Israeli President Shimon Peres is under heavy criticism for undercutting the Israeli government’s stance on Iran.
Peres has staked out a position that is counter to the stance of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s. Furthermore, in closed conversations he has reportedly accused Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak of “terrible irresponsibility” on the Iran issue.
MK Moshe Matalon of Yisrael Beiteinu was clear about how he feels about Peres stepping over the line.
“The honorable president has apparently also been sucked into this unnecessary argument that is damaging for the state of Israel,” he said. “As a former prime minister and defense minister, and a person who was privy to spectacular operations that were also controversial and were decided by the political tier, the president needs to show the proper sensitivity. In a democracy and a parliamentary regime, the authority and responsibility rest with the executive branch and its head, the prime minister. For this reason, the president should demand that the flames of this searing debate be lowered.”
In addition, two Israeli news outlets quoted those close to Netanyahu as saying that “Peres forgot what the role of a president in the state of Israel is,” pointing also to Peres’ involvement in the disastrous Oslo Accord and his support for the 2005 Gaza Disengagement.
{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}
And when he was PM, the right-wing didn’t constantly criticize his policies and actions? Come on, the whole Iran thing has gotten hopelessly tangled up with election politics in Israel. Why criticize Mr. Peres for what the right wing would also do if the roles were reversed?
It is largely because of Shimon Peres that Israel has the nuclear weapons to deter any nuclear attack from any sane power.