Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the newspapers editors committee that the Israel was not damaged by the WikiLeaks leaks. "I don’t think that Israel was damaged at all. According to the material that I saw, Israel is a free country in which what you say is what you get. Its problems in the region are supported by others, even if they don’t say so publically," he said.
"Today was a special day for the interface between the press and the media, leaders and diplomats. First of all, there is an effect on what happens in my profession, and therefore on your profession. You are a party at interest. You want scoops, and there's no question that you got pretty good material. There's no doubt that it's interesting to know what leaders say; it's spicy material. There's no doubt that this will give a living for some journalists for a long time, and provide a rich mine to dig.
"However, all in all, I don’t think that the long-term effect will be good for the coverage of diplomatic affairs. When diplomats are exposed, they limit their exposure, and it will be harder for US diplomats to put into their letters and cables what they used to write. Every Israeli leader who has experienced this knows that cables are something that leaks, and we've adapted our reality to this."
Netanyahu said that the exposure would cause leader not to say in private conversations what they really thought.
Asked about the substance of the documents, Netanyahu replied, "There's no gap between what we say in confidence and what we say in public. The great threat to world peace comes from Iran's armaments program. The most important thing is that more and more countries, governments, and leaders in the world recognize the threat. There's a gap between what is said behind closed doors and outside them, especially in our region. If, as a result of this, the world's leaders dare to say openly what they in secret - there will be a real breakthrough here. There's a key to regional peace here; when leaders are prepared to tell their peoples the truth, there's a chance for a real peace process."
Netanyahu added that restricted circles of advisors were not necessarily healthy, but that it was the result of leaks. "We know that transparency is necessary and essential, but there are fields, and diplomacy is one of them, where confidentiality must be preserved."
Asked about a new construction freeze in the West Bank, Netanyahu said, "We're in close contact with the US, out of a desire to move the peace process between us and the Palestinians forward. We're considering various options with regard to this matter."
Commenting on remarks made by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about him ("He has charm, but he doesn’t keep promises."), Netanyahu said, "I will respond as a charming leader should. I consider Mubarak a partner in the goal of peace and promoting regional stability. We have proved this in practice, in both word and deed, that we are taking measures to move this matter forward that were not acceptable to my cabinet."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on November 29, 2010
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2010