Ben-Israel: Barak the worst defense minister ever

Kadima MK says Barak's guideline is "sit and do nothing;" says Barak opposed Sept. 6 strike in Syria.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Barak 224 88 (photo credit: AP [file])
Barak 224 88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Defense Minister Ehud Barak "was bold until the day he failed as prime minister, and then he lost his political courage," Kadima MK Isaac Ben-Israel, a retired major-general, said on Saturday. Addressing a cultural event in Beersheba, Ben-Israel lashed out at Barak on a plethora of issues, including the September 6, 2007, strike on a suspected nuclear plant in Syria and IDF operations against terrorists. "I do not know of a worse defense minister than Barak," he said. "The guideline he follows is 'sit and do nothing.' "No politician has ever paid for not going to war," Ben-Israel said, referring to the limited IDF activity against terrorists in the Gaza Strip and Hizbullah's reemergence on the northern border. Barak "even opposed the strike on September 6" last year, he said. Turning to Iran, Ben-Israel said the Islamic Republic was facing some difficulties and was still at least a year, or even two, from acquiring a nuclear bomb. Israel might eventually come to the difficult conclusion that it had to attack Iran on its own, he said. Ben-Israel said this was within Israel's military capabilities. There was no immediate response from Barak's office.