Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said Israel should demand political returns from Western countries in exchange for lifesaving intelligence, arguing for a “give-and-take” approach, Yisrael Hayom reported on Wednesday.
This is the first time a senior Israeli official has publicly proposed such a policy.
Speaking at the second Shurat HaDin conference in New York on Monday, Cohen described cases in which Mossad intelligence he authorized saved lives abroad—including in Australia.
“We gave the Australians probably one of the most important intelligence warnings, which saved the lives of hundreds of people, when a bomb was on its way to an Etihad plane that was due to depart Sydney for Dubai or Abu Dhabi. It was our intelligence, and what do we get back from Australia?” Cohen asserted, referring to Melbourne’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Cohen noted that Israel provides lifesaving intelligence to other Western countries as well—notably the American CIA and the British MI6. “We need to replace this coordinated type of intelligence, which ultimately saves lives, with better support. I am not suggesting that the Mossad or Israel’s intelligence forces stop collecting or sharing intelligence with our partners around the world to save people’s lives, but I do suggest trading it differently.”
Yisrael Hayom noted that earlier this week, the Mossad exposed a senior Iranian official who had planned attacks in Australia, Germany, and Greece.
Cohen also announced at the conference that he will not run in the upcoming elections, though he didn’t rule out future political involvement. In response to a question about whether he intends to run for politics in the elections in a year, he said, “The answer is no. Not now. We’ll see what happens later.”
Cohen recalled that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu once hinted that Cohen could be his successor: “When I was Mossad director, the prime minister implied I was his successor. I once asked him directly, and he said yes and explained why. It was in 2018 or 2019. My wife then said, ‘No way. We’re not going into that.’ But everything changed dramatically after October 7, and there is a need for new leadership. So I can’t entirely rule it out—I’m considering everything, but the decision now is no.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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One Response
Israel acts like the pathetic child who shares all his snacks with his “friends” and yet they refuse to play with him. Stop trying to buy love from such “friends”. Become transactional: What is in it for me? Don’t just give away your intelligence. That is not intelligent.