Barak: 'Wikileaks incident has not damaged Israel'
Defense minister claims contents of US State Department cables weren't unknown, says documents "show a more accurate view of reality."
By JPOST.COM STAFFbarak_311(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Defense Minister Ehud Barak commented on the Wikileaks incident on Tuesday, while visiting a weapons factory in Ramat Hasharon."I think that diplomacy will look different after today," Barak said. "People, diplomats, in every corner of the world will be much more careful when they talk, and I assume not only with the Americans. This will make the diplomacy more shallow," he explained.RELATED:Editorial: The WikiLeaks effectWikileaks founder: 'Obama stifles freedom of the press'Rice, State Dept. sought info on Palestinian leaders"This is currently a source of great curiosity in the world," the defense minister added. "I don't think it damaged Israel. There isn't a big difference, in my opinion, between what you read in Wikileaks and what we've all heard in briefings, even if they were off the record.""Interesting things have been revealed about the Arab world's stance on Iran," Barak said. "Information that comes from closed rooms, that isn't meant to be published, show a more accurate view of reality."Barak was featured prominently in a number of diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks, including one in which he recalled offering Egypt and Fatah to assume control of Gaza after Israel defeats Hamas in Operation Cast Lead. In another document, Barak said that the West's lack of a firm response to North Korea encourages Iran.The defense minister's Tuesday comments echoed statements made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday, that the leaks would make it considerably more difficult for both diplomats and journalists to do their jobs.Click here for full Jpost coverage of the latest Wikileaks
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