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1. Cabinet Hammers Nail in Migron’s Future at Present Site
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Cabinet Sunday approved a nearby temporary housing site for residents of Migron, over whose heads hangs an expulsion order.
Nationalist Knesset Members in the coalition have insisted that Migron must remain in its current location, and the High Court has rejected a government petition to defer the scheduled expulsion beyond a July 15 deadline.
The unanimous vote by the Cabinet approved a temporary housing site on Givat HaYekev in Kochav Yaakov, located in central Samaria. This was part of an agreement negotiated between the residents and the government as a site for the town if the present location is proven to be Arab owned.
The Cabinet also approved the preparation of ground for an alternative site in the community of Adam in the event that Givat HaYekev cannot be made ready according to the timetable set by the court.
Nationalist legislators still are hoping to be able to pass a law that would allow the residents to remain in their homes, built on land that the High Court ruled, in a petition by Peace Now, belongs to Arabs, even though no proof has been submitted of their ownership. The status of the land is unclear and the residents were hoping to remain in their present homes until that is decided in the lower courts - and that even if the decision is against their claims, that they could stay in their present homes until the new ones are built.
Migron may well be the sacrificial lamb of the Netanyahu government, which last week moved to legalize three other communities in Judea and Samaria that previously has been approved by Israeli governments but which lacked legal status.
Likud Central Committee members from Judea and Samaria responded to the Cabinet decision Sunday with a statement saying, “We praise the government for deciding to establish a site for temporary housing…and preventing expulsions that we witnessed in the days of Gush Katif [in the expulsions of Jews from Gaza of 2005] and Amona, when soldiers and police used cruel violence to expel Jews from their homes.
"The time has come for an all-inclusive and just solution to the problems of buildings in Judea and Samaria instead for acting like firefighters putting out fires. It is clear to everyone that sooner or later the government will take sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, so why wait?”
Judea and Samaria is under the jurisdiction of the military and decisions by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
The Cabinet Sunday approved a nearby temporary housing site for residents of Migron, over whose heads hangs an expulsion order.
Nationalist Knesset Members in the coalition have insisted that Migron must remain in its current location, and the High Court has rejected a government petition to defer the scheduled expulsion beyond a July 15 deadline.
The unanimous vote by the Cabinet approved a temporary housing site on Givat HaYekev in Kochav Yaakov, located in central Samaria. This was part of an agreement negotiated between the residents and the government as a site for the town if the present location is proven to be Arab owned.
The Cabinet also approved the preparation of ground for an alternative site in the community of Adam in the event that Givat HaYekev cannot be made ready according to the timetable set by the court.
Nationalist legislators still are hoping to be able to pass a law that would allow the residents to remain in their homes, built on land that the High Court ruled, in a petition by Peace Now, belongs to Arabs, even though no proof has been submitted of their ownership. The status of the land is unclear and the residents were hoping to remain in their present homes until that is decided in the lower courts - and that even if the decision is against their claims, that they could stay in their present homes until the new ones are built.
Migron may well be the sacrificial lamb of the Netanyahu government, which last week moved to legalize three other communities in Judea and Samaria that previously has been approved by Israeli governments but which lacked legal status.
Likud Central Committee members from Judea and Samaria responded to the Cabinet decision Sunday with a statement saying, “We praise the government for deciding to establish a site for temporary housing…and preventing expulsions that we witnessed in the days of Gush Katif [in the expulsions of Jews from Gaza of 2005] and Amona, when soldiers and police used cruel violence to expel Jews from their homes.
"The time has come for an all-inclusive and just solution to the problems of buildings in Judea and Samaria instead for acting like firefighters putting out fires. It is clear to everyone that sooner or later the government will take sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, so why wait?”
Judea and Samaria is under the jurisdiction of the military and decisions by Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Tags: Migron ,Judea and Samria ,Settlements
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2. Lieberman Threatens to Leave Coalition
by Gil Ronen
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Saturday that he will present a universal national service law to the Knesset in ten day's time. The law is to replace the Tal Law that regulated the exemption from service for hareidi yeshiva students.
