I’ve been reporting here lately on reports that the Shin Bet refused to provide Avigdor Lieberman security clearances that would’ve enabled him to see top secret documents about his then portfolio as minister of strategic affairs, Iran. An authoritative Israeli source also reported on longstanding rumors that Lieberman might be a KGB mole recruited to make aliya when he was a young man.
Now comes a new report in Yediot Achronot about an explosion between Lieberman and the Mossad that caused the minister to sever ties with the agency. Supposedly, the tension involves the spymasters usurping the authority of the foreign ministry with regard to relations with other nations. There are some nations which have rendered Israeli foreign ministry personnel as persona non grata. In some of them, the nations in question actually prefer to conduct relations with the Mossad, thus creating a side-channel that avoids the ministry altogether.
The Mossad also sends its secret cables from Israeli embassies throughout the world, but prevents the foreign ministry from seeing them. This causes the MFA officials to feel the Mossad is willing to take from them but not to give in return. The article quotes a ministry source:
In some instances they operated behind the backs of Israeli diplomats abroad and damaged their status. They put us through all sorts of rigamarole and we had to put a stop to this behavior.
The straw that broke the camel’s back apparently revolved around an incident in Israel-Turkish relations. During the period when there was no ambassador there, the Mossad developed its own contacts with the Turks arousing the ire of Lieberman and his colleagues. In some cases, the Turks appeared to favor dealing with the Mossad over the MFA.
As a result Lieberman’s announced the MFA will no longer share its cables with the Mossad.
where is Netanyahu? isn’t he supposed to reslovle this kind of school yard tussle before it happens? what happens when the international affairs of a country are carried on by opposing interests, a new meaning for divided government?
“Divide and rule” on Bibi’s part, the antics of a failed leader.
If the Foriegn and Commonwealth Office communicates with the tail, it means that they are convinced it’s wagging the dog.
The USA’s military has replaced the DoS in many places. What’s so wrong with cutting Israel’s FM out? Especially this one?
“The USA’s military has replaced the DoS in many places”
Australia and the USA signed a free trade agreement during the GWB Presidency, and the main stumbling block to signing that deal was the fact that USA/Australian relations was/is “owned” by the Department of Defence.
So the dude who clinched that deal – Richard Armitage – had to convince a uninterested bunch of military men to agree to something that an onlooker would have assumed was None Of Their Goddamn Business.
Go figure, heh?
Do you view this as a positive development?
Do you?
Seems like Lieberman severing ties with anyone or anything is a positive development.
I look forward to the day when the Israeli people decide to sever ties with him.
I would hope that the next election in Israel would result in a governing coalition that leaves him and his party out in the cold.
I would suggest that “depressing” is the better word to use than “positive”.
President Peres has long been functioning as Israel’s de-facto Minister of Foreign Affairs – no wonder the Mossad took over the ministry’s functions.