Netanyahu summoned Ya'alon for clarification immediately following publication, and slammed his vice premier's comments as as "neither acceptable in meaning or in approach."
"[Ya'alon's comments] do not represent the stance of the [Israeli] government," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
[...]
Senior Likud officials called Ya'alon's comments "a downright shame" that represented "a bizarre alliance between a group of anti-Zionists who support draft dodging and the refusal to follow orders and a former IDF chief of staff."
The officials called on Ya'alon to apologize for remarks and said that his "race to the extreme right will not strengthen his position in the Likud, no matter what he thinks".
Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to the comments by saying: "Peace Now is an important part of the peace camp and an integral part of the democratic dialogue in Israeli society."
Every country has its embarrassments. In a parliamentary system, regrettably, they sometimes end up in government. The important thing is what the rest of the country does in response.
2 comments:
What's most striking to me about Ya'alon's comments is that they challenge US/Israeli relations more vigorously than any consequential American politicians would ever dare. Obviously Netanyahu and the rest have begun to marginalize him as a consequence, but it's striking to me nevertheless.
Notwithstanding the variety of ways that Israel is awesome, the extent of their influence with the US is still in large part due simply to US electoral law and demography. It would be neat if it instead had more to do with national interest.
Given the costs we have to bear for maintaining our special relationship with Israel, I'm not entirely disappointed to see a hardening of anti-US positions. If it someday translates into the ability for our leaders to deal more firmly with their Israeli counterparts, so much the better.
That said, the man's clearly a loon.
Nixon in China. Nixon in China. Nixon in China. Nixon in China.
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