From: davidba@carmel.technion.ac.il (David Ben_Ami)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: MEQ #10: Shamir in the Mossad
Date: 15 Oct 92 10:50:06 GMT
Organization: Technion, Israel Inst. of Technology

In article <1992Oct13.082123.28578@cs.anu.edu.au> bdm@cs.anu.edu.au writes:
>
>      MEQ #10. Extract from a documentary on Yitzak Shamir.
>
>
>   [Referring to Shamir's period as a Mossad agent in Europe.]
>   Eldar [Note 1]: Shamir in Europe, in Paris, was the Shamir of
>   Ben Gurion, not(?) the trouble-maker in Israel.  He was the number-one
>   Israeli spy in Europe.
>   Interviewer: Again, he was in charge of operations?
>   Eldar: Of course, all secret operations in Europe, like getting rid of
>   Arabs, that should be Palestinian, terrorists, and securing Israeli
>   positions(?) all over Europe.

I guess that you think that Eldar's Information is objective. Well, I
can hardly think of a more fervent Shamir-baiter than this fellow. (Well
maybe Amnon Abramovitz and Tom Segev can qualify). It is like getting
a review of the CIA operations from a Pravda columnist in the old days. 

>   Harel [Note 2]: He was very discreet.  He was very loyal.  He carried
>   out his given tasks exactly.  He never deviated from that.

This does not seem a denigrating view at all. 

>   Eldar: Shamir is the type of person that can wait for hours or days
>   until he shoots.  He is very patient and he won't shoot until he is
>   sure he is going to hit his target, and he won't miss, and I think
>   that this is his quality these days. [Note 3]

Evidence indeed: even not hearsay, but an obvious metaphor. 

>   [Referring to the coming Madrid conference:]
>   Eldar: When it will come to give up territories he will give up his
>   position first.  Because that's a change that he cannot afford.  He
>   will perhaps go and attend the peace conference and even start some
>   kind of bilateral negotiations with the Arabs, waiting for them to
>   make the mistake.
>   XX [Note 4]: He's not going to budge one inch.  He will conduct
>   negotiations for 25 years if necessary.

Again, nothing too amazing here - conventonal left-wing stance.
What's new here?

I thought that the point of these quotes are to bring the closest to 
the "ground" people. (e.g. eye-witnesses, decision-makers etc.)

Here you bring one of the most garden-variety analyses of Shamir's 
negotiations tactic from a vowed opposition journalist who throws
around speculations. He is not remotely close to Shamir so his
observations on Shamir's intention is almost as good as ours.

>
>   Source: Rebroadcast on Australian Special Broadcasting Service of
>   part of a documentary from KRO TV (Netherlands).  Nov 9, 1991.
>   The interviews were in English, including the grammatical errors.
>   Note 1: Akiva Eldar is a political correspondent for the Israeli
>           newspaper Ha'aretz.
>   Note 2: Isser Harel was the head of Mossad at the time Shamir
>           was recruited (1955).
>   Note 3: This is the only suggestion I know of that Shamir conducted
>           assassinations personally.  The most authoritative open
>           source on Mossad history, Black and Morris's "Israel's
>           Secret Wars" (Futura, 1991) says that Shamir organised
>           assassinations but recruited other former Lehi members
>           for the actual 'low-grade' work (p196).

The suggestion is so weak that it is almost laughable.

>   Note 4: XX is another interviewee who was not identified by SBS.
>
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Middle East Quotes is an occasional series of quotations on Middle
>East history.  The editor does not necessarily approve of the sentiments
>expressed in quotes, nor will he necessarily join in any discussion
>they engender.  Contributions are welcome but will not necessarily be
>accepted.  Full sources are essential.      Brendan McKay.
>


-- 
=============================================================================
  David Ben-Ami (irc: bigdav)      |   "I can resist anything but Temptation"
  s2780369@Techst02.Technion.Ac.Il |       Oscar Wilde
  davidba@Carmel.Technion.Ac.Il  davidba@Moav.Techniona.Ac.Il