Lieberman threatened that his party would leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law. "We are a responsible party," he said. "We did everything to preserve the coalition. The best date for elections is the original date, but we are not hostages."
"In ten days we will bring an alternative to the Tal Law to the Knesset and then we will assess where we are going and when. We are going to vote on conscription for everyone. That means hareidim too, minorities as well – and we will not let anyone talk us out of it. If they do not compromise with us, we will go to a decision. I hope that the hareidi parties accept it."
The High Court struck down the Tal Law in February, in one of former Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch's last rulings.
Members of the Kadima party, too, have adopted the issue of the Tal Law as an election plank.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Saturday that he will present a universal national service law to the Knesset in ten day's time. The law is to replace the Tal Law that regulated the exemption from service for hareidi yeshiva students.
Lieberman threatened that his party would leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law. "We are a responsible party," he said. "We did everything to preserve the coalition. The best date for elections is the original date, but we are not hostages."
"In ten days we will bring an alternative to the Tal Law to the Knesset and then we will assess where we are going and when. We are going to vote on conscription for everyone. That means hareidim too, minorities as well – and we will not let anyone talk us out of it. If they do not compromise with us, we will go to a decision. I hope that the hareidi parties accept it."
The High Court struck down the Tal Law in February, in one of former Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch's last rulings.
Members of the Kadima party, too, have adopted the issue of the Tal Law as an election plank.
Tags: Tal Law ,elections ,Avigdor Lieberman
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Early Elections May Help Netanyahu Get Rid of Barak -
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Report: Netanyahu Planning Election in the Coming Months
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Barak: Lieberman's Wrong, Iran is a Greater Threat than Egypt
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Lieberman: Media Writing Science Fiction
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Lieberman Travels to Azerbaijan Amid Diplomatic Speculation
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3. Netanyahu: I Won't Give in to Blackmail
by Elad Benari
As the talks about a possible upcoming election in Israel continue, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said for the first time on Saturday night that he will not hesitate to go to elections if the coalition partners try to blackmail him.
According to a report on Channel 2 News, Netanyahu said that Israel’s economy and security have functioned well in recent years thanks to his government's stability, but warned that if coalition partners make demands on issues such as the Tal Law and the budget, he will not surrender to blackmail.
Netanyahu may have been referring to comments made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said Saturday that he will present a universal national service law to the Knesset in ten day's time. The law is to replace the Tal Law that regulated the exemption from service for hareidi yeshiva students.
Lieberman threatened that his party would leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law. "We are a responsible party," he said. "We did everything to preserve the coalition. The best date for elections is the original date, but we are not hostages."
Meanwhile, it was announced Saturday night that Netanyahu will meet with representatives of the “sucker tent”, which was erected by IDF reservists in Tel Aviv to protest what they see as an unjust distribution of national service requirements in Israeli society, on Sunday morning. The meeting will take place ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“Netanyahu’s office said he will discuss the Tal Law and his thoughts on it with us, but did not elaborate beyond that,” Boaz Noy, one of the members of the encampment, told Channel 2.
The High Court struck down the Tal Law in February, in one of former Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch's last rulings. Members of the Kadima party, too, have adopted the issue of the Tal Law as an election plank.
On Friday it was reported that Labor chairwoman Shelly Yechimovich plans, in a few weeks, to submit a bill calling to dissolve the current government.
Yechimovich, who recently indicated she intends to run for the position of Prime Minister, said that “after three years of Netanyahu's government, Israel has reached unprecedented gaps between poverty and wealth.”
Yechimovich added that the current government has brought about “galloping erosion in the situation of the middle class” and “an international record for employment of contract workers.”
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
As the talks about a possible upcoming election in Israel continue, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said for the first time on Saturday night that he will not hesitate to go to elections if the coalition partners try to blackmail him.
According to a report on Channel 2 News, Netanyahu said that Israel’s economy and security have functioned well in recent years thanks to his government's stability, but warned that if coalition partners make demands on issues such as the Tal Law and the budget, he will not surrender to blackmail.
