The Americans were left humiliated twice in one day. Once when Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin declared that Iran was close to deciding whether to manufacture an atomic bomb; then when Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, who heads the Military Intelligence research division, stated that Israel believes Syrias Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against his enemies. U.S. President Barack Obama has stated that the use of chemical weapons is a red line which Washington will not allow to be crossed. Well, here it is. Secretary of State John Kerry claimed he was told by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the premier did not officially sign off on Bruns statements. The wire agencies reported Kerrys statements. This gave Washington an alibi not to take action. Something is terribly wrong here. If Brun uttered something in public that was inaccurate, then he should be summoned for censure due to the embarrassment that he caused Israels ally, who this week completed a shipment of sophisticated weaponry to us. If Brun acted properly, then it is inconceivable for the prime minister to silence him. Netanyahu has eroded Bruns credibility through no fault of the officer. Indeed, if Brun is correct, then he was doing the job he was assigned. Somewhere at the top, from the prime minister on down, efforts should be made to avoid such instances.
