Barak praises next head of Mossad Tamir Pardo

Barak: Dagan's replacement is an "expert in the field with a very rich experience from the past," participated in many joint missions.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, HERB KEINON, YAAKOV KATZ, J
barak thumbs up 311 (photo credit: GPO)
barak thumbs up 311
(photo credit: GPO)
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday praised the incoming head of the Mossad and said he has known Tamir Pardo for years from many past missions they participated in together.
The Prime Minister's Office announced the appointment earlier Monday afternoon. Pardo is a long term veteran of the Mossad, and was outgoing Mossad chief Meir Dagan's deputy.
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In a telephone conversation, Barak said Pardo is an "expert in the field with a very rich experience from the past, with a responsible, reasoned mind, who is very suitable and fitting for the position of head of the Mossad."
"I also want to congratulate the outgoing head of the Mossad, Meir Dagan, for eight very successful years in the position, in which he led the Mossad to extraordinary achievements," the defense minister added. "The state of Israel and its citizens owe many thanks to Meir Dagan, even though there is no way to share the background of those achievements with everyone."
Barak also said that the change of generations in leadership in intelligence agencies and the state's implementation are a "drug of life" for maintaining operational quality and striving for high achievements. 
In announcing the appointment Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Pardo has dozens of years of experience and he is sure that he is the right man to lead the organization in the years ahead in the face of the "complex challenges" facing Israel.
In a statement put out by the PMO, Netanyahu expressed his deep appreciation to Dagan for his contribution to Israel's security, and was certain he would continue to contribute in the future as well.
Ariel Sharon, at the time the prime minister, tasked Dagan with restructuring the agency after a slew of mishaps and several years of reported operational paralysis.
Dagan completely changed the way the Mossad operated from the days under his predecessor Ephraim Halevy. He also turned the Mossad’s attention to two main objectives: preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and waging a covert shadow war against the axis of evil that is made up of Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.
The two leading candidates who lost out on the role were head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Yuval Diskin and T., one of Dagan’s former deputies who left the Mossad recently. During the Second Lebanon War, T. opened an office in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv and worked closely with head of the Operations Directorate at the time, Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.
Other candidates in the running were the head of Tzomet, the Mossad branch that directs its worldwide network of agents, the head of the Tevel Branch, which is responsible for the Mossad’s ties with foreign intelligence agencies, as well as Maj.- Gen. Amos Yadlin, who stepped down last week as head of Military Intelligence.
Former heads of the Mossad pushed Netanyahu to appoint someone from within the Mossad to the post and not to bring in another outsider like Dagan.
“Dagan was a huge success,” one former top Mossad official said. “But there is importance in also establishing leadership within the organization and this can be done by appointing a director from within the current ranks.”
Barak is said to have opposed the appointment of T., who apparently knew about the “Galant Document” before it was leaked to the press by his friend Col. (res.) Gabi Siboni. Some say that Barak would prefer appointing Yadlin to the post.