Delivering his keynote speech, Meir
Dagan, the former Mossad director spoke of the government’s lack of vision and
inability to properly direct the country surrounded by enemies.
“I
am frightened by our leadership. I am afraid because of the lack of vision and a
loss of direction. I am frightened by the hesitation and the stagnation [of
Israel’s government]. And I am frightened, above all else, from a crisis in
leadership. It is the worst crisis that Israel has seen to this day,” Maj.
Gen Dagan told a receptive crowd in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, held under the
banner of 'Israel wants change.' “Israel is a nation
surrounded by enemies, but our enemies are not the ones that scare me,” Dagan
said blaming Netanyahu for failing to lead at least one “sincere initiative to foment
change in the region or to craft a better future.”
In
response, the Likud party stated that the gathering - attended by 30 to 50
thousand people, from various estimates - was orchestrated and funded by
millions of dollars from abroad in order to “change
the nationalist Likud government headed by Netanyahu with a left wing government,” which will be supported by the Arab
parties, according to the Times of Israel.
Meanwhile Dagan claimed that Netanyahu’s policies have been leading the country
down the road to an “end of
the Zionist dream.” He also
criticized Netanyahu’s Operation Protective Edge, which saw seven weeks of
Israeli bombardment and ground operations in Gaza against Hamas militants last
summer which resulted in the deaths of over 2,200 Palestinian people, mainly
civilians, and some 70 Israelis.
“We
paid a heavy price in blood for a campaign that ended in zero – zero
deterrence, zero diplomatic achievements. It was a campaign that only set us
back and set in motion the countdown to the next round of fighting,” Dagan
said.
The
retired general’s grocery list of criticisms also touched on other aspects of
Israeli foreign policy and major pressing issue on home front.
“Under his watch, our relations with the United States have deteriorated to
unprecedented depths,” he
said. “Our health system is
collapsing. The housing crisis has reached new heights. The socioeconomic gaps
continue to widen. The distance between the poor, rural areas and the Center
has never been greater. One of every three Israeli children is poor. Forty
percent of Israelis can’t make ends meet.”
Israelis
go to the polls on March 17, in a vote in which right wing Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a fourth term in office.
On
Friday a number of polls showed that Netanyahu’s Likud and Isaac Herzog’s
Zionist Union parties are neck and neck. A Walla! poll gave the Likud and the
Zionist Union 24 seats each but said that Netanyahu is better placed to form a
majority coalition, Times of Israel reported. An Israel Hayom survey produced
similar results, showing Likud and Zionist Union at 23 seats each, while A
Maariv poll put Zionist Union slightly ahead at 24 seats, with Likud at 22. March
08, 2015 00:38 , RT.
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