The very public disagreements between the Israeli leadership and its intelligence services over the Iranian nuclear programme indicate disarray at the top of the regime, writes Ismail Salami* from Tehran Producing from his pocket a sheet of paper which contained a biblical quotation from the prophet Zachariah, former chief of the Israeli Shin Bet intelligence service Yuval Diskin said "I will tell you things that might be harsh. I cannot trust Netanyahu and Barak at the wheel in confronting Iran. They are infected with messianic feelings over Iran," thereby dealing a heavy blow to the Israeli regime. A rift the size of a potential coup is taking shape between the Israeli government and the country's military and intelligence apparatus over Iran, a fact which threatens the ruling Israeli political apparatus on the one hand and exonerates Iran of groundless allegations on the other. Iran has become an obsession with past and present Israeli intelligence staff, to the extent that the very mention of its name is enough to cause them anger. However, the present fire started when Israel's chief of intelligence Benny Gantz said he did not believe that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons, after years of efforts made by Tel Aviv and its allies to convince the world otherwise. In an interview with the Israeli daily Haaretz, Gantz described Iran's leadership as "very rational," adding that this being so it was unlikely to be pursuing a nuclear weapons programme. Also speaking at the Majdi Forum in Kfar Saba, a Tel Aviv suburb, at the end of April when the announcement was made, was Diskin, who said that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu were deluded in believing that they had a "messianic" mission and that they were lying about the effectiveness of a possible Israeli strike against Iran. "There's a false image being presented to public, and that's what bothers me. They [Netanyahu and Barak] are giving the impression that if Israel doesn't act, Iran will have nuclear weapons. This part of the sentence apparently has an element of truth. But in the second part of the sentence, they turn to the -- sorry for the expression -- the 'stupid public' or the layman public... and tell them if Israel acts, there won't be [an Iranian] nuclear programme. And that's the incorrect part of the sentence," Diskin said. Iran is a taboo word in Israel, and anyone who speaks in defense of the Islamic Republic is considered an enemy of the country. For this reason, Diskin's comments were interpreted as stemming from "personal desperation" by Israeli commentators, some describing him as being the latest in a line of "moronic intelligence chiefs." Israeli transport minister Yisrael Katz called the remarks "crude and inappropriate," adding that it was "clear that the timing and style of his comments stemmed from personal rather than substantive motives." However, Israeli opposition leader Shaul Mofaz said that he at least took Diskin's criticisms of Netanyahu and Barak seriously, rejecting claims that they had been made as a result of personal or political considerations. Some Israeli military and intelligence officials also joined in support of Diskin in his criticism of Netanyahu. Former Mossad chief Meir Dagan expressed his support for Diskin by saying that he was a serious man who spoke his own "internal truth." Former Israel Defence Force (IDF) chief of staff lieutenant- general Gabi Ashkenazi defended Diskin, saying "I know Diskin, and he spoke what was in his heart out of genuine concern." In the meantime, Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert joined a chorus of voices warning against rushing into war with Iran by saying that "there is enough time to try different avenues of pressure to change the balance of power with Iran without the need for a direct military confrontation." Two different groups have emerged in Israel in the Diskin affair. The first includes those who have served in the country's intelligence agencies and are cognisant of the true nature of Iran's nuclear programme and therefore either silently or loudly criticise their government for its bomb-Iran rhetoric. The second group includes those who follow the country's present leaders, including Netanyahu, who lie about the Iranian nuclear programme and play an important role in misleading the international community on Iran. Meanwhile, a feeling of fear is eroding the Israeli regime from within and without. On the one hand, it has come under scrutiny from its own intelligence services, which have been exposing its lies about Iran. On the other hand, it is fearful that talks slated for 23 May in Baghdad between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers could ultimately end with a deal that would allow Tehran to continue its uranium-enrichment programme. At all events, the Israeli regime is on a political razor's edge, and it is already caught between a rock and a hard place. In an attempt to try to sabotage the P5+1 talks, the Israeli government has sent its national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, to Europe to hold talks with European Union officials. Amidror arrived in Brussels on 30 April and held talks with Helga Schmid, EU deputy secretary-general for political affairs, who is responsible for preparatory talks with Iran ahead of the Baghdad meeting. Amidror was also expected to travel to Berlin later, where he was to meet top German officials, among them Hans-Dieter Lucas, Germany's representative to the Iran talks. A top Israeli official has described Amidror's Europe tour as "extremely sensitive," saying his visits are aimed at obtaining more information about the content of the previous round of talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul and the P5+1's strategy in the Baghdad meeting. What is happening is not in the best interests of Israel. By way of countering the anti-regime remarks made by top military and intelligence staff in Israel, Netanyahu and Barak have embarked on toning up their war rhetoric against Iran, steadfast in their attempts at sowing the seeds of extremism, fear and hatred in order to give a cloak of legitimacy to a possible Israeli strike against the Islamic Republic. * The writer is an Iranian writer and expert on Middle Eastern affairs.