Netanyahu may have been referring to comments made by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said Saturday that he will present a universal national service law to the Knesset in ten day's time. The law is to replace the Tal Law that regulated the exemption from service for hareidi yeshiva students.
Lieberman threatened that his party would leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law. "We are a responsible party," he said. "We did everything to preserve the coalition. The best date for elections is the original date, but we are not hostages."
Meanwhile, it was announced Saturday night that Netanyahu will meet with representatives of the “sucker tent”, which was erected by IDF reservists in Tel Aviv to protest what they see as an unjust distribution of national service requirements in Israeli society, on Sunday morning. The meeting will take place ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting.
“Netanyahu’s office said he will discuss the Tal Law and his thoughts on it with us, but did not elaborate beyond that,” Boaz Noy, one of the members of the encampment, told Channel 2.
The High Court struck down the Tal Law in February, in one of former Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch's last rulings. Members of the Kadima party, too, have adopted the issue of the Tal Law as an election plank.
On Friday it was reported that Labor chairwoman Shelly Yechimovich plans, in a few weeks, to submit a bill calling to dissolve the current government.
Yechimovich, who recently indicated she intends to run for the position of Prime Minister, said that “after three years of Netanyahu's government, Israel has reached unprecedented gaps between poverty and wealth.”
Yechimovich added that the current government has brought about “galloping erosion in the situation of the middle class” and “an international record for employment of contract workers.”
More on this topic
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Early Elections May Help Netanyahu Get Rid of Barak
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Lieberman Threatens to Leave Coalition
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Report: Netanyahu Planning Election in the Coming Months
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Israeli Student Wins 49th Int'l Bible Quiz
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Barak: Lieberman's Wrong, Iran is a Greater Threat than Egypt
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Netanyahu Thanks Israel's Supporters on Independence Day
Comment on this story
4. Early Elections May Help Netanyahu Get Rid of Barak
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
If Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu calls early elections, Ehud Barak, a thorn in the coalition’s official backing of Judea and Samaria, could be left out in the cold.
The trigger for possible elections later this year is the movement for changing the military draft system, whose critics have targeted exemptions or shorter terms of service for young men studying Torah. The Prime Minister said Sunday he backs military service for all Jews and civilian service of Arabs,
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with leaders of the “suckers’ rally” that has staged a week-long demonstration opposite his office. Protest leaders said he told them that if he is not able pass legislation for universal military service, he would campaign for it in the next elections. He said he will decide in the next two weeks, with the most probable early election date being this fall. The government's term of office expires next year.
The office of the Prime Minister stated, "The division of the burden must be changed. What has been is not what will be…. The ‘Tal Law’ will be replaced by a more egalitarian and just law, and I will submit it. The new law will also include civilian service for Arabs.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said for the first time on Saturday night that he will not hesitate to go to elections if the coalition partners try to blackmail him over the issue of military service. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, threatened on Saturday to leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law.
Virtually all polls in the past year have shown that the national religious camp would maintain its current strength while Barak’s new Independence Party would not enter the Knesset because of lack of support. He bolted from the Labor party last year, and his support mainly comes from the military industrial complex and mainstream media, which have been anxiously trying to dump Netanyahu.
The election results might leave the anti-Netanyahu camp with a taste of “be careful of what you ask for.”
Two polls the past week give the Likud party a solid plurality of 31 seats in the Knesset, four more than present. Kadima’s popularity would be more than cut in half to 13 seats, while Labor, now headed by Shelly Yechimovich, would win 15-17 seats, compared with 13 in the present Knesset.
The Shas Sephardi Religious party would lose two or three seats, according to the surveys, and all of the other parties would more or less retain their present strength, with most of Kadima’s loss going to Yair Lapid’s new “Future” party.
Most significant is the lack of support for Barak, who has been in the forefront of sending in police forces in the middle of the night to expel young families, including infants, from their housing in hilltop communities. He also has executed dozens of concessions to the Palestinian Authority by removing roadblocks, an action that often has been followed by terrorist attacks.
