Muslim Brotherhood seeks to take over Middle East, says Dichter

Two former heads of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) joined the political fray this week, declaring their intention to battle for a spot in the next Knesset. Yaakov Peri was recently tapped by Yair Lapid to help him lead the Yesh Atid party, and Avi Dichter, who serves as homefront defense minister, announced he is joining the Likud and running for a spot on the ruling party's list.

Dichter, who comes to the Likud after fleeing Kadima, has a tough task ahead. He will have to gain a foothold in the party's central committee, where Jewish Leadership faction Moshe Feiglin and his supporters have solidified themselves as the dominant players. He will also be perceived as a newcomer who threatens the positions of veteran Likudniks with long-standing power bases.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Dichter, the former ISA director who was closely identified with the policy of targeted killings of terrorists, provides an in-depth glimpse into this new chapter in his life.

“Liquidations are my profession,” he says jokingly about so-called "liquidation lists" in political party primaries — before quickly turning serious again. “There may very well be hit lists in the central committee, but at the same time I assume there will be support lists as well. This is a new arena for me. I was happy to hear many people tell me that they weren’t surprised I chose to join Likud. It is the only party around today that genuinely defends the security interests of the State of Israel. The Likud is capable of bringing security stability alongside economic stability. I’ve noticed this for a while now, so the transition was quite easy and natural.”

Dichter says he left Kadima after the party "lost its way." He cites the Basic Law proposal stipulating that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, a bill that he submitted. Dichter enlisted the support of 40 members of Knesset, “but then Kadima chief [Tzipi Livni] tried to torpedo the proposal.”

“That was the biggest red light for me from an ideological standpoint,” he said.

Even after Shaul Mofaz supplanted Livni, Dichter said he still felt that the party had not changed, and that it was immersed in its own affairs. “I didn’t come [to Kadima] to become preoccupied with my own affairs or those of the party,” he said. “I came to get involved in the affairs of the state. So I just said to myself, ‘That’s it.’”

The homefront defense minister had no intention of crashing and burning with Kadima. “It doesn’t matter who leads the party,” he said emphatically. “Kadima has run its political course.”

Some political observers and commentators speculate that Dichter was also considered by Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich, who would like to add a big-name acquisition with an extensive security background. “You can’t connect people to one another as if they are nuts and bolts,” he said. “You have to take a person with a certain ideology and install him into an appropriate place. I am on good terms with everyone, including Ehud Barak, Avigdor Lieberman, Shelly Yachimovich, and even Zehava Gal-On. But making a political move is not about finding an open spot, but a place that is in synch with my ideology.”

Dichter rejects suggestions he was invited into the government only after he was asked about his opinion on a possible Israeli strike on Iran. “There was never any stipulation as to what position I should take,” he said. “My position is clear, and I said all that I am permitted to say publicly. I also said what needed to be said behind closed doors.”

Dichter is disapproving over the way the Iran issue has been discussed in the press. “The Iran question is far more complex than the nuclear issue alone,” he said. “Iran poses a regional threat, not just a threat to us. The threat is also aimed at Egypt and Saudi Arabia, who are no less disturbed by what is going on in Iran. Once Iran possesses a nuclear weapon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia will also seek to get a hold of one.”

When asked about the needed American assistance for a mission against Iran, Dichter said: “The picture is very clear to the Americans. The question is how badly they will want to enlist in the effort, how far they will go. It’s very hard to know. We have the capabilities of a state. But the U.S. has the capabilities of a superpower. We need to remember this day in and day out, and the prime minister is well-versed in the facts, more so than I am.”

Dichter leaves no room for doubt — Israel needs American assistance. “Iran is a regional Muslim power from both a military standpoint as well as from the standpoint of its scientific and technological capabilities,” he said. “Iran’s development capabilities are not insignificant.”

Wanting to assuage fears, Dichter claims that despite the drone that it sent over Israel, Hezbollah is more limited in its capabilities than it was in the past. Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has lost fighters who, on Iran’s orders, have been sent to fight in the killing fields in Syria.

“Of the 1.5 billion Muslims on earth, 90 percent are Sunnis,” he said. “Hezbollah is fighting Sunnis in Syria, and it is being tarred with the brush of murderers. Plus, since Lebanon is a country with a Christian and Sunni majority, it is in a very difficult bind. It’s a problem that it is well aware of.”

Dichter has no illusions about Hezbollah’s aims, nor does he underestimate its ability to do damage to Israel. “They learned a thing or two during the Second Lebanon War,” he said. Still, while the organization often brags about dealing a mortal blow to Israel, the Lebanese are well aware of what the Israeli response to this would entail.

“In a very short period of time, Israel has the ability to send Lebanon back into the Stone Age,” he said. Lebanon would simply be no match for Israel’s firepower. Nonetheless, the homeland defense minister knows that Hezbollah’s predicament will compel the group to try to involve Israel in the regional mayhem.

With Syria’s military coming apart at the seams, “the use of unconventional weapons turns into a very dangerous threat,” he said, before adding unequivocally: “Israel’s response against those who use unconventional weapons against it will be extremely harsh. They know this in Hezbollah, in Lebanon, and in Syria.”

One threat that still needs to be closely examined is the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which Dichter credits for consolidating control over a state that is much larger than a rump entity. “Compared to the rest of the Arab world, they have a mega-state with a mega-army,” he said.

“The Muslim Brotherhood worldview is devoid of states and borders. Their worldview revolves around one large Islamic caliphate that encompasses all of the Arab countries in the area. I wouldn’t be surprised if they identify the opportunity and exploit it to take control of Syria. They are beginning to solidify their base of power in Saudi Arabia, and they want to take over the wealthy states in the Persian Gulf.”

Dichter knows that the Muslim Brotherhood’s ascendancy is a long-term process that will ultimately be achieved by suppressing democracy. “At the moment, they will continue to maintain contact with the West, and they don’t want to lose American aid, so they will remain obligated to the peace agreements with Israel,” he said. “Still, one needs to know how to read the map. The Muslim Brotherhood is not just another political party in the Arab world.”

Other neighbors who pose a threat and who also enjoy links to the Muslim Brotherhood are the Palestinians. Dichter knows that any future agreement with the Palestinians would have to address Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.

“It is impossible to split this problem in two,” he said. “We cannot allow a situation whereby a Hamas-run entity with military capabilities is allowed to arise between us and Egypt. Hamas is the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and this is a very problematic characterization from our point of view.”

Security threats are not the only problem that keep Dichter awake at nights. The minister is in full preparation mode for the large-scale earthquake drill next week, which will simulate a disaster in which 70,000 people are injured, 7,000 are killed, and 170,000 are left homeless.

“We are used to extreme events, but they have been localized and pinpointed, like a terrorist attack or the Versailles wedding hall disaster, or a war,” he said. “Here, though, we are dealing with a catastrophic scenario whose scope is forecast by geologists and seismologists.”

Dichter believes the prevalent culture of vigilance in Israel will make the difference at the moment of truth. “In the last 10 years, over 11,000 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza, killing 20 people,” he said. “This is a painful number, but you have to question, ‘How is it that 11,000 rockets haven't claimed more casualties-’ The main reason is the deeply rooted and highly developed culture of vigilance where people immediately know to enter bombproof shelters.”

Dichter is intimately familiar with this situation. A resident of Ashkelon, he saw a neighboring home, just 40 meters from his, hit. Now, despite the election season, he wants to promote the provision of bombproof rooms to all schools within a 40-kilometer radius of the Gaza Strip. He knows, however, that the high cost, half-a-billion shekels, will have to be partially covered by private donors, particularly due to cuts in the state budget.

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