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Jerusalem - Former Head of Mossad: Talking To The Enemy is The Only Answer |
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Efraim Halevy (Hebrew: ×פר×× ××××â) (born 1934) is a lawyer and an Israeli intelligence expert. He was the ninth director of Mossad and the 4th head of the Israeli National Security Council. Above all, he is remembered for his part in bringing about the peace treaty with Jordan. The special relationship he developed with King Hussein made it possible for Halevy to open Jordan to the awareness that only a peace agreement with Israel would extricate the Hashemite kingdom from the crisis after the Gulf War.
As tanks and troops once again carve up the Gaza Strip, Israel is talking of "applying pressure" to force Hamas to agree to another, more durable ceasefire on Israel's terms and of "dismantling the infrastructure of terror" to prevent the Islamist group from launching rockets into the Jewish state. The assault will "punish" not only Hamas but Gazans who, the Israelis argue, will then put pressure on the Islamist party to behave.
The invaders are following a well-worn military and political blueprint that has guided numerous Israeli incursions over recent years. But after each invasion, the rocket fire resumed - it was even continuing yesterday as Israeli troops rolled through Gaza, with Hamas still firmly in control. Israel says it will continue the assault until Hamas bows to its central demands to end the rocket attacks, to disarm, and to release the soldier it captured in 2006, Gilad Shalit.
Yossi Alpher, a former adviser on peace negotiations to the then prime minister, Ehud Barak, supports military action, but questions whether Israel's strategy will be any more successful now than previously. "I'm concerned because the logic of this operation is if we hurt them hard enough they will agree to a new ceasefire on terms acceptable to us," he said. "The way for them to foil this strategy is for them simply to refuse to accept a ceasefire on terms acceptable to us, no matter how much pain we're inflicting. This is a movement which glories in martyrdom and victimhood."
A Hamas condition for a ceasefire is that Israel lift its three-year blockade of Gaza that has helped wreck the economy and left many of its 1.5 million residents hungry, poor and trapped.
The former head of the Mossad intelligence service, Ephraim Halevy, argues that ultimately it may be in Israel's interest to negotiate with Hamas if it helps to curb Hamas's political influence.
Alpher agrees that Israel should talk to Hamas. "Hamas doesn't want to talk to us ... just as Hezbollah doesn't want to talk to us, they don't recognise us. But as a strategic approach to Hamas, the offer to talk and recognise is another viable option which we have not taken."
But there is an election looming in Israel - with, until now, the disastrous 2006 invasion of Lebanon as its main backdrop - that is expected to return the hardline Binyamin Netanyahu for a second stint as prime minister.
Netanyahu says that not only will he not talk to Hamas, but that the present military operation should be expanded to wipe it out of existence.
That is also just about the only political strategy he can use to keep his Likud party to the fore as his principal opponents, the foreign minister and Kadima party leader, Tzipi Livni, and defence minister and Labour leader, Ehud Barak, ride the wave of public support for the war. Barak in particular is drawing the political benefit of being the defence minister in charge. A week ago, opinion polls showed his Labour party winning just 11 knesset seats in the 10 February election. The latest survey gives it 16 seats. Livni and Netanyahu are neck and neck with 28 seats. Until now, Likud has appeared the more likely to be able to put together a governing coalition of parties even further to the right. But if Labour's fortunes continue to rise, Barak and Livni have a fighting chance of putting together a new administration.
Much will depend on how the war goes. Nearly 80% of Israelis "very much support" the week-long air attack on Gaza, with less than 4% opposed. However, opinion is more evenly divided over the ground assault, with only 42% of Israelis backing it. Nearly 40% said the military action should be restricted to attacks from the air.
Those numbers suggest that a large number of dead soldiers or the failure to stop the Hamas rocket fire could see Barak's support slump again. Netanyahu will be waiting in the wings to press his case to dismantle Hamas. He is unlikely to be able
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Read Comments (35) — Post Yours »
1
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:11 PM yossel Says:
no critics during war please!
since you are so smart why didnt you achieve your ideas while in office?
by the way thanks for supporting the enemy!
2
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:10 PM No Wonder The Mossad Was That Bad!! Says:
This guy is a complete moron! What has talking with them helped for 3500 years??????? NOT ONE STINKING BIT!!!!
3
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:19 PM Anonymous Says:
Short of wiping out all these Hamas cockroaches, I don't see how this operation is going to make things different. Maybe in the end it will work, since you don't see the Hezbollah cockroaches shooting missles from Lebanon in support of the Hamas cockroaches. So let's wait and see...
