Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) and former Mossad chief Meir Dagan confronted one another at the first annual Jerusalem Post Conference, which was held in New York on Sunday at the Marriott Hotel in Times Square. At the conference, which hosted senior Israeli political and defense personalities, Erdan and Dagan clashed over statements made by former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) head Yuval Diskin and a law proposed in the Knesset, called the "Dagan Law," which would place limitations on what former defense and security-related officials can say in public. In Israel, at an open forum in the central city of Kfar Saba on Saturday, Diskin said, "I have no confidence in the present leadership, which may lead us to an event on the scale of a war with Iran or a regional war. The present leadership is messianic. Our two messiahs, one from Caesarea and the other from Akirov Towers [referring to Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyahu who has a home in Caesarea and Defense Minister Ehud Barak who owned a home in Tel Aviv's luxury towers] are unfit to hold the reins of power." Speaking in New York, Dagan supported Diskin, saying, "Yuval is a serious-minded and talented person who has a lot of experience in handling terrorism. I believe he spoke from the depths of his heart, spoke his truth and presented his position in a clear and precise way. He has never kept his opinion to himself." Erdan opposed Diskin's statements and shot back, "I am surprised that a person like Diskin did not quit his job while he was in office. He waited five years and only then, when he didn't earn the appointment he wanted, decided to start expressing himself." Dagan shouted back at Erdan, "You are lying," and, addressing the proposed Dagan Law, said, "It's like in Germany. You know how it begins, but no one knows how it will end," to which Erdan replied, "I hope I misunderstood what you just said about Germany." Erdan later told the media, "These people held defense-related offices and are now causing damage to Israel. Dagan's statements are serious, and I hope he apologizes for saying them. He used poor language. We have to ask how this person could have held such a senior post. There is a political argument, but the fact that someone with a security background says something does not make what he said holy. They are damaging Israel's efforts to unite the international community." Dagan spoke about Iran during the Jerusalem Post conference, saying, "[Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad is not responsible, he is just the executor. The person responsible for their policies is [Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei. An attack [on Iran] would solve all of their internal problems and everyone will rally behind the regime. An attack would provide them with the best excuse to develop nuclear weapons." Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who also attended the conference, joined the panel members who opposed the current government's policies. Olmert refused to comment on Diskin's statements but said "I am familiar with the heads of the security establishment. Some worked with me and they are not necessarily enemies of Israel. We have to ask what is going on when all former security-related leaders suddenly have the same opinion. As long as they were in office, they were our heroes, and now they are enemies of Israel? If they say the military option should be our last option, they are said to be politically motivated. But perhaps they simply have a different opinion-" Concerning U.S.-Israel relations, Olmert said, "If we can maintain good relations with the U.S. president, that is not a bad thing. It's better to respect him than to fight him." According to the former prime minister, public revelations of arguments between the U.S. and Israel "are not the best strategy. We must make sure we remain the best friend of any U.S. president. If someone does not understand that, perhaps he is making a mistake." Olmert added, "Every Israeli understands that a nuclear Iran poses an existential threat. The problem, however, must be handled by the international community, under the leadership of the U.S., which has the power and influence to deal with it. They are willing to help, but they will not take orders." Commenting on the comparison by some people between Iran and the Nazi regime, Olmert said, "Why do we speak from a position of fear, rather than from a position of strength and determination? Why do we constantly need to remind everyone what should never be permitted to happen again-" "No country in the world is totally independent. We must be prepared to defend ourselves, but we should first speak quietly with our allies," Olmert said. Concerning the stalled peace process and the issue of Jerusalem, Olmert said, "Every Jew believes that Jerusalem must remain undivided. But is Abu Dis [a Palestinian neighborhood] a part of Jerusalem? The Palestinians did not reject my plans for peace. When I offered [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas a deal, my senior ministers told him to refuse the offers." At this point, Olmert's statements brought about heckles from the audience, but the former prime minister confronted those who taunted him, saying, "I like it when people who live thousands of miles from Israel demand that we take huge risks." Erdan, who took the stage after Olmert, took aim at many of the former prime minister's statements. "What Olmert did not say was that it was he who offered to divide the holy sites of Jerusalem but it still wasn't enough for the Palestinians," he said. Former Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi surprised the audience when he expressed his support for the current government and its handling of the Iranian issue. "It's better to convince our friends in the world that Iran poses a global threat, and I think the government has done a good job with this. Israel must be able to deal with this threat on its own," Ashkenazi said.