Barak has enjoyed cordial and warm receptions by the Obama administration, which several times in the past two years has been rumored to be anxious for a new government in Jerusalem.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
If Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu calls early elections, Ehud Barak, a thorn in the coalition’s official backing of Judea and Samaria, could be left out in the cold.
The trigger for possible elections later this year is the movement for changing the military draft system, whose critics have targeted exemptions or shorter terms of service for young men studying Torah. The Prime Minister said Sunday he backs military service for all Jews and civilian service of Arabs,
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with leaders of the “suckers’ rally” that has staged a week-long demonstration opposite his office. Protest leaders said he told them that if he is not able pass legislation for universal military service, he would campaign for it in the next elections. He said he will decide in the next two weeks, with the most probable early election date being this fall. The government's term of office expires next year.
The office of the Prime Minister stated, "The division of the burden must be changed. What has been is not what will be…. The ‘Tal Law’ will be replaced by a more egalitarian and just law, and I will submit it. The new law will also include civilian service for Arabs.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu said for the first time on Saturday night that he will not hesitate to go to elections if the coalition partners try to blackmail him over the issue of military service. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, threatened on Saturday to leave the coalition over the matter of the Tal Law.
Virtually all polls in the past year have shown that the national religious camp would maintain its current strength while Barak’s new Independence Party would not enter the Knesset because of lack of support. He bolted from the Labor party last year, and his support mainly comes from the military industrial complex and mainstream media, which have been anxiously trying to dump Netanyahu.
The election results might leave the anti-Netanyahu camp with a taste of “be careful of what you ask for.”
Two polls the past week give the Likud party a solid plurality of 31 seats in the Knesset, four more than present. Kadima’s popularity would be more than cut in half to 13 seats, while Labor, now headed by Shelly Yechimovich, would win 15-17 seats, compared with 13 in the present Knesset.
The Shas Sephardi Religious party would lose two or three seats, according to the surveys, and all of the other parties would more or less retain their present strength, with most of Kadima’s loss going to Yair Lapid’s new “Future” party.
Most significant is the lack of support for Barak, who has been in the forefront of sending in police forces in the middle of the night to expel young families, including infants, from their housing in hilltop communities. He also has executed dozens of concessions to the Palestinian Authority by removing roadblocks, an action that often has been followed by terrorist attacks.
Barak has enjoyed cordial and warm receptions by the Obama administration, which several times in the past two years has been rumored to be anxious for a new government in Jerusalem.
Tags: Knesset ,elections ,Ehud Barak
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. Ex-Shin Bet Head Diskin Calls Netanyahu, Barak 'Messianic'
by Gil Ronen
Former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak Saturday, at an open forum in Kfar Saba.
"I have no confidence in the present leadership, which may have to lead us to an event on the scale of a war with Iran or a regional war," he said.
"The present leadership is messianic," he said. "Our two messiahs – the one from Caesarea and the one from the Akirov Towers [Netanyahu has a residence in Caesarea, and Barak lived in Tel Aviv's Akirov Towers until recently – ed.] – are unfit to hold the reins of power. They give the public a false picture on the Iran question. They create the feeling that if Israel does not act, Iran will have a nuclear bomb, even though experts think that an attack on Iran will cause it to speed up the process of arming with nuclear weapons." It was unclear what he meant by "messianic", but possibly the word he intended was "apocalyptic".
Diskin also attacked Netanyahu for not doing enough, in his opinion, to move forward on negotiations with the Palestinian Authority [PA]. He said that it is possible to reach an agreement with the PA that will be good for both sides, and warned that if there is no diplomatic solution, violence will erupt. "There are gasoline fumes in the air and the question is, when will there be a spark," he said.
Diskin also said that "there are dozens of Jews who are willing to use firearms against other Jews," and that while any extremism is damaging, right wing fanaticism is more violent than left-wing fanaticism.
His words gave rise to speculations on whether he is planning his political future, possibly in Kadima, now that Shaul Mofaz has become its head.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Former Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak Saturday, at an open forum in Kfar Saba.
"I have no confidence in the present leadership, which may have to lead us to an event on the scale of a war with Iran or a regional war," he said.
