Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands full control of Israel’s Iranian policy as Joe Biden prepares to take over the Oval Office and unleash a fierce struggle at the highest levels of the Israeli government, senior officials tell me israelians.
Why it’s important: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to take a very hard line on Biden’s plan to return to the 2015 nuclear deal, in contrast to the more moderate approach favored by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, and the heads of Israel’s security services.
Leading the news: On December 29, under Netanyahu’s orders, Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat sent a one-sentence letter to Gantz:
“According to the prime minister’s instructions, the Israeli government’s position on Iran’s nuclear deal will be finalized exclusively by the prime minister based on the analysis made by the national security council in the prime minister’s office.”
Axios obtained the contents of the letter, who was also sent to Ashkenazi, Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer, Mossad director Yossi Cohen, and IDF chief of staff General Aviv Kochavi. Israeli officials tell me that no explanation was provided as to the timing of the letter or why it was sent.
Behind the scenes: Gantz was stunned by Netanyahu’s letter and responded two days later with his own letter. Gantz wrote that the prime minister does have the authority to end Israel’s position, but not to ignore almost the entire security establishment and the intelligence community while ignoring the Israeli security cabinet. ‘Israel.
“The issue of security and mainly the Iranian archive are not a single person’s personal thing.”
– From Gantz’s letter
Gantz added that Israeli politics The deal with Iran must be the result of a broad analysis involving all of Israel’s national security and foreign policy agencies, rather than just the national security council, which reports directly to Netanyahu.
- Gantz also wrote that any such policy should be approved after a serious discussion in the security cabinet.
- Earlier today, the confrontation between Netanyahu and Gantz was only known to a small group of very senior national security officials.
Between lines: The timing of the argument – a few weeks before Biden took office and in the midst of Israel’s election campaign – makes it even more sensitive and dangerous.
- While all key players agree on the strategic goal of preventing Biden from accepting an agreement that harms Israeli security, they disagree on tactics.
Remaining in the process is the fact that Netanyahu’s blunt refusal to any deal in 2015 effectively sidelined Israel while Barack Obama sealed the previous deal. This has led some senior officials to seek a more collaborative approach with the US this time.
- A Netanyahu adviser tells me that Netanyahu was motivated to send the letter through an interview with the Israeli press in which the retired head of Israel’s military intelligence investigation department said there was no evidence that the withdrawal of President Trump’s agreement would serve Israel’s interests.
- Netanyahu was also upset by rumors that during the visit of the president of the joint heads of the United States, General Mark Milley, Gantz and several generals of the Israeli Defense Forces, expressed a more moderate position on the agreement with Iran.
It is necessary to emphasize: Netanyahu and Gantz refused to comment on this story.