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Benjamin Netanyahu takes pride in his battle against Iran's nuclear program, but it turns out that this sensitive issue was his biggest failure. He did rack up a few daring tactical successes, but his policy came at a heavy strategic cost, mostly because of his decision to butt heads with the Obama administration and then persuade the Trump administration to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal.
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Key figures in the defense and security establishment now feel that they can openly air their criticism of policies they had warned against in closed-door meetings these past few years. A document compiled by former security officials, published a few days ago, signed by former head of the Military Intelligence Directorate Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash; former head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission Gideon Frank; and former deputy IAEC director Dr. Eli Levita, tells the whole story.
There is no question that what is said therein stems from deep concern about the cost of the mistaken policy, nor can their professionalism or experience in dealing with the Iranian nuclear program be called into question, or the fact that what they are saying does not come from a desire for any personal or political victory. Their main claim is that Netanyahu wasted long, precious years in pointless clashes with the US, prevented dialogue on agreement between Iran and international powers that could have been better than what was signed in 2015, and led Trump to his irresponsible withdrawal from the deal, which caused Iran to cut down its time to a nuclear weapon. The biggest challenge now facing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is not to step into Netanyahu's shoes, but rather to do the opposite and go back to high-level contact with the Biden administration in an attempt to improve the aspects of the agreement that touch on Iranian missiles that could carry nuclear warheads and other issues that are vital to Israel's security.
One of Bennett's biggest advantages is that he does not feel any obligation to defend the errors of the previous governments. It's important for him to use this advantage given the important document placed on his desk this week.
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Evyatar is an illegal settlement outpost set up eight years ago near Tapuach Junction. The GOC Central Command oversaw its demolition, and last month it was rebuilt after a terrorist attack at the junction. The settlers claim that their presence there has security and strategic value, whereas the IDF sees it as a hazard.
GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai quickly issued a boundary notice for the outpost, which was designed to prevent further construction there by determining that the outpost had been established without any arrangements about property or planning, and requires that military forces be diverted from other missions to defend it. The builders of the outpost, he said, were in gross violation of the law and were causing public disorder as well as damaging rule of law. Yadai announced that the outpost would be evacuated, but the Netanyahu government preferred to delay it until the Bennett government could be formed.
To a large extent, Evyatar reflects the broader picture of settlement in the West Bank. Nearly the only increase in the settler population is natural growth. The settlements that still give us a sense of major population increase are the two Haredi ones: Modi'in Illit and Betar Illit, which lie near the Green Line. But settler activist Daniella Weiss continues to celebrate every incident such as the re-erection of Evyatar, and when that outpost is evacuated she and her friends will wage an ongoing battle against the "British Mandate" government and its policy toward Jewish settlements.
No one has bothered to inform them that the Mandate ended on May 15, 1948, and that a day earlier the founding of a sovereign Jewish state had been announced. For them, there is no difference between a right-wing, a left-wing, or a centrist government – they all evacuate settlers, so therefore they are all evil. All that remains is to stir up new provocations.
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