"The present leadership is messianic," he said. "Our two messiahs – the one from Caesarea and the one from the Akirov Towers [Netanyahu has a residence in Caesarea, and Barak lived in Tel Aviv's Akirov Towers until recently – ed.] – are unfit to hold the reins of power. They give the public a false picture on the Iran question. They create the feeling that if Israel does not act, Iran will have a nuclear bomb, even though experts think that an attack on Iran will cause it to speed up the process of arming with nuclear weapons." It was unclear what he meant by "messianic", but possibly the word he intended was "apocalyptic".
Diskin also attacked Netanyahu for not doing enough, in his opinion, to move forward on negotiations with the Palestinian Authority [PA]. He said that it is possible to reach an agreement with the PA that will be good for both sides, and warned that if there is no diplomatic solution, violence will erupt. "There are gasoline fumes in the air and the question is, when will there be a spark," he said.
Diskin also said that "there are dozens of Jews who are willing to use firearms against other Jews," and that while any extremism is damaging, right wing fanaticism is more violent than left-wing fanaticism.
His words gave rise to speculations on whether he is planning his political future, possibly in Kadima, now that Shaul Mofaz has become its head.
Tags: Yuval Diskin ,Iran Strike ,Shin Bet
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Ministers, MKs Hit Back at Diskin: Why Wait till Now?
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Report: Israel Told US 'No Attack until Early Fall'
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'Prepare for Ops You Read About in Books' -- Paratroopers Told
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Shin Bet Confirms Toulouse Murderer Visited Israel
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Poll: Israelis Against Iran Strike but Satisfied with Netanyahu
Comment on this story
6. Hevron Children Escape Attempted Murder in Playground
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hevron Arabs targeted 20 Jewish children in a playground Saturday night with huge building blocks and rocks intended to kill.
The children in the Beit Hadassah neighborhood escaped the attacks without injuries, but by the time security forces arrived, the Arab attackers had escaped.
The onslaught originated from the rooftops of two houses occupied by Arabs next to Beit Hadassah.
One resident said that there have been several similar incidents in the past several years, but Saturday night’s attack represented “a sharp escalation in the size of the blocks thrown” at the children. Arabs also tried to strike the Jewish children with foreign objects, including a steam iron.
The resident added that the houses next to the neighborhood have been vacant for years, but recently have been occupied by hostile Arabs, encouraged by anarchists to go to the rooftops and cause provocations against Jewish neighbors.
It is unknown why the IDF allowed the Arabs to take up residence again in these homes. They do not allow Arabs to live in the high rise homes immediately overlooking Rachel's Tomb and which they built after the protecting wall surrounding the tomb was in place.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Hevron Arabs targeted 20 Jewish children in a playground Saturday night with huge building blocks and rocks intended to kill.
The children in the Beit Hadassah neighborhood escaped the attacks without injuries, but by the time security forces arrived, the Arab attackers had escaped.
The onslaught originated from the rooftops of two houses occupied by Arabs next to Beit Hadassah.
One resident said that there have been several similar incidents in the past several years, but Saturday night’s attack represented “a sharp escalation in the size of the blocks thrown” at the children. Arabs also tried to strike the Jewish children with foreign objects, including a steam iron.
The resident added that the houses next to the neighborhood have been vacant for years, but recently have been occupied by hostile Arabs, encouraged by anarchists to go to the rooftops and cause provocations against Jewish neighbors.
It is unknown why the IDF allowed the Arabs to take up residence again in these homes. They do not allow Arabs to live in the high rise homes immediately overlooking Rachel's Tomb and which they built after the protecting wall surrounding the tomb was in place.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
7. Four Arab Youths Arrested for Yom Haatzmaut Attack
by Gil Ronen
Four Arab youths from the A-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem have been arrested by the Minorities Department of the Jerusalem Police's Central Unit, on suspicion of brutally attacking a Jewish family outside the Old City on Yom Haatzmaut.
The attack took place at the Ben-Hinnom Valley, located outside the walls of the Old City..
Two other people, who are relatives of the arrested youths, were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers in the course of the youths' arrest. The youths will be brought before a judge for remand at the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court.
