An unprecedented clash erupted on Wednesday between the top echelons of the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency after IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz sent a scathing letter to the prime minister, the defense minister and the head of the Shin Bet, disputing Shin Bet Director Yoram Cohen's claim that his agency cautioned the IDF before the outbreak of this summer's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and that the IDF did not heed the warning. The angry letter came in response to a television program that aired earlier this week, alleging that the Shin Bet had cautioned the IDF that Hamas was preparing for a summer confrontation as early as January of this year. But the clash between the army and the security agency did not begin with the broadcast of the show. In fact, it began at a cabinet meeting immediately following the operation at the end of August, in which the director of the Shin Bet asserted that he warned the IDF in January and then-director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi said that no such warning was ever made. On Thursday morning, however, the Shin Bet clarified in a statement that the "Shin Bet never claimed that they specifically warned of a war with Hamas in July," Channel 2 news reported. According to the clarification, the Shin Bet "pointed to Hamas training and preparing for a possible confrontation with Israel. ... Starting at the end of April, in light of new information, the Shin Bet issued a warning that Hamas was planning a large terror attack that could lead to a war." "The moment the intelligence regarding a terror attack was fielded, the IDF and the Shin Bet took every operational and intelligence precaution to thwart it," the statement said. "The preparations were made in full cooperation between the IDF and the Shin Bet." In any case, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could not ignore the war of words and convened an emergency meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Gantz and Cohen at his home in Jerusalem. He instructed them to immediately "stop airing out in public issues that should be ironed out between security officials only." "We all share a national responsibility for the security of the State of Israel, and we have to continue our full cooperation for the sake of the citizens of Israel," the prime minister added. Earlier, the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee sent an urgent letter to Netanyahu asking to "immediately calm the tensions between the IDF and the Shin Bet." The committee, by way of its various subcommittees, has been addressing these tensions for weeks and has even met with all the involved parties on the matter. The television program that sparked this war of words featured a senior Shin Bet official, whose name was withheld, who said, "There was not a single person who was not aware of the threat and the events. I know that the director of the [Shin Bet] agency told everyone who needed to be told." IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Motti Almoz, who also appeared on the show, categorically denied the assertion that the IDF was given advance warning in January about a coming war in July. Ya'alon, the direct superior of the IDF chief of staff, said Wednesday that he supports Gantz's position in the debate and demanded clarification from the Shin Bet. But Ya'alon's vote of confidence failed to quench the rage shared by the IDF top brass. One IDF official bluntly accused the Shin Bet official who was interviewed on the show of lying. "This is a senior official who is lying. Even the prime minister said on the show that there was no warning." "If they issued a warning and the IDF ignored it, that is very serious, because there is an unwritten contract between the public and the IDF," the official said. "Why didn't they do something? Because no such warning was given. It is a lie. There is Shin Bet document dated from January that states that there will be no war. It is a very serious matter. I have gone over all the intelligence material. The warning from January is a fairy tale." "What happens to an agency that is accustomed to lying and doesn't know how to retract a lie? It gets in trouble. We stick to the truth. In the IDF, we insist on the truth and the public's trust. This is a dirty and disgusting incident. First, the truth needs to come out, then we will iron out our issues with the Shin Bet. They are lying and you don't solve a lie with a lie. I recommend that the Shin Bet change its motto from 'magen velo yeraeh' [unseen shield] to 'truth before action,'" the official said. Another security official, who supports the Shin Bet's stance, tried to calm the tensions on Wednesday by saying that "at no point were there warnings of a coming war in January. There was information that Hamas had begun training, but the information did not lead to a warning. That is very common, just like with every other piece of information received. The reliability and seriousness of the information did not warrant an official warning of war. In April, that changed, and then a warning came out the Hamas was preparing for a massive attack that could lead to war." Referring to Gantz's letter, the official said that "the IDF chief of staff issued a letter indicating that the IDF was angry about the fact that Shin Bet officials gave television interviews. Did anyone from the Shin Bet criticize the IDF? Not at all. On the contrary, they gave a lot of examples of cooperation with the IDF." Officially, the Shin Bet declined to comment on the matter. The Shin Bet crossed every ethical and moral line In his letter to the prime minister, Gantz wrote: "On the television program 'Uvda,' Shin Bet members crossed every moral and ethical line. This is a manifestation of the deep-seated lack of camaraderie between the organizations, and to me represents the crossing of a red line. The show presented one-sided information that created a false impression that the Shin Bet is the only intelligence agency operating in Gaza, and that it is the only agency that did its job properly, while all the rest -- Military Intelligence, the IDF and the political echelon -- froze. "I forcefully declare that the Shin Bet never gave warning and never explicitly warned of its own accord that Hamas would wage war in July. Never, in no meeting I headed, was the topic of war or potential battle raised. There certainly wasn't any talk of a coming war in the beginning of 2014, not in the military or the political echelons. "The Shin Bet's collusion with the television program, which consistently aggrandizes the agency while slinging mud at the government, is an ethical and moral break. "The IDF was accused of failing to take action despite receiving information from the Shin Bet, and I find it necessary to voice my sharp objection to this conduct. This media incident must be investigated thoroughly. "I am deeply saddened. I didn't think we would get to this point, but enough is enough. In my opinion, the very exposure of the Shin Bet as an intelligence agency -- the exposure of information that its members gathered and of the methods it used, is unprecedented and dangerous, and it is not clear who approved this outrageous exposure."
