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Mossad chief exposes vision of peace, calls to act

The recent statement by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, warning of missed opportunities for peace, indicates his belief that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must act now and reach out to the Palestinians.
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It’s finally official. Mossad Director Yossi Cohen announced at the Herzliya Conference that there was a one-time window of opportunity to reach a comprehensive peace agreement in the Middle East. Peace is no longer relegated to being the dream of various naive individuals; it is the professional assessment of a special unit in the Mossad, charged with identifying diplomatic opportunities. This information was made public by Cohen, a Netanyahu appointee, who served as head of the National Security Council before being named director of the Mossad by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself.

For the past few years, Cohen has also served as Netanyahu's unofficial foreign minister. The fact that he chose to say what he did means that he no longer wants to settle for echoing his boss. Netanyahu appoints people who meet a certain profile, but he is unable to clone them and turn them into doubles of himself. Over time, most of them turn out to be people with something to say. Some even disagree with Netanyahu and criticize him publicly. It is quite possible that the director of the Mossad will be joining that select group.

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