4
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:24 PM Anonymous Says:
Him and Jimmy Carter
5
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:02 PM Anonymous Says:
Another moronic politician who places his hopes in false naive dreams. Imagine when Klal Yisrael was fighting Amalek, and someone gets up and says we should have a dialogue with them instead of war.
6
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:02 PM Anonymous Says:
I agree... Surrender & suicide are the only options based on this Mossad guy - why doesn't he go first???
7
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:59 PM Kogan Says:
Nothing new, just a bunch of lefty nonsense.
No military action can help? How did US win over Japan? They defeated them with an overwhelming blow. Theirs was also a culture of martyrdom with suicide pilots. After their defeat they are a normal civilized nation.
Talking to them will legitimize them and solidify their power. They simply need to be defeated militarily as this is the only way to achieve peace.
Britain, Soviet Union, US bombed Germany during WWII without regard for civilian casualties. Why is there a double standard? There is a war and to win it the enemy has to be defeated, which unfortunately means killing the fighters and women and children. After the defeat they can be given a chance to live productive lives in Jordan or Saudi Arabia and not have to endure through this crazy life of poverty and violence forced upon them by their leaders.
8
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:56 PM Anonymous Says:
Suddenly these bigotted reporters are ready to admit that Israel has been attacked NON STOP by these rockets from those murderous pieces of human waste...
What happened? Weren't they pretending that those rocket attacks never happened? Didn't these hateful pieces of crap completly and totaly ignore those non stop attacks?
Well here's the answer... It suddenly plays right into thier NEW agenda to admit it.
Now that Israel has FINALY woken up and is blasting the daylights out of this scum
(although not nearly enough), suddenly it pays to pretend that OH OF COURSE THERE WERE ROCKET ATTACKS TAKING PLACE, but this is not the way to stop them.
The only way to stop them, of course, is to TAAAALK to these wonderful creatures.
Why would anyone be surprised though? The LEFT WING bigotted media body, would just as much love to see ISRAEL & ALL OF THE JEWS wiped off the face of the earth. They just would rather hide behind a microphone or camera than give THIER worthless lives & bodies up for the cause.
9
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:46 PM moish Says:
Talk,Talk ,Talk, till your blue in the face - they want to destroy us , not carry on dialogues...
10
Jan 05, 2009 at 03:39 PM Anonymous Says:
“ no critics during war please!
since you are so smart why didnt you achieve your ideas while in office?
by the way thanks for supporting the enemy! ”
He can't tell you why he didn't solve the issue while in office. He doesn't remember when he was in office. Heck, he doesn't remember what he had for breakfast.
11
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:19 PM "Talks" with Osama Says:
According to this Meshugener, we also need to start "talks" with Osama Ben Ladin because military action has failed to capture him yet.
12
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:11 PM This Efraim Halevy is Guilty of TREASON Says:
If you research on the Internet "Efraim Halevy treason" you will find that he is Not a "Mosad man" but a Low Life Politician, trying to get in to Political Power who many say that what he is doing he is Guilty of Treason!
Anyone currently in the Mosad, or Army all say that Hamas must be wiped off the face of the earth.
This low life former Mosad man, now is an absolute "NOBODY" who just wants some political attention in hopes of perhaps moving up the political ladder.
13
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:04 PM Raymond Says:
I think he has a point. The Gaza community is clearly frustrated, botteling up that frustration does nobody any good. Im sure if we just heard them out and allowed them to express their issues, and they would hear ours there can be peace in the region. BTW calling them cockroaches is not helpful.
14
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:34 PM jimmy dhimmy Says:
“ I think he has a point. The Gaza community is clearly frustrated, botteling up that frustration does nobody any good. Im sure if we just heard them out and allowed them to express their issues, and they would hear ours there can be peace in the region. BTW calling them cockroaches is not helpful. ”
OK, don't call them cockroaches-call them peanuts, because this disgraced Mossad agent is Israel's "Jimmy Carter"
15
Jan 05, 2009 at 04:34 PM He was part of the mossad? Says:
That certainly gives new meaning to the word "intelligence."
16
Jan 05, 2009 at 05:46 PM Askipeh Hanidreses Says:
“ I think he has a point. The Gaza community is clearly frustrated, botteling up that frustration does nobody any good. Im sure if we just heard them out and allowed them to express their issues, and they would hear ours there can be peace in the region. BTW calling them cockroaches is not helpful. ”
He reminds me of Rodney King: βCan't we talk?β It is very naive to say hear em out; everyone knows what theyβll say: "we want you out of Palestine". They don't say let's live together in peace. They don't recognize Israel's right to exist, so what is there to talk about? The terms of Israel's surrender?
