Israel’s Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon is a man full of surprises and twists and turns. Having already made a few sharp U-turns in his life, his policy during Operation Protective Edge is also said to be one such turn.
One of Israel’s prominent, hard-line right-wing leaders today, Ya’alon has been the dominant champion of an approach to the effect that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must neither launch a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip nor conquer it. At most, Israel must make do with an operation to destroy Hamas’ terror tunnels. As a result of his approach, scathing criticism from within the circles of his own Likud Party and the right wing was leveled at him. Yet he remained undeterred. When Ya’alon makes up his mind about something, he follows his decision through. When he is immersed in one concept or another, he will not raise his head to look around him. He will have no second thoughts and he will not waver. Instead, he will believe in his approach, paying no attention to other alternatives.
Ya’alon was once part of the Labor movement’s flesh and blood. This was the movement that founded Israel, ruling it during the first 29 years of its existence. Born in Kiryat Hayim — a northern suburb of Haifa — he hails from a blue-collar family. His mother was a Holocaust survivor. He joined the Nahal, a program combining military service and agricultural development. By becoming a member of kibbutz Grofit in the Arava region near Eilat, he chose the path of the settlement movement, which was affiliated with the long-standing Labor Party — home to former Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
In 1995, Ya’alon was appointed director of military intelligence, a position that opened his eyes, turning this snow-white dove into a voracious hawk. In this capacity as the “national intelligence assessor,” which carries the greatest responsibility in the country, he became privy to the most sensitive material that is gathered by Israel’s well-oiled intelligence machine. It is in this job that the initial doubts as to the true intentions of the Arabs were instilled in him.
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