Gang War Within La Kosher Nostra: Spymaster’s final interview reveals deep rift in Israel

“Dagan was no peacenik, even on his death bed. Rather, his hostility derived from an assessment that the prime minister threatened Israel’s “survival as a Jewish state (…) Almost no one in Israel, it seems, wants justice for the Palestinians. But a gulf is opening up between the old order that cares what others think of Israel and a new order that refuses to make even the smallest concessions to the sensitivities of the outside world.”

Sabba – For those who have not read it yet, now would be a good time to read the article written in 2012 by the Dean of TUT Uni: “A Tale of Two Thieves…Netanyahu’s ‘Messianism’ and the building gang war within La Kosher Nostra”

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By Jonathan Cook – If revenge is a dish best served cold, then Meir Dagan must have relished his retribution on Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu – it was delivered from beyond the grave.

The eulogies barely over, the Israeli daily Yedioth Aharonoth published excerpts from an interview conducted with Israel’s former spymaster shortly before his death last month.

In damning remarks, the former Mossad chief described Mr Netanyahu as a man trapped in self-delusion, believing himself to be one the world’s “greatest geniuses”. In truth, said Dagan, he was “the worst manager I knew”.

Their falling out centred on Mr Netanyahu’s belligerent posturing over Iran. He was the only Israeli prime minister ever to have “reached a state … in which the entire security establishment essentially didn’t accept his position”.

With fitting symbolism, as these comments were made public it was revealed that corneas donated by Dagan had restored the vision of two Israelis.

He presumably hoped that his last interviews would be of similar benefit to many more Israelis, giving them insights into the opaque world of Israel’s political and security elites.

In a speech at Dagan’s graveside last month, Mr Netanyahu exploited what he presumed to be Dagan’s now-permanent silence. He painted him as a solid ally in the fight against “Islamist zealotry”, claiming Dagan had warned that the fight against terror will continue for another 100 years.

The interviews present a more complex picture. They confirm in the bluntest terms what was already widely suspected: that a split of unprecedented proportions had developed between Mr Netanyahu and his spy chief before and after Dagan retired in late 2011.

The stark differences between the two were encapsulated in the military metaphors each employed. Dagan warned in 2011 that Israel should avoid war unless “the sword is cutting into our flesh”. Mr Netanyahu, by contrast, argued last October that Israel would have to “live forever by the sword”.

Dagan was no peacenik, even on his death bed. Rather, his hostility derived from an assessment that the prime minister threatened Israel’s “survival as a Jewish state”.

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