Israel's defense minister speaks his mind about US

The way the crisis du jour between Israeli Defense Minister Moshe "Bogie" Ya’alon and the United States has been resolved is very telling of the situation in general. It’s like toddlers in kindergarten who are not on speaking terms. Playing the babysitter part is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is the one who got the angry phone call. The complainer was US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has not been speaking directly with Ya’alon since the latter called him “messianic and obsessive.” Following the irate complaint, Netanyahu summoned the rascal kid — Ya’alon — to tell him off or get clarifications from him. Following this conversation, Ya’alon picked up the phone and called Washington, where he found refuge in the form of his American counterpart, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Ya’alon and Hagel have actually fostered relatively good ties, especially in comparison to the relationship between Ya’alon and Kerry, for instance. The two held a good-enough talk. Ya’alon explained what he had said and Hagel concluded that some of the things attributed to the Israeli defense minister had indeed been taken out of context. All we can do is wonder what the other part of the talk was like. Parting as friends, they each went their own way until the next round.

It was not until long ago that we could only hear Ya’alon behind closed doors — during in-depth talks, internal discussions or background briefings. Everyone who has met with him — and I have met him on several occasions since he took office — heard the explicit, cogent and painful things he had to say about the US administration and the policy of “decline” or “withdrawal” it leads around the globe. Ya’alon’s problem is that he cannot keep things pent-up. The pressure keeps building until everything explodes.

The defense minister’s background conversation with the journalist, which was later published, was a misstep that had to do with journalistic ethics. Yet Ya’alon has only himself to blame, because he has been generously dispensing his insights far too often and at far too many forums. His address on March 18 in a closed forum at Tel Aviv University quickly leaked to the Israeli daily Haaretz, spreading like wildfire. In its wake, an untypical American reaction ensued from an anonymous yet furious administration official who explained to Ya’alon that he who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind (Book of Hosea 8:7).

The problem with Ya’alon is that his presentation makes sense. Cogent and compelling, it springs out of his heart. Growing up as a kibbutznik, the defense minister was a member of the Labor Movement, which in Israel is considered to be a left-wing party. As former director of military intelligence, he supported the Oslo Accords. Then, regaining his senses, he took a quick, vigorous and sharp turn to the right. Generally speaking, the function of Israeli military intelligence director leads many Israelis to become disillusioned by the idea of peace with the Palestinians and the dream of two states living prosperously and quietly side by side. Every morning, the Israeli director of military intelligence reads, hears and watches sensitive information that analyzes the Palestinians’ inner-most secrets. Ya’alon has arrived at the keen insight that Israel has no partner.