Ehud Barak: The 2WAY Conversation

Compelling community questions and answers on Chuck Schumer, Bibi Netanyahu, and a Pizzagate metaphor.....

Highlights from the Friday 2WAY conversation with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, featuring great questions from the community:

On Chuck Schumer Calling for Netanyahu's Ouster:

MH: Chuck Schumer, who you know, spoke, gave a long speech and said a lot of things, but the thing that's getting so much attention is he said that the Israelis should change the government. How do you feel about his saying that, how's that being received in Israel?

EB: Look, it was received as well as the remarks from Biden. They were not received very well, but the painful thing is that we have to, I have to, admit that they are telling the Israeli people the truth. It would have been much better if we would reach this consequence on our own and act upon it. And it's quite painful to see that the American President Biden, whom I know for 40 years, and he's really devoted for Israel and to the Zionist cause, and before our own leadership came back to regain its balance, Biden already operated the airlift, already ordered the aircraft carrier groups to move toward Israel, already warned Iran and Hezbollah not to intervene, He really performed in a way I cannot remember seeing since Kissinger and Nixon backed us in ‘73. So he came to Israel, showed a lot of not just compassion but support…. Israel cannot operate without, in our region … we are the strongest country in the region but you cannot operate on a regional level without having a superpower on our side. Ben Gurion, the first prime minister, already said it, made it almost an imperative, never go to a full war without a superpower on your side…We cannot have enough munitions without the United States, we cannot have veto power in the Security Council, we cannot finalize it for the long term alone. We need America, even to block attempts from bringing our leadership to the Hague. To the criminal court, not the political one. And we need it to coordinate with our neighbors."

More on Chuck Schumer “Meddling” in Israeli Politics:

MH: Let's finish up on Chuck Schumer. You, and, as you regularly point out, a vast majority of Israelis, agree with what he said: the Israeli government should change. That's different than the two questions I want to ask you. Is it proper for an American politician to make that recommendation or should he have left it to the Israelis?

EB: No, I would prefer it if we will do it, determine the decisively and effectively enough that we would not have to get advice from Washington. But with Netanyahu, who intervened very actively in American politics when Obama was in power and then in a very damaging way in regard to Iran, the JCPOA, and when Trump was in power, in a way Netanyahu is the last person who can complain about someone, especially from Washington, intervening in his politics. And he’s doing it every, every day, every year, with every president.

On Comparing Conspiracies About Netanyahu to “Pizzagate":

COMMUNITY QUESTION: So my question is little bit around that. If because what that ends up doing of course is saying putting a story out there that this is what Netanyahu wanted to happen he was using this as an excuse to go in after after Hamas. I'm sure you you know that and what people are saying and what some of the other perspectives may be on this in the amount of time that it took for the Israelis to respond to the attack. But so my question is, was there an investigation of how this happened and was somebody held accountable in the intelligence community?

EB: First of all, I propose to all of us to almost automatically reject all these conspiracy theories … the theory that probably Netanyahu wanted it to happen. There are some people who either say that Barak wanted it to happen, and Barak is behind some conspiracy with Haniyeh, and somehow betrayed the agreement, and then slaughtered the people, and so with it and the, like, here with the story about the Pizzagate of Hillary Clinton, in here, within the Beltway. There are 20% of Israeli…adult people who believe that Barak was involved in initiating it. It's crazy. It's just another sign of politics losing its traction with normal people….

On “Netanyahu Derangement Syndrome":

MH: There are Americans who have Netanyahu Derangement Syndrome … like they have Trump Derangement Syndrome. They think Benjamin Netanyahu is the cause of a lot of trouble for the world and … they're Israelis who think that, and you can correctly invoke the polls to suggest that were there an election right now, he probably couldn't win. But I say, again, the war is going past November. He's not going to have an election before November. I know you’d like one in June or September but there's not going to be, I don't believe. Yeah, so after the election I know it's not, each country should stand on its own, but doesn't Netanyahu’s chances of winning another election increase if Donald Trump is in office for four years?…

EB: Yeah, probably it increased…OK, for sure, Netanyahu feels more comfortable with Trump at the White House

MH: I’m not talking about the Israeli voter, but …

EB: That doesn't mean that Israelis, you know, I don’t think that the decisive or defining element will be who sits in the White House. The defining element will be, that if we, in spite of believing that Netanyahu is the main person responsible for this whole blunder, we allowed him to stay in power, lead the war for a year and a half, but next month for example, is a year and half, … it won't be easy to come and remind the public that some 10 years ago he got an illegal gift from his cousin who's already buried, passed away, and he did not report it properly to certain, or that he preferred certain communication.

MH: He's not under 91 indictments.

EB: Yeah, yeah so, he doesn't have 91 …

MH: I like saying, you've seen your friend Bill Clinton, people said you could never win a reelection. Polls were bad, there were a lot of problems, he won reelection. So much of your vision, and the vision of so many Israelis I talked to, is we need a post- Netanyahu world. A post-Netanyahu world of a two-state solution, of dealing with the Arab nations that are willing to make peace, to go back to the Saudi deal, right, all the things you have espoused and believe in. That's only exists in a post-Netanyahu world. And I'm saying, it seems like, not a sure thing, Trump could win. But it seems like given his, Netanyahu’s survival instincts and record and the possibility of a Trump presidency, Netanyahu could be in office a good long while.

EB: It's up to us. I don't rely upon the American voter to decide our favorite… We …have to decide.

Here is the full episode, including Barak’s concluding remarks of optimism to the Israeli people.

All of these videos and answers may be posted on social media and quoted by all (including news organizations). Please credit “from a conversation with 2WAY.”

To join the 2WAY community and be a part of conversations like no other, sign up for free here.

Mark