Former head of Mossad Efraim Halevy has called Israel’s refusal to recognise the results of the 2006 Palestinian elections, in which Hamas emerged victorious, a “major mistake.”
Halevy made the remarks on Thursday, but they were first published by Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz on Sunday.
Addressing the 2006 poll for the Palestinian Legislative Council, Halevy – who served for decades in various positions within Mossad and as director from 1998-2002 – stated that “[Israel] should have recognised the democratically achieved result in the election, which we did not do.”
This was a “major mistake”, according to Halevy, because it resulted in the Palestinian political arena becoming “a failed system.” Halevy additionally urged Israel to end its opposition to a Palestinian government “in which Hamas participates”, a policy he also described as a “mistake.”