Magen David Adom emergency services said on Yom Haatzmaut that two of the Jews suffered moderate wounds, and a third suffered light wounds, after they were attacked with metal rods. They were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital.
A hareidi man and an 11-year-old Jewish boy were also attacked by Arabs on Yom Haatzmaut. The boy was lightly hurt and was taken to a hospital.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Four Arab youths from the A-Tur neighborhood in Jerusalem have been arrested by the Minorities Department of the Jerusalem Police's Central Unit, on suspicion of brutally attacking a Jewish family outside the Old City on Yom Haatzmaut.
The attack took place at the Ben-Hinnom Valley, located outside the walls of the Old City..
Two other people, who are relatives of the arrested youths, were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers in the course of the youths' arrest. The youths will be brought before a judge for remand at the Jerusalem Magistrates' Court.
Magen David Adom emergency services said on Yom Haatzmaut that two of the Jews suffered moderate wounds, and a third suffered light wounds, after they were attacked with metal rods. They were evacuated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital.
A hareidi man and an 11-year-old Jewish boy were also attacked by Arabs on Yom Haatzmaut. The boy was lightly hurt and was taken to a hospital.
Tags: Yom Haatzmaut ,Israel Police ,Arab attackers
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. CIA Memo Reveals Admiral, Not Obama, In Charge of Bin Laden Raid
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Approximately one year after the assassination of Osama bin Laden, a memo written by former CIA Director Leon Panetta has been obtained, revealing that President Obama was not, in fact, in charge of operation strategy in the hunt for the terrorist mastermind.
Panetta received a call from National Security Officer Tom Donilon confirming that President Obama had made the decision to "proceed with the assault" on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan after assessing a risk profile. However, the memo, released by Time Magazine, states that "the timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven's hands."
"The direction is to go in and get bin Laden, and if he is not there, get out," read the memo. It does not clarify whether the intention was to kill bin Laden or to capture him.
However, the memo also shows that President Obama was not in charge of operation strategy as the mission was being carried out. Rather, Panetta noted that, "the timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven's hands."
“The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the President. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the President for his consideration," said the memo.
President Obama has said that the decision was one of the “gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory.” However, it seems that the “gutsy call,” was actually made by Admiral William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Operations Command.
Two days after the memo was written, bin Laden was assassinated by a team of Navy SEAL commandos.
Following the raid, Pakistan's government claimed it had no knowledge of bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad. However, speculations have questioned how the terrorist's presence in the compound could have been undetected by Pakistani officials when Abbottabad is home to a major Pakistani military base and only about 30 miles from the capital city of Islamabad.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Approximately one year after the assassination of Osama bin Laden, a memo written by former CIA Director Leon Panetta has been obtained, revealing that President Obama was not, in fact, in charge of operation strategy in the hunt for the terrorist mastermind.
Panetta received a call from National Security Officer Tom Donilon confirming that President Obama had made the decision to "proceed with the assault" on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan after assessing a risk profile. However, the memo, released by Time Magazine, states that "the timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven's hands."
"The direction is to go in and get bin Laden, and if he is not there, get out," read the memo. It does not clarify whether the intention was to kill bin Laden or to capture him.
However, the memo also shows that President Obama was not in charge of operation strategy as the mission was being carried out. Rather, Panetta noted that, "the timing, operational decision making and control are in Admiral McRaven's hands."
“The approval is provided on the risk profile presented to the President. Any additional risks are to be brought back to the President for his consideration," said the memo.
President Obama has said that the decision was one of the “gutsiest calls of any president in recent memory.” However, it seems that the “gutsy call,” was actually made by Admiral William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Operations Command.
Two days after the memo was written, bin Laden was assassinated by a team of Navy SEAL commandos.
Following the raid, Pakistan's government claimed it had no knowledge of bin Laden's presence in Abbottabad. However, speculations have questioned how the terrorist's presence in the compound could have been undetected by Pakistani officials when Abbottabad is home to a major Pakistani military base and only about 30 miles from the capital city of Islamabad.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
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