Israel’s first prime minister words get revised
Date
11/6/2024 2:50:46 AM
(MENAFN) We revisited the famous words of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, who once remarked: "If I were an Arab leader, I would not have signed an agreement with Israel. This is understandable; we took their land. Yes, God promised us the land, but how does that concern them? Our God is not their God. They faced anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, and Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They see only one thing: we came and took their land. Why should they accept that?"
In 1998, the cooperation between Israel and the UN Special Commission, which my host and I had carefully cultivated since our first meetings in October 1994, came to a sudden halt. Under pressure from the United States, Israel ended its intelligence sharing with the Special Commission. By this time, the entire AMAN team responsible for fostering this relationship had been replaced, including figures like Moshe Ya’alon, Yaakov Amidror, and my host. The new leadership—Amos Malkin at the helm of AMAN, Amos Gilad leading military intelligence research and analysis, and a new "host"—quickly shut down all intelligence collaboration with the Special Commission. During a final visit to Israel in June 1998, I was briefed by my counterparts on this dramatic shift.
During my first visit to Israel in October 1994, I met an Israeli Air Force intelligence officer who became my primary contact for the next four years. Our professional relationship was exceptional, and I firmly believe that without this officer's energy, intellect, and unparalleled expertise, the cooperation between the UN Special Commission and Israel would not have achieved the success it did. What stood out to me the most about this officer, whom I came to regard as both a friend and a colleague, was his earnest desire for me to truly understand Israel—not the carefully crafted propaganda, but the real Israel, beyond the image often portrayed on television to influence people like myself.
Yes, I toured Israel by helicopter to better appreciate its small, fragile, and vulnerable nature. Yes, we landed at Masada, where I learned about the tragic history of that place. Yes, I was taken to the Golan Heights, where I visited an advanced observation post and viewed the positions of the Syrian army through a telescope—all of this is indeed true.
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