Tamir Pardo, the former Mossad head has now admitted that he and others were prepared to disobey orders given by Prime Minister Netanyahu to attack Iran several years ago. According to sources Netanyahu gave them 15 days to prepare. Although the order was eventially nullified. The reaction to many entrenched in Israel’s Deep State is telling.
In an interview set to air in Israel, Pardo admits that he and others questioned Netanyahu legal right to prepare the security arms to attack Iran.
“I made as many inquiries as I could,” he said. “I asked the previous Mossad chief…I asked legal experts. I asked everyone I could find to ask, in order to understand who has the authority to give orders on any issue which would start a war.”
“At the end of the day, if I receive an order, and if I receive an order from the Prime Minister, then I am supposed to carry it out. I need to be sure that if, G-d forbid, something goes wrong, or if the action fails, there won’t be a situation in which I did something illegal.”
In the interview Pardo claimed he was considering resigning.
“When the diplomats give an order, you have two options,” Pardo said. “One option is to carry it out, and another option is to hand in the keys. It’s good that I didn’t have to make that decision….though I did think of it.”
Reaction has been swift by the current government.
The current Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan said the following on Pardo’s revelation:
“What Tamir Pardo did was no less than an act of rebellion. In a democracy, those who the people elected are the ones who make the decisions. It is inconceivable that someone working in the public sector will refuse to listen to the government’s orders, when the government was chosen by Israeli citizens. His decision to discuss this topic when we are in the midst of an international battle against those funding Iranian terror harms the battle against Iran, solely for the sake of headlines.”
Deputy Minister Michael Oren also came out swinging at Pardo and Israel’s Deep State:
“The phenomenon of ‘securityists’ and ‘exes’ who come out against the government is only growing. It is important to remember that most of them do not see the overall picture and are not aware of all the factors that led to one decision or another. They are not skilled in decision-making on the international political-strategic level. Moreover, the prime minister has to rely on the people he appoints.”
Given the fact that Netanyahu himself is considered a security minded Prime Minister makes the decisions of Pardo and his colleagues very puzzling. Israel’s Deep State has increasingly been cornered by Likud and Jewish Home leaders who have taken a proverbial broom to state institutions.