Just a snag, nothing more

Israel, through its official channels, has done well to sidestep directly addressing allegations that U.S. President Donald Trump divulged classified intelligence to Russia's foreign minister. Discussing the matter could spark an unnecessary crisis on the eve of Trump's visit to Israel next week, and no less alarmingly, it could exacerbate the potential intelligence damage already caused.

It is safe to assume that Israel has discreetly expressed its displeasure to Washington over the fact that such intimate, sensitive information was spilled and clumsily handed over to a player whose interests do not always coincide with those of the U.S. and Israel. While Trump says he wanted to prod the Russians into increasing their military effort against ISIS, the potential damage -- caused by leaking information, sources and methods -- does not justify his course of action, certainly not when we recall the double and triple game Russia is playing in the region.

Trump is not the first president to "launder" sensitive information without consulting first, but now the Israeli defense establishment finds itself caught off guard. The real issue has nothing to do with the resulting awkwardness, which has undoubtedly been caused, but with the intelligence itself: Was damage done? And if so, was the ability to continue gathering intelligence on ISIS compromised-

Israel is a main player when it comes to gathering intelligence on ISIS, along with Jordan. In the past, reports suggested that the Mossad helped thwart terrorist attacks in Europe. We can surmise that the information in question was relayed for the same reason -- to help the U.S. fight terror. The Russians -- who have already lost a civilian airliner in an ISIS terror attack in Sinai -- would likely also have an interest in such information. However, considering the suspicion they elicit, the only proper way to handle the situation would have been to share concerns, not raw intelligence.

Israel will surely want to know exactly what Trump told Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, as it performs a more precise damage and risk assessment of the situation. In the future, suffice it to say that Israel will attach an explicit "warning label" to such information to ensure that it is kept under wraps.

At the same time, though, we can presume this affair is behind us and that contrary to reports, Israel will not revoke or even pause its intimate intelligence sharing and operational cooperation with the Americans.

Case in point, Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi, head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, is currently in the U.S. capital on a previously planned work visit, which in all likelihood will also touch on the recent commotion.

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