The controversy over a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian officials, which grew Tuesday to engulf Israel, will not harm intelligence sharing between Washington and Jerusalem and is unlikely to negatively affect the president’s upcoming visit to the country, according to a top former Israeli…
The controversy over a meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian officials, which grew Tuesday to engulf Israel, will not harm intelligence sharing between Washington and Jerusalem and is unlikely to negatively affect the president’s upcoming visit to the country, according to a top former Israeli intelligence official.
A range of Israeli officials said this week that the incident would not result in a deterioration of U. S.-Israeli security cooperation. Multiple news outlets reported that Trump divulged Israeli intelligence about an ISIS plot, prompting further reports that the controversy might damage intelligence sharing between the two countries. Trump is slated to make his first official visit to the Jewish State early next week.
« Cooperation between the two organizations is so solid that I don’t believe that such an event will cause any big damage, » said Amnon Sofrin, the former head of the Mossad intelligence directorate, during a call hosted by The Israel Project. « It may cause a small damage or a local one, but not a disaster. »
He stressed that it remained unclear exactly what was said during the meeting.
« We don’t know what has transpired between President Trump and Secretary of State of the Russian Federation Mr. Lavrov, so we don’t know what kind of information was transferred, » Sofrin said.
The incident is unlikely to affect Trump’s upcoming trip, he added.
Sofrin’s comments echoed those of current Israeli officials who have spoken out publicly in the wake of the incident.
« This relationship w/ the US is unprecedented in its contribution to our strength, » Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman tweeted . « This is how it has been & how it will continue to be. »
Lieberman described the security relationship between the two countries as « deep, significant & unprecedented in volume. »
Yisrael Katz, the Israeli intelligence minister, also said he was certain that the U. S. and Israel would maintain their intimate intelligence relationship.
« Intelligence cooperation between Israel and the United States regarding the threats posed by Iran and its proxies and ISIS and its affiliates will continue and deepen, » he said, according to the Associated Press.
Israeli officials have not confirmed that they were the source of the information.
National security adviser H. R. McMaster said Tuesday that the president’s conversation with the Russian officials was « wholly appropriate » and that Trump was not briefed on the source of information.
