The Israeli national intelligence agency, Mossad, is one of the most elite intelligence agencies in the world and Efraim Halevy one of its most feared directors. Also the former Israeli ambassador to the European Union, Halevy was THINK to talk about the conflict between Iran and Israel
When Efraim Halevy walked into the book store at the THINK,crouched with a shuffle of old age, handsome wrinkles complementing the willowytufts of his hair, he looked every bit the grandfather he probably is and notone bit the man whose job was to spy and kill for the nation he served.
There was a time (and probably even now) that Iran fearedhim, some loathed him, but his Prime Ministers loved him. Handpicked byBenjamin Netanyahu to be the ninth director of Mossad and then the run Israel’snational security council, Halevy was confidant (and shhhh…executioner… but wedidn’t say it) of no less than five Israeli Prime Ministers including ArielSharon and Yitzhak Rabin.
The backdrop was ironical of sorts. Goa is a place wherehundreds of his countrymen and women come to holiday, to seek peace andsolitude from the ravages of strife. At THINK, Halevy, during his discussionwith Kanwar Sibal and Nidhi Razdan, began trying to be the peacenik that heprojects himself to be but contradictions emerged. As it always does withHalevy.
“There should be dialogue with Iran. Dialogue is the mostimportant aspect of human relations. In order to be able to reach a point, youcan achieve it through dialogue. Conflict is not the ultimate purpose of life.We must try and reach accommodation” He justified this by saying that he hasalways had these views. “I am always looking at chinks in the wall, trying tofind elusive possibilities. The Mossad promoted the first peace treaty we hadwith Egypt in the 70s. So the Mossad is more than an intelligence gatheringorganization.”
And then the hawk emerged from the dove like grandfather. “Idon’t want to minimise the threats of Iran on Israel. Iran and Israel at war.Every day we have rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, manufactured in Iranianterritory. We have a state of war on the Lebanese border. Iran denies the rightof Israel to exist in the UN, that is intolerable.”
Halevy’s critics, including senior policy analysts of one ofthe most respected International Affairs publications “Foreign policy”, haveagreed that he is consistently playing both sides. And of late, he actuallywants America to do Israel’s dirty work. Aron David Miller of Foreign Policyvery recently met him. And Halevy toldhim “I believe that if we are looking for the best way of doing it, I thinkthat the United States' capabilities are far beyond Israel's… That's why Ibelieve the major priority should be to get the United States to agree to takethis this task upon itself."
When asked whether military action would be warranted ifnegotiations and sanctions failed to stop Iran from going nuclear, “his answerwas an unequivocal yes”. Miller thencomments “However, what Halevy doesn’t seem to either understand or care about,is the fact that this statement amounts to a weak justification for preventivewar, akin to the pretense the US used in 2003 to invade Iraq.”
Halevy has recently backed Obama to the hilt and praised himfor saying that there is still room for negotiations with Iran. In the same breath, in far way Goa, Halevysaid at the THINK. “After November 6, Iranians have to come to terms withrealities and if they do there is hope of avoiding unintended consequences”
Those who have watched the Mossad carefully, including hisfellow speaker Kanwal Sibal, one of India’s most distinguished diplomats, knowthat negotiations may play a part but the preparation of the consequences offailed negotiations starts as soon as the negotiations do.
As he said “They are very intricate. You don't just give theorder and wait in your office for commanders to come three months later and sayit's done. No. This kind of operation, which is accident prone, hands onoperation, one has to make one decision after the other. It took courage andcool headedness and leadership. Anyone who says it was an easy thing to decide,doesn't understand what he's talking about”
As he ended, he took stock of where he was and left with amessage that was there for those who cared to pick it up. “I respect India’spolicies of terrorism. There are veryeminent and capable people deciding India’s policy. But I always say this. If our basic interestsare in danger we have to take steps to protect them. Clearly the Mossad brandof “diplomacy” has its place. As for Efraim Halevy, he was done. He shuffled into the THINK bookshop looking for a book by V S Naipaul.
