Senior official: Netanyahu is driving us towards boycott

Source privy to closed-door talks slams prime minister's political conduct: 'Today Israel is in a more poor and sensitive condition than it was in 1948. Netanyahu's conduct is leading to sanctions, boycotting," undisclosed official said

Attila Somfalvi|Published: 12.27.13 , 00:18

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not really willing to move forward with the negotiations. He should have released the Palestinian prisoners at once and not release prisoners in exchange for Gilad Shalit. He caused great damage for Mahmoud Abbas with his conduct. He only wants to preserve his status in his party and everyone knows what it looks like."

These harsh statements were made by a senior Israeli official who slammed the prime minister's recent political conduct in an exclusive talk with Ynet.

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Criticism against Netanyahu's policy is not unusual, however Israel's political state is once again evoking strong reactions within Israeli leadership.

The senior source, who has been involved in running the country for years and knows its greatest secrets and sensitive issues, is opening up fierce disapproval of the prime minister and his conduct in several critical arenas, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel's relations with the US and the battle against nuclear Iran.

'Not really interested in reaching an agreement' (Photo: Reuters)

While Jerusalem is attempting to minimize the importance of political criticism from Europe and calls for boycotts and sanctions against Israel, the top political echelon is admitting that these are issues that may dramatically hurt Israel. The year 2014 is marked as the key time in this sense, and it is feared that the calls to boycott Israel will only expand.

"Today Israel is in a more poor and sensitive condition that is was in 1948," said the source. "Netanyahu's conduct is leading to sanctions and boycotting."

"Our main problem," the official said, "is not wars, but the economic situation. A UN resolution is not needed in order to impose sanctions on us or boycott Israeli products. It is sufficient for one country to start doing it and then it spreads across Europe. We are a country that exports, and in light of the situation with the Palestinians and the continued occupation, we are seen as an apartheid state. A boycott of Israel is the most dangerous thing that exists today. The deterioration (of the situation) can be very rapid."

The prime minister himself is also quite troubled with these issues and continues to address them. Just recently he worked fiercely to prevent the removal of Israel from the prestigious Horizon 2020 project.

"The Europeans must take a stance, and they want it to be a moral one. This position sides with the Palestinians – they live under occupation and Israel is the occupier," said the senior official.

The official added that he no longer trusts in Netanyahu's desire to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, despite his public statements on the subject. "Netanyahu has crossed the rubicon, there is no doubt," the official cynically said. "He is now at a point where he wants the Palestinians to agree with his views and his opinions."

Netanyahu turns Iran into missile superpower

In regards to the Iranian issue, the senior official said that "due to Netanyahu's outcries, Iran has become in recent years a missile superpower, second only to the US. People do not know this, but because of Netanyahu's clamors, Iran has developed missile capabilities that are among the most advanced in the world.

"Why does he have to shout all the time that Israel will attack, what good will that do?! Israel's second strike capabilities should have been made clear to Iran and he should have clarified that if something happens — Iran will disappear. But instead, he decided to threaten and shout, prompting Iran's development of missile capabilities that they didn't previously have.

According to the source, the US administration and its leader President Barack Obama are outraged by the prime minister's conduct concerning the Iranian issue. In his words, "the American president is very patient. The problem is that support for Israel among Americans is declining.

"The African-American population sees what's happening and observes the never ending critique that Netanyahu and his allies launch against Obama and they are starting to lose their patience. Netanyahu's conduct in the US is in accordance to what was relevant there ten years ago."

The senior official added that Netanyahu does not understand Obama, nor the United States of today. The Republican Party has lost their way and Netanyahu is clinging to them.

"The US is no longer as white as it once was and Netanyahu refuses to understand that, claims the source. This causes damage to Israel, to its status and to support of the State. Netanyahu constantly wants to be Churchill — he quotes him all the time — but in the modern world, it is better to be Nelson Mandela or the new Pope that has taken over the world with a storm. These are not Churchill's times."