Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s intelligence community has agreed to stop infighting.

Officials said the government pressured two leading intelligence agencies to stop their feud over the latest Israel war with Hamas. The Israel Security Agency asserted that it had warned of the Hamas rocket war in July 2014, a claim rejected by Military Intelligence.

“What happened this past week must not repeat itself,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said. “The right place to smooth over differences on such critical and covert issues for Israel is in a closed room.”

[On Nov. 18, at least five Jews were killed in a Palestinian attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem. Two Palestinians, shouting “God is great,” used guns, axes and knives to shoot and slash those attending morning prayer until the assailants were gunned down by police. A third Palestinian was said to have escaped.]

On Nov. 14, ISA director Yoram Cohen met Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz in an attempt to redefine their relationship. The two sides, which for decades fought over authority and assets, were said to have agreed to set aside their differences and bolster coordination.

“During the conversation maneuvers were agreed upon to strengthen cooperation between the organizations on behalf of the security of the state of Israel,” ISA and the military said in a statement.

In an unprecedented move, ISA officers told national television that their warnings of an impending war with Hamas were ignored. The officers said the military was informed of the alert as early as January 2014, seven months before the outbreak of the 50-day conflict.

“The cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces and ISA is extremely important for the security of the state and the security of the citizens,” Ya’alon said. “It is good that the issue was settled between the IDF chief of staff and the ISA director.”

  Israel’s defense chief lowers the boom on warring intelligence agencies, WorldTribune.com