran among the intelligence agencies."According to the story, the members of the security cabinet were shocked to hear that the country's different intelligence agencies – the Mossad, Shin Bet, and Army Intelligence – do not agree about the Iranian issue.
According to the report, the disagreement is over the so-called "zone of immunity," that period where the Iranians will have progressed on their nuclear program beyond the point where an Israeli attack would be effective.
Netanyahu, adjourning the second part of the meeting, told the ministers that he did not have anything against the media, which was just doing its job. "I have a grievance against the person who broke the most basic trust needed to hold security cabinet meetings, and harmed the ability to hold classified meetings. I have a responsibility to the citizens of Israel and to the country's security, and therefore I am disbanding this meeting."
Of course, the real question is why 19 ministers were invited to such a meeting in the first place.
Hmmm... Security cabinet meets for 10 hours on Iran
Israel's security cabinet met for 10 hours on Tuesday to discuss Iran. The proceedings were secret and no statement was released, although there was lots of speculation.
While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's inner cabinet, which is made up of Netanyahu and eight other ministers, can give an advisory opinion on whether to attack Iran, the actual decision needs to be made by the security cabinet. This body could also choose to bring such a decision to the full 29-member cabinet.
In addition to Netanyahu, the security cabinet also includes Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz, Construction and Housing Minister Arial Attias, Minister Bennie Begin, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Interior Minister Moshe Ya'alon, National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau, Intelligence Agencies Minster Dan Meridor, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar, and Regional Development Minister Silvan Shalom.
All told this body includes eight Likud ministers, three from Israel Beitenu, two from Shas, and one from the Independence party. Another four ministers are observers.
It is likely that among the issues that were discussed were the "red lines" that Israel would like the US to establish as a way of deterring Iran from moving ahead.
While Netanyahu has not publicly declared what he thinks those red lines should be, Uzi Arad, the former head of the national security council, said that they could include a declaration that any uranium enrichment beyond 20 percent would be a direct trigger for military action.
Arad, in an Israel Radio interview, said other possible red lines could be the discovery of additional uranium enrichment plants – like the once secret facilities at Natanz and Fordow – or the interference with the work of IAEA inspectors.
In addition, Arad said that the US has not yet spoken in "categorical terms" making crystal clear its determination to stop the Iranian nuclear march.
Example of this, he said, would be clearer presidential declarations to the effect that the US will not tolerate or allow a nuclear Iran, and will use all means to prevent it.
Other "categorical" expressions of this determination, he said, could be congressional authorization now of the use of force if diplomacy fails to convince the Iranians to halt, and a clear statement that the military objective of any US action would not be to "buy time," but rather to prevent Iran from ever being able to build a nuclear bomb.
I doubt any of those red lines will be declared any time soon. But we can try. I would also bet on the full cabinet approving any strike on Iran, but that the meeting at which it is discussed will not be announced unless and until the planes or missiles are on their way. Or finished.
Keep in mind the possibility that this is just a little interference running because I find it hard to believe this story is true. YNet is reporting that Israel's 'security cabinet' is now 6-3 against a military strike against Iran at the present time because IDF Chief of Staff Benny Ganz (no great surprise) is opposed.
Although officially, Israel's stance on the matter is that all options are viable, political sources told Ynet on Wednesday that IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Benny Gantz, Mossad Chief Tamir Pardo and several top section chiefs in the Mossad are against a strike at this time.
Such opposition has been noted within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's special nine-minister security forum.
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman support an attack on Tehran's nuclear facilities, but Vice Premier Moshe Yaalon, Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz and ministers Dan Meridor, Benny Begin, Eli Yishai and Yuval Steinitz are against it.
"Without Gantz' support the chances of mounting a strike are slim," a political source told Ynet. "Israel has to push the international community to impose further sanctions on the Iranian economy. That's what's important right now."
Israel, he added, must urge crippling financial sanctions against the Islamic Republic: "The sanctions should reduce the Iranian economy to rubble. The United States and Europe still seem hesitant on that, mostly for political reasons and a fear of soaring oil prices.
The official word is that the Israeli security cabinet is not meeting to approve the 'settlement freeze' extension because the letter from the US with the goodie package has not shown up yet.
But the real reason the meeting hasn't been called yet is because Shas will vote against, rather than abstaining, if there is nothing in writing that says explicitly that Israel can build all it wants in Jerusalem during the 'settlement freeze' extension, and so far there is no indication that letter is coming. Netanyahu will not convene the security cabinet unless he knows he has the votes to pass the extension. If Shas' two ministers abstain, Netanyahu wins 7-6. If they vote against, he loses 8-7.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
