Must Read for WINEP, Lee Smith Young and others

Do the anti-syrian pundits/analysts read WHAT THE TOP ISRAELI military/intel people say on the Syria Track? Is the polemical track that consuming?

From FPA, here: part two of an exclusive interview with Ilan Mizrahi, the former deputy chief of the Mossad and former head of the Israeli National Security Council under former PM Ehud Olmert.

“…FPA ISRAEL BLOG:  Why such urgency on the Syrian track?

MIZRAHI: My point of view is not from today. [On] my first day as national security counsel to Ehud Olmert [i recommended] make a deal with Syria. It will change the security situation in the Middle East. And, I still believe it. I think that if we would strike a deal, our key enemy always, Israel’s enemy from the first day of independence, was radicalism in the Middle East. Radicals in the Middle East were our and are our enemies. We had Gamel Abdel Nasser in the 50s, 60s. Now, you have the radical state Iran, which has openly declared their wish that Israel be destroyed. They would rather not say, ‘we would destroy Israel.’ They would say, ‘Israel should be destroyed.’ By whom — you should guess. And Iran has a policy of hegemony in the Middle East. Many, Many Arabs are supporting them. You have few Arab rulers that understand the threat, but some of their intelegencis and allies, and most of their masses, are supporting Iran because they are against Israel and against the United states. So, what I’m saying is that if you want to diminish, to mitigate the influence of Iran, to weaken their position in the Middle East, you have to look for the weakest link in their axis. And the weakest link is Syria because Syria is an Arab country. 75 percent are Sunni Muslims. It’s a secular state. It’s a secular state — it’s not Saudi Arabia or even Egypt. And in my point of view, Bashar al-Asad, doesn’t like the idea that Hezbollah is totally an Iranian instrument. He wouldn’t like to see Lebanon ruled forever by Hezbollah backed by Iran

He wouldn’t like to see Iraq under Iranian influence, which means strategically he has in the south — Israel, west and east — he has the Iranians, and in the north — he has the Turks. So, I think that his father and he sees the Iranian issue as strategic depth that they are lacking vis-à-vis Israel and the United States. I do think, I do believe that his father and he himself already decided that he would like to have agreement with Israel. Not because they want to live in peace with us, because they need the United States.

Also economically. They do not think like the Iranians that the United States is no more a super power. They understand that this is the only super power. Yet still. So, I do believe that they want it. Now, is it a bluff. So let’s call it a bluff. Let’s start negotiations. We had negotiations in the past. We stopped. We did not go to the end. In Shepherdstown, Barak went back. So, I think we should do it. It will weaken Iran. It will weaken the position of Hezbollah and of Hamas.

This is my point of view. First Syria and then Palestinians. Palestinians, little by little, gradually. This is not the time, not in Israel, not in Palestine. It would be premature. and the deeper the disappointment the more chances that there will be another intifada.

FPA ISRAEL BLOG: Would giving back the Golan prove to be a strategic problem?

Our chief of staff doesn’t think so. Our head of intelligence, military intelligence doesn’t think so.

You know, in the ottoman empire, the sultan sent his Navy to take Cyprus. You know why? For its wine, because the Cyprus wine was very good. Now, we’re not going to keep the Golan because the wine there is wonderful. But, this is a territory to be negotiated, in my point of view. Now, if our military generals come and say the minute you give the Golan there is a direct threat against Israel, you should not do it.  Then I’d have to think several times about it. But the best Israeli generals are saying we can negotiate it, so I believe them. Though, it’s a wonderful piece of land. Wonderful Druze restaurants. So I won’t go to Majid al-Shams. I’ll have my oriental food in Jaffa…”