A mysterious report about two unidentified Arab leaders may itself be an Israeli intelligence operation designed to sow fear and paranoia across the Arab world, according to psychological warfare expert Dr. Ron Schleifer, who believes the Mossad was likely behind the extraordinary leak.
The story centers on a reported conversation in which the leader of one Arab country advised another Arab leader to sign an agreement that would “put Israel to sleep.” Neither leader has been identified, but Schleifer told Arutz Sheva that their identities are almost beside the point. In his assessment, the real story is what the leak tells Arab governments about Israel’s ability to penetrate their most sensitive communications.
“Israel is apparently listening in on Arab leaders and decided to spread this information,” Schleifer said. The information was given to Israeli journalist Amit Segal, a choice Schleifer described as ideal because Segal is both right-wing in his views and works for Channel 12, which Schleifer described as Israel’s most popular television channel, providing maximum exposure.
Schleifer also pointed to who did not receive the information. He noted that Ronen Bergman would ordinarily be a journalist likely to receive a leak of this nature, but was not given this story — something Schleifer views as possible evidence that “there is a new era here.”
According to Schleifer, the psychological impact of the leak could be enormous. The two unidentified leaders now know that Israel may possess evidence of their private conversation while having no idea when, or whether, Israel will expose their identities.
The two leaders, he said, are effectively being held “by the throat” by Israel and are under tremendous pressure over the possibility that their identities could eventually be revealed to Western audiences.
“They are not eating or drinking because of the worry and pressure and the fear of the enormous embarrassment they will face when their identities are exposed — and they will be exposed at some point to the Western public,” Schleifer said. The anxiety itself, he argued, prevents the leaders from devoting their full attention and energy to advancing their objectives.
But the message extends far beyond the two leaders involved. Other Arab leaders are now forced to consider whether Israeli intelligence is listening to their own most secret conversations — and what other sensitive information Israel may already possess.
For Schleifer, that uncertainty is precisely what makes the episode so effective as psychological warfare.
“The additional gain is that Israel once again makes its technological superiority clear to everyone in a simple and easily understandable way,” he said. “You don’t need military and technological exhibitions to hint at it. One line to a journalist does the job.”
Another benefit, he said, is the rising anxiety throughout the Arab world as officials and observers try to determine who the two leaders are. The resulting paranoia among Arab leadership, Schleifer argued, plays strongly into Israel’s hands.
Schleifer also contended that Israelis are already familiar with the possibility of Arab governments using agreements as a means of strategically “putting Israel to sleep.” He pointed to Egypt, arguing that although Israel has a peace agreement with Cairo, Egypt violated it from the first week and that the Sinai Peninsula has since become a platform for military equipment rather than being used for fighting ISIS.
The most encouraging element for Schleifer is what he sees as a broader Israeli embrace of psychological warfare. He said he understands the technical intelligence work to be carried out by Unit 8200 before information moves through the wider Israeli security establishment. The Shin Bet handles matters inside Israel, he said, while the IDF operates opposite Gaza, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria — leaving the Mossad for the broader arena.
On that basis, Schleifer believes the Mossad under its chief, Roman Gofman, likely made the decision to release the information and reap the security benefits generated by the resulting uncertainty and fear.
“The entire Arab world is boiling because of two lines that were leaked to a journalist,” Schleifer said. “All this as a result of picking up the phone to a journalist who can be trusted.”
For Schleifer, the episode demonstrates how a tiny amount of carefully released intelligence can produce an impact far beyond the information itself — leaving unidentified leaders wondering what Israel knows, Arab governments questioning the security of their communications, and an entire region trying to identify the people at the center of the leak.
“This bodes well,” Schleifer concluded. “We are in a region where warfare is different, and we are finally adapting ourselves to these challenges. It is a very positive sign.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
