Amos Yadlin
Amos YadlinFlash 90

Retired Major General Amos Yadlin, Labor-Hatnua's choice for Defense Minister in the 20th Knesset, systematically attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's security platform on Sunday. 

In a studio interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Yadlin responded to Netanyahu's latest campaign clip, which portrays the Left allowing Islamic State terrorists to enter Israel. 

""Netanyahu has stopped frightening us. The myth that Netanyahu is Mr. Security is a bluff," Yadlin stated, noting that "Netanyahu does not get along with reality and the facts. I rely on the objectives that the Prime Minister himself named. If Netanyahu were to sit at home and study his objectives, he would give himself a failing grade."  

The former Military Intelligence chief then attacked Netanyahu's so-called "achievements" during Operation Protective Edge. 

"Netanyahu boasted in 2009 that he would be so strong against Hamas, but what were his achievements? We got rockets for 50 days, he released the largest number of terrorists with blood on their hands ever, he freed Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (in 1997), and could not beat Hamas," Yadlin charged. 

"Even Ben Gurion International Airport was closed for the first time ever as a result of fire from a terrorist organization - during Netanyahu's term."

Yadlin also placed the blame for Israel's souring relationship with the United States' administration solely on the Prime Minister, adding that he had achieved nothing against Iran. 

"The Iranians have been a nuclear threshold state for two years, and only to decide when they would like to drop a bomb. The Prime Minister has not managed to prevent it and instead has cut us off from the United States - the greatest power in the world - who also want to prevent Iran from achieving nuclear weapon capability."

The repercussions of Netanyahu's rift with US President Obama would affect more than just Iran, Yadlin argued. 

"One of the most important elements of Israel's security is a strategic relationship with the United States. On the table of the UN Security Council lies the most anti-Israeli offer presented by the Palestinians. Who brought it there? Netanyahu. The US can prevent this with a veto, but now I'm not sure this will happen," Yadlin warned. 

"We will not compromise on security," Yadlin promised, adding that Labor-Hatnua will also "be much more moderate on the political issue." 

"The world will understand that we are not just talking like Netanyahu about two states, but actually attempting to reach it. We may not succeed, I'm certainly unsure that Abbas is a partner - but we will try and the world will know we tried."