So is the arsenal weapon of the archenemies Israel and IránLa israeli Police corral the NetanyahuIsrael attacking Syria for the first time since the downing of the Russian plane
With almost four decades behind in serving the Israeli Army, first, and then as National Security Advisor to prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu (2011 – 2013), it can be said that the retired general Yaacov Amidror (Israel, 1948) -is regarded as a hawk on security issues and on the issue of palestine – a jewish State in the head. After retiring and leaving his position as the right hand of Netanyahu, Amidror is now a principal member of the think tank Institute of Strategic Studies in Jerusalem and has written three books on intelligence and military strategy. Of visit in Madrid to form part of the Strategic Dialogue Spain-Israel, organized by the Elcano Royal Institute, Amidror speaks with ABC in the reserved, medialuz, a restaurant adjacent to the headquarters of the Embassy of Israel.
With respect to security in the middle East, what disagreements you find between the Government of the united States and the israeli?
For Israel, the main security problem are not the palestinians, Iran and its attempt to build a war machine independent in Syria. The palestinian problem is a big political issue in Israel and, in the long term, it might be a demographic problem. Americans and israelis are ready to negotiate, negotiated while Obama and of course that will negotiate with Trump. Personally I don’t think that the palestinians want to negotiate, this is another topic.
What are the lessons out of the latest crisis with Hamas?
Here is a great debate within the israeli, Hamas is not a major threat to Israel. The economic damage is very small, the problem is more psychological.
does The victory of Assad in Syria favors israeli interests in the region?
Won the war. The russians and the iranians won by Assad. We decided not to interfere from the beginning. We have three red lines. We will not allow the militia nor the iranians to build a base in the Golan heights, we will not allow the technology and the system of weapons passing into the hands of Hezbollah and we will not allow the iranians to build a war machine independent in Syria. In addition to the three red lines, the russians, the iranians, the rebels, the syrian regime and the turks are free to kill each other.
After the departure of Trump’s agreement with the iranian, what Iran is weaker?
are Not weaker, they are more poor. Iran does not have the economy that you have dreamed about, lost part of their economic capacity and can’t build the economic future based on the current economy.
do you Believe that Israel has thrown a lifeline by Mohamed Bin Salman (MBS) with respect to the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?
it is Not a secret that we are having informal conversations with the saudis. We will continue with these relationships and don’t see why you have to stop the relations with Saudi Arabia after this stupid murder.
will This crisis has reinforced the alliance of israel with the countries sunni?
I don’t think that would change immediately, is more present in the media than in reality. I do not think that the position of MBS has changed in Saudi Arabia or in the arab world due to this action, ugly and unacceptable. How to influence your family what happened in Turkey is a good question that I don’t have the answer.
what Is Israel close to the formal recognition of the countries sunni?
We are working very hard to convince the leaders of the arab world to formally acknowledge Israel. Meanwhile, ironically, these governments are prisoners of their own propaganda for 70 years. They convinced people that Israel is the devil and today it can not change the point of view of the street. Many of the leaders of the middle East understand that Israel is your ally to help them go back to Iran and their source of technology to improve the lives of its citizens.
In a hypothetical military confrontation, what the israelis are in a better position than the iranians?
I don’t know how to compare and what to compare because Iran is 1,500 kilometers from Israel, is not behind the border, which Iran wants to do is bring the capacity to less than 50 km from Israel and we will not allow it, so in the end are not the IDF (israeli Defense Forces Isaelíes) against iranian forces.
And the shi’a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, won the parliamentary elections in Iraq with a strong nationalist discourse against the iranians.
To many shi’a do not like the fact that the iranians are so involved in Iraq.
in Iraq, in what scenario is the best for israeli interests?
That Iraq is a sovereign state.
what Is the israeli Army more weak to deal with its current security threats in asymmetrical conflicts in the seventies?
it Is a difficult question. I think that the Army is stronger than in the past, but at the same time there are more limitations in the way in which you can use, because the rules of combat of the Second World War do not conform to the media that the military forces should be used to fight terrorism today. Hizbolá and Hamas deployed its forces and launchers in populated areas in a way that we are not allowed to ask you to act against them because they would cause great collateral damage, which is what they want.
What should be the position of an army in the State? What guardian?, or should I intervene?
Israel is very clear on that. The Army should do what he ordered civilians and not reversely.
are you Still very close to Netanyahu?
do I? (a wince). I know prime minister Netanyahu from the 69, we were together in the Army. I was his security advisor for more than two and a half years and when I left, I promised him two things publicly in the toast of the ceremony: “I will Never call you to ask a favor”; and the second: “When you call me, I’ll be there”.
do you Believe that the palestinian issue is a factor of instability in the middle East?
no, Not at all. Because if you look at the Middle East and you wonder what are the sources of instability, see the friction between shi’a and sunni, the tension within islam with modernity and the problems between citizens and their governments in all these countries, none is democratic.
Gadi Shamni, head of the Central Command of the Army in 2007-2009, said that the israelis “have raised the occupation to an art form”. And he added: “We are the world champions of the occupation”. Does this apparent arrogance undermines the security of Israel in the medium term?
I know Him very well. According to what you said, in other countries the occupation became a burden that poisoned the army. We managed to build a system in the west bank that is rarely the palestinians see the IDF, that go to these areas only to arrest terrorists. It is not arrogance. It is a more intelligent way of saying that we are doing a good job, but we can not forget that at the end it is an occupation.
do you Trust the two-state solution?
How can we ensure that the palestinians did not elect Hamas leaders in Ramallah to make the west bank another Gaza Strip? No one has an answer to this question.
