Israel security agencies urge resumption of talks with Palestinians

Israel security agencies urge resumption of talks with Palestinians

 Israel's intelligence community, including Military Intelligence, the Mossad, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and the Foreign Ministry are recommending a return to peace negotiations with the Palestinians as a means of preventing Israel's further international isolation, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported Monday.

In recent weeks, the organizations have allegedly drafted and distributed reports calling for reviving the peace process, which stalled last September, saying that such a move would "help tone down increasing tensions and anger" against Israel.

"All the documents recommend progress vis-a-vis the Palestinians," a defense source told the newspaper, although it could not be confirmed whether such documents have, in fact, been issued.

Each of Israel's intelligence-gathering organizations maintains its own research division that periodically issues analyses of Israel's geo-strategic standing and the likelihood of conflict.

The Foreign Ministry, while not an intelligence body per se, established its own research department as part of the lessons drawn from the 1973 war, when Israel's military planners, politicians, and public were all caught off-guard. A state- appointed probe later determined that Israeli intelligence failed to provide sufficient warnings about enemy plans to launch a simultaneous attack on three fronts.

However, the intelligence assessments presented to the country's decision-makers often clash. As well, critics of the intelligence community have long held that turf wars and prestige battles between the agencies prevent effective information-sharing.

The latest documents, in recommending a return to the negotiating table, are in tune with statements by some senior Israeli officials warning of the country's growing isolation over the past year.

Aside from the stalled peace process and the flare-up of violence along its southern border, Israel's relations with Turkey plummeted to an all-time low last week over Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's order to expel the Israeli ambassador and downgrade diplomatic ties, and halt bilateral defense industry projects.

The moves came after Israel refused to apologize for a raid aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last year in which nine Turkish nationals were killed.

On Friday, hundreds of Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order the evacuation of the Israeli ambassador along with his diplomatic staff and their families.

In a televised announcement on Saturday night, however, Netanyahu pledged Israel's commitment to preserving the peace treaty with Egypt despite the attack. The Prime Minister also said he sought to prevent a further deterioration in relations with Turkey, and pledged to continue pursuing a peace deal with the Palestinians.

In a related development, Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the European Union that he will not turn to the UN Security Council on Sept. 20 to obtain full membership status in the organization, according to senior European diplomats who spoke with Ha'aretz on Sunday.

With the U.S. likely to use its veto at the Security Council, Abbas will instead likely turn to the UN General Assembly instead, where a vote in favor of Palestinian statehood is expected to receive a large majority.

English.news.cn   2011-09-12 20:17:48    FeedbackPrintRSS
JERUSALEM, Sept. 12 (Xinhua)