JINSA Advisor Mark Fitzgerald in Real Clear Defense
The White House’s “Chickens#@!” Betrayal
By Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, USN (ret.)
Put aside the absurdity of calling a man who was a commander in Israel’s special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal, a “coward.” Forget the spectacular hypocrisy – even by Washington D.C. standards – of calling a world leader “chickens#@!” while hiding behind an anonymous quote. Such crude attacks speak infinitely more about the officials who made them than about the Prime Minister.
The White House’s “Chickens#@!” Betrayal
By Admiral Mark Fitzgerald, USN (ret.)
Put aside the absurdity of calling a man who was a commander in Israel’s special forces unit, Sayeret Matkal, a “coward.” Forget the spectacular hypocrisy – even by Washington D.C. standards – of calling a world leader “chickens#@!” while hiding behind an anonymous quote. Such crude attacks speak infinitely more about the officials who made them than about the Prime Minister.
I met Prime Minister Netanyahu this year while visiting Israel as part of a delegation of retired generals and admirals led by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), and although I did not agree with all of his strategic assessments, I found him to be a man of conviction and integrity, incredibly well versed in history and academia, and fully committed to preserving his citizens’ security amidst the Middle East’s increasing turmoil.
What is most troubling about Jeffrey Goldberg’s revelation in The Atlantic that two unnamed “senior Obama administration officials” called the Israeli Prime Minister “a chickens#@!” and “a coward” is the negative consequences such venting will have for U.S. diplomacy.
According to Goldberg, the anonymous officials chide Netanyahu for alleged cowardice on two specific issues: his willingness to preemptively strike Iranian nuclear facilities and to defy members of his electoral coalition, specifically on the issue of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. There are legitimate arguments to be made both for and against the Prime Minister’s policies on both topics, but the U.S. needs to look in a mirror before criticizing Israeli foreign policy. The officials quoted by Goldberg are either disingenuous or dishonest in their statements, and worse, potentially undermine future U.S. coalition-building efforts.