Netanyahu bars Mossad chief from briefing about ISIS threat

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has barred Mossad chief Tamir Pardo from briefing Zionist Union Knesset members on the threat posed to Israel by Islamic state militants (ISIS), Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Monday.

Following the latest ISIS attacks in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, including rockets launched from Sinai towards Israel, and along with the remarks of former CIA Director David Petraeus that ISIS is more dangerous than Iran, the head of Israel’s Zionist Union Merav Michaeli applied for a briefing by Pardo on the ISIS threat.

Haaretz said that Michaeli applied for a short briefing about the ISIS threat in Sinai, noting that Pardo had accepted her application on condition of Netanyahu’s approval.

Michaeli discussed the issue with one of Netanyahu’s aides, who told her that the PM’s approval would be a “problematic precedent” as every other Knesset bloc would be applying for such briefing from Mossad.

As part of her protest against Netanyahu’s disapproval, Michaeli said that her Union is part of the opposition and a member of the foreign affairs committee in the Knesset. She also said that Netanyahu had approved such a briefing by Pardo to be delivered to the heads of big companies.

Pardo spoke to businessmen in July 2014 and told them that the conflict with the Palestinians is more dangerous to Israel than the alleged Iranian nuclear programme.