Nadav Argaman who served as director of the Shin Bet from 2016 to 2021, on Thursday told the annual international conference of the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), “The Palestinian Authority is not a body that encourages terrorism. It sees itself as living by our side. This is the element we will have to learn to live with and we have to do everything to get it to take the reins in the Gaza Strip.”
Is it 1994 all over again?
Argaman also claimed that Israel consciously chose to keep Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 atrocities, alive. According to him, “Yahya Sinwar is alive because the State of Israel decided that it does not want to go on an adventure in the Gaza Strip. What were the Prime Minister’s considerations? I don’t know – I brought it up more than once, like other Shin Bet heads. Had we launched a surprise attack against Hamas in Gaza – and we could do it – we would be in a completely different reality.”
The former chief is obviously planning to throw his hat in the political ring, which is why he also declared, “This disastrous government must be replaced, we must get rid of it – there is no choice. After all the evil that has befallen us, I am still optimistic because it’s the only choice. I think the people of Israel deserve to be in a different place, but for that to happen we need to replace this disastrous government, first and foremost, otherwise, there is no room for my optimism.”
The “Choosing Life” forum, of the bereaved families and victims of terrorism, responded to Argaman’s speech, saying:
“We expect the current head of the Shin Bet to disavow Argaman’s words, which cause a loss of trust in the agency. Those who did not recognize the danger in Hamas, do not recognize the danger in the Palestinian Authority, which supports terrorism. Sadly, he and his ilk are running the security systems. His is a distorted concept that sees those who pay money to the murderers of our children as a partner for peace. We expected that after October 7, people like Argaman would realize that the basis of their perception is wrong, but unfortunately, it seems that is not the way things are, and with such a distorted perception we will, God forbid, have to pay with the blood of our loved ones.”
Chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism), responded to Argaman’s ideas, saying they are “extremely disturbing. The former head of the Shin Bet does not understand that paying salaries to terrorism is encouraging terrorism. That to employ terrorists in uniforms is to encourage terrorism. That distributing message sheets of support for terrorism to mosques is to encourage terrorism. We must make sure that these perceptions are eradicated from the security system.”
Argaman also espoused some ideas that should have pro-democracy folks everywhere scratching their heads. “We need to take a fresh look at what citizenship means in the State of Israel,” the former chief of the clandestine police said, and explained, possibly while having some lackey shine his black boots:
“A citizen of Israel is one who serves the State of Israel as it determines – meaning either military service or national service. A citizen who will not serve the State of Israel will not be able to vote and will not be able to be elected, will not be able to be a public servant, will not be able to receive budgets from the state.”
You see? You let a fascist talk long enough, he’ll trip on his fasces, Benito Mussolini’s ax-shaped bundle of sticks, the symbol of the great Roman Empire:
“But for that, we need to get rid of this disastrous government, we need a broad government, set goals for the next decade, and start restoring what happened to us here for many years to come,” so spake the man who will be the great white hope of the good old Israeli traditional left.
I’m voting for the disastrous government. There’s more democracy in the most corrupt Likud primary vote broker than in Israel’s fascistic-militaristic left. I prefer my great hope on the brown side.
