Haber, a former senior official, said the feud between Barak and
Ashkenazi has "reached new heights." He said the two men can barely tolerate
to be in the same room together, let alone plan Israel's military strategy.
In mid-2010, Barak, a former chief of staff and prime minister, refused
an appeal by several Cabinet ministers to extend Ashkenazi's tenure amid war
preparations between Israel and Hizbullah. The defense minister also was
said to have marginalized Ashkenazi and was not consulted in major
appointments.
"According to some reports, the disgust and row between them has reached
physical dimensions," Haber said in an analysis for Israel's news Web site
Ynet. "One cannot sit where the other stands. Some people would say that the
difficult relationship between Barak and Ashkenazi jeopardizes the state of
Israel's security."
Haber called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order Barak and
Ashkenazi to settle their personal differences. The analyst said Netanyahu
must warn the two defense chiefs to either work together or resign.
"Under such state of affairs, in any normal country, the
leader/captain/prime minister would summon the two people who run the
security establishment and tell them: Either stop quarrelling, or pack up
and leave, at once," Haber said.
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