17
Jan 05, 2009 at 05:35 PM Anonymous Says:
“ If you research on the Internet "Efraim Halevy treason" you will find that he is Not a "Mosad man" but a Low Life Politician, trying to get in to Political Power who many say that what he is doing he is Guilty of Treason!
Anyone currently in the Mosad, or Army all say that Hamas must be wiped off the face of the earth.
This low life former Mosad man, now is an absolute "NOBODY" who just wants some political attention in hopes of perhaps moving up the political ladder. ”
...and you are guilty of a public display of ignorance...this man served the medina honorably and with great distinction...what have you ever done for eretz yisroel other than to demean yourself and klal yisorel with these mindless rants.
18
Jan 05, 2009 at 05:35 PM Anonymous Says:
i quess this is one reason why they say the mossad is not the same mossad as in thne days of entebbe
19
Jan 05, 2009 at 05:16 PM Anonymous Says:
Actaully when we were fighting Amalek, Shaul Hamelech did stop and talk to the enemy. See where it got him? Haman and Purim. Do we now merit a Purim miracle to redeem us from Hamas? We can't rely on miracles. We have to do al pi derech hatevah and follow Yakov Avinu. 1st he split his camp, a strategy for fighting. Then we have to be mispalel to Hashem. Then we can talk to Eisov. After we wipe them out.
20
Jan 05, 2009 at 05:15 PM Anonymous Says:
Why is VIN publishing this treasonous nonsense in middle of a war?
The one light in the middle of this dark tunnel is the fact that at least temporarily the political parties in Israel are united and speaking with one voice. Our solidarity and Achdus at this time are of critical importance.
Please keep this in mind and stick to the facts when reporting on the war in Gaza.
Save the op-ed and yenta gossip for another day.
21
Jan 05, 2009 at 06:07 PM mnb Says:
I say, Hamas go to blazes. Talk talk talk. Ceasefire ceasefire ceasefire. As if a ceasefire will do any good. And they want the Israelis to lift the barrier of Gaza??!!
What kind of stupidty is that??
22
Jan 05, 2009 at 06:54 PM robroy560 Says:
Ehud Barak, who almost gave away the Golan and East Yerushalayim, is fired up. Even he, who is left of center politically, has had enough.
I am far from a Posek Halacha, but it appears to me that this is an appropriate and Torah justified war.
Please say tehilllim: The following is a list of names of wounded IDF soldiers for Tehillim. [As of Monday 11:00AM EST]
Dvir ben Laya - seriously injured
Noam ben Aliza - one leg amputated; doctors fighting to save the other
Li'el Hoshea ben Miriam - serious head injury
Neriya ben Rivka - serious head injury
Yitzchak ben Navah - moderate shoulder injury
Netanel ben Navah - moderate shrapnel wounds to a lower extremity
Maxim ben Olga - light lower extremity injury
Yisrael ben Ilana - light shrapnel injury to an ear
Yo'ad Ido ben Frieda Rivka - light shrapnel injuries
Idan ben Liora - light shrapnel injuries
Nadav ben Miriam - light shrapnel injuries
23
Jan 05, 2009 at 09:21 PM Anonymous Says:
How many of you "armchair generals" have children, grandchildren, brothers, or husbands in the IDF?
YOUR children are safely tucked away in yeshivas or in the Diaspora.
All the while, you tell thousands of Jewish mothers to make the ultimate sacrifice of a beloved child, in an endless war that can never be won when you do not put yourself or your own children in mortal danger for those ideals you claim to believe in
It's easy to be pro war as long as it is only a "chess game" and it is not YOUR children who will die in it.
24
Jan 05, 2009 at 08:16 PM Anonymous Says:
a raving lunatic - god protect us from the likes of these
25
Jan 05, 2009 at 08:05 PM murray Says:
“ I say, Hamas go to blazes. Talk talk talk. Ceasefire ceasefire ceasefire. As if a ceasefire will do any good. And they want the Israelis to lift the barrier of Gaza??!!
What kind of stupidty is that?? ”
since when is the defeated, losing side in a position to make ultimatums or dictate anything? Is the world turned upside down? If the "innocent " palestinian civilians in Gaza are taking too much of a beating, then why isn't there pressure from all over the world on Hamas to unconditionally surrender? How dare the Arabs pretend to be concerned for their women and children getting killed. They can stop it-SURRENDER!!!!
26
Jan 05, 2009 at 07:37 PM Anonymous Says:
Shhh ... this Mossad chief doesn't know what he's talking about. Let the chunyuks speak.
27
Jan 05, 2009 at 09:51 PM Anonymous Says:
Why talk when we can sing 'kumbaya' with them?
