Skip to main content

Israel's defense minister speaks his mind about US

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon's urge to vent his frustration in public is harming US-Israel ties.
An Israeli Air Force F-15I jet is seen in the background as Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (3rd R) speaks to reporters while standing next to Israel's armed forces chief Major-General Benny Gantz (R) and commander of Israel's Air Force Major-General Amir Eshel (4th R) during a presentation at Hatzerim air base in southern Israel April 30, 2013. Israel on Tuesday launched its first targeted attack on a militant in Gaza since a war in November, killing a Palestinian jihadist in an air strike that put f
Read in 

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.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.