Speaking on the Channel 2 “Meet the Press” program on motzei Shabbos Parshas Tetzaveh, Kulanu party candidate Yoav Galant commented on a number of issues including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Congressional address scheduled for this week.
Galant, a retired IDF major-general who also served as military secretary for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, explained his experience in that post as well as his military career provide him with a solid understanding of the events unfolding.
Galant feel the Iranian threat is being “inflated” by the administration, confident that while the threat is indeed real, it is not “the” threat as it is presented by the prime minister and his cabinet. Galant feels there are other military threats as well as the pressing socioeconomic issues which are being “ignored because they are overshadowed by the hype surrounding Iran”.
When asked why he opposes Mr. Netanyahu’s upcoming address, Galant explained that if the prime minister really wished to persuade US elected officials, then he and others would lobby American elected leaders one at a time and persuade them. “However, to turn this event into a conflict between Israel and the White House, on American soil, cannot lead to anything good for Israel”.
Seated opposite Galant on the round table, Minister of Intelligence & Strategic Affairs Dr. Yuval Steinitz disagreed with Galant. He explained that for one thing, the economy has not been ignored as the proof is that today, Israel maintains a stable economy and the prime minister saved the nation from a major global economic collapse that was seen in many countries.
Regarding Iran, Steinitz believes that it was Mr. Netanyahu who through his persistence brought the Iranian issue to the headlines while the international community was ignoring Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. “We are fighting Iran on a number of battlefields including the intelligence and political communities and whatever the case will be, the address that the prime minister will give has already had an impact”.
Steinitz added “The [American] agreement is truly bad and we are compelled to fight against it. Reports that relations between the US and Israel are at an all-time low are baseless. PM Menachem Begin bombed the Iraqi reactor and we survived that disagreement. Yoav excuse me but the fact that you were a major-general 12 years ago does not make you up-to-date or an expert today”.
Operation Opera, also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise Israeli air strike carried out on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor under construction 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) southeast of Baghdad.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
If the speech is well received by the American and Israeli public, it is a major disaster for the Labor party and its allies, and also for the Democratic party. If the speech is perceived of as an alarmist “the sky is falling speech” and a campaign stunt, it will be mad for the Republicans and disasterous for the Likud and its allies.
If the US policy of befriending the Iranians goes well, Obama wins, and Israel loses. If it blows up in the American’s faces, the Democrats will suffer (Obama gets his pension in any event), and Israel comes out looking brilliant (assuming it is still around).
If either Israeli party comes up with a way to ally with the Muslims opposed to Islamic State, they will emerge as a dominant force for the next generation (warning, such an alliance needs to be approved by the Palestinians – as long as Israel is at war with the Palestinians the Israelis can never work together with the non-fanatic Muslims against the growing threat of Islamic State).
Gallant.another expert. Teitlebaum.weider.galant all experts on nothing let’s hear him out Go Bibi Go
in other words a disaster for Galant