Someone's got to find this Levy-clown a nursing home. Demented folks shouldn't be walking around spewing traitorous ideas.
28
Jan 05, 2009 at 10:52 PM Anonymous Says:
“ How many of you "armchair generals" have children, grandchildren, brothers, or husbands in the IDF?
YOUR children are safely tucked away in yeshivas or in the Diaspora.
All the while, you tell thousands of Jewish mothers to make the ultimate sacrifice of a beloved child, in an endless war that can never be won when you do not put yourself or your own children in mortal danger for those ideals you claim to believe in
It's easy to be pro war as long as it is only a "chess game" and it is not YOUR children who will die in it. ”
Hey, if I put myself in danger, then can the war be won? By the way, can you point to ONE, just ONE, instance in history where talking to an enemy sworn to your destruction, actually helped?
29
Jan 05, 2009 at 10:46 PM Anonymous Says:
“ How many of you "armchair generals" have children, grandchildren, brothers, or husbands in the IDF?
YOUR children are safely tucked away in yeshivas or in the Diaspora.
All the while, you tell thousands of Jewish mothers to make the ultimate sacrifice of a beloved child, in an endless war that can never be won when you do not put yourself or your own children in mortal danger for those ideals you claim to believe in
It's easy to be pro war as long as it is only a "chess game" and it is not YOUR children who will die in it. ”
You are a blithering idiot. By your logic, you have no right to expect the police to protect you or firefighters to fight fires unless you or your son is in the force. What gives me the right to speak, o' wise one? If my child is a soldier, then can I speak? If I live in Sderot or Ashkalon, then can I speak. Please give me your guidelines for the right of an opinion. I'm curious, do you think the brave soldiers don't want to get rid of this enemy? Do you think they're not proud of the job they do? Do you think that they are made of the same cowardice as you? You fancy yourself an intellectual with the "armchair general" drivel, but you are a sad and ignorant fool.
30
Jan 06, 2009 at 12:38 AM Anonymous Says:
he was the Head of Mossad ??????????????????
No wonder Mossad is considered a useless org. this days
When was the last time mossad did something rally good, you need to go back a long time
Can we just call mossad a UN affiliate
31
Jan 06, 2009 at 12:34 AM Israelmyhome Says:
“ I think he has a point. The Gaza community is clearly frustrated, botteling up that frustration does nobody any good. Im sure if we just heard them out and allowed them to express their issues, and they would hear ours there can be peace in the region. BTW calling them cockroaches is not helpful. ”
the palastinians are frustrated because their leaders arnt doing anything.
32
Jan 06, 2009 at 12:40 AM Israelmyhome Says:
“ since when is the defeated, losing side in a position to make ultimatums or dictate anything? Is the world turned upside down? If the "innocent " palestinian civilians in Gaza are taking too much of a beating, then why isn't there pressure from all over the world on Hamas to unconditionally surrender? How dare the Arabs pretend to be concerned for their women and children getting killed. They can stop it-SURRENDER!!!! ”
now the only thing left to do is show this to the rest of the idiotic world who defend these "poor helpless ppl"
33
Jan 06, 2009 at 10:21 AM Anonymous Says:
“ Nothing new, just a bunch of lefty nonsense.
No military action can help? How did US win over Japan? They defeated them with an overwhelming blow. Theirs was also a culture of martyrdom with suicide pilots. After their defeat they are a normal civilized nation.
Talking to them will legitimize them and solidify their power. They simply need to be defeated militarily as this is the only way to achieve peace.
Britain, Soviet Union, US bombed Germany during WWII without regard for civilian casualties. Why is there a double standard? There is a war and to win it the enemy has to be defeated, which unfortunately means killing the fighters and women and children. After the defeat they can be given a chance to live productive lives in Jordan or Saudi Arabia and not have to endure through this crazy life of poverty and violence forced upon them by their leaders.
”
You mention how Japan was defeated in WWII. It was'nt the horrific conventional bombing that brought them to their knees. It was 2 well placed atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bottom line; To defeat an adversary that is willing to die for their cause, the only way is nuclear weapons. Otherwise, anything short of that is just slow asymetrical warfare against Israel which is exactly what the Palestinians have been doing for years.
34
Jan 06, 2009 at 10:36 AM Mikael Says:
Wake up! The Israeli people are more and more loosing its good will from Europe. You are part of that. It is easy to be an extremist, just stop thinking and listening!
35
Jan 08, 2009 at 02:10 PM Anonymous Says:
the only thing that should be said to the arabs is "you're dead!" after they are shot by Jewish soldiers.