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Barak tapes on Iran strike cause political stir
Israel’s Channel Two aired claims over the weekend by former-Prime Minister Ehud Barak that plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities were dropped three times between 2010 and 2012, due to indecision. The recordings have caused a significant stir among Israeli leaders.
Barak served as Prime Minister between 1999 and 2001, having previously been IDF Chief of Staff. Between 2007 until 2013, he was Israel’s Defence Minister. The Channel Two recordings appear to be leaked conversations in relation to a new biography being penned about Barak, who himself apparently had a request to ban the recordings turned down by military censors.
In the relevant clips, Barak claims that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were in favour of launching a strike on Iran in 2010, but that then-IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said that no operative plan existed. Barak claims that ministers Moshe Ya’alon and Yuval Steinitz, who both serve in the current cabinet, opposed such a move in 2011 and that in 2012, a joint military exercise with the United States thwarted attack plans.
In further revelations, Barak describes Netanyahu as “weak, he doesn’t want to take difficult steps unless he is forced to.” He goes on to say, “Bibi [Netanyahu] himself is clouded in a sort of deep pessimism, and a tendency … in the balance between fear and hope, he generally prefers to be more fearful.”
Channel Two said on Saturday night that Barak’s comments had elicited “anger” among Israel’s leadership, with political and military chiefs challenging Barak’s version of events. Netanyahu’s bureau issued a response saying, “Netanyahu continues to act responsibly and firmly for the sake of Israel’s security and that of its citizens.” Netanyahu himself was reported to have commented, “The time has come to stop irresponsible talk about matters concerning the country’s security.” Meanwhile, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who Barak says was in favour of military action, commented that Barak’s comments cast Israeli leaders as “hesitant” and “chatterboxes” in the eyes of Iran.