Israel Matzav: Foreign Ministry bureaucrats seething at Lieberman's house cleaning

Foreign Ministry bureaucrats seething at Lieberman's house cleaning

The Leftist careerists at Israel's Foreign Ministry are seething at Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for 'suspending' a top foreign ministry official for leaking confidential information to the media.

Lieberman, in an interview published Wednesday in the Russian-language newspaper Vesti, said that the ministry's deputy director general for strategic affairs, Alon Bar, was suspended after the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) found him responsible for a leak that Lieberman said had "created tension" with the US.

He mentioned neither the subject of the alleged leak, nor where it appeared.

The Strategic Affairs department is focused primarily on Iran and on non-proliferation issues.

Why would a 'top foreign ministry official' do something so foolish? Here's a clue:

In the Vesti interview, Lieberman said Bar, who he characterized as "one of our brilliant diplomats," could no longer serve in "such an important position."

Prior to this position, Bar - considered a talented young diplomat with a bright future - served as former minister Tzipi Livni's diplomatic adviser.

As I have noted previously, the foreign ministry's bureaucracy is rife with Leftists who are holdovers from the reigns of Shimon Peres, Shlomo Ben Ami, Sylvan Shalom (before he realized that a Left-leaner has no chance of advancing in the Likud) and Tzipi Livni. The last time we had a Foreign Minister who leaned anywhere near as Rightward as Lieberman was when David Levy was Foreign Minister under Yitzchak Shamir (1990-92).

Lieberman is trying to remake Israel's foreign policy. Any foreign ministry employee who insists on promoting the views of the previous government is going to find him or herself suspended and on the street. There won't be any incidents like this one under Lieberman. It's about time.

Israel Matzav: Foreign Ministry bureaucrats seething at Lieberman's house cleaning