The Israeli press reported Wednesday that Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was harshly criticized by his cabinet colleagues for rushing to the press Tuesday to announce the failure of CIA chief George Tenet’s peace mission.
Ministers claimed that Ben-Eliezer identified himself to the press as a "senior security source" and said Tenet failed due to the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s rejection of his plan.
But as the US denied the reports as a “misinterpretation,” and Tenet himself called the US State Department, telling them that the Israelis had misunderstood him.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Tenet struck a ceasefire deal in the early hours of Wednesday, rendering Israeli predictions “ridiculous,” according to the cabinet ministers.
Sources say that Ben-Eliezer "ran to the media" in order to strengthen his position for the next Labor Party primaries, especially since he lags in polls behind the leading candidate, Knesset speaker Avraham Burg.
The sources mention two other "leaks" by Ben-Eliezer in recent weeks. The first was when he told the media about the capture of a boat carrying smuggled weapons to Palestinians.
Security sources say he harmed the investigation into the issue by leaking the information prematurely.
The second was his comment last week that Arafat had finished his historical role.
Obsevers said that such a remark could be interpreted by the world as Israeli interference in internal Palestinian leadership issues. It was also seen as a hint that Israel might consider eliminating Arafat, who is recognized internationally as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people – Albawaba.com
