‘Israel’s’ Image Suffered a Blow – Ex-Mossad Chief

By Staff, Sputnik

The International Criminal Court announced on Friday that it would open an investigation into war crimes committed by the Zionist entity in the West Bank and Gaza, sending waves of shock among Israeli officials and military personnel.

The decision, though, didn’t seem to hamper the tight security cooperation between ‘Israel’ and Europe, Elizabeth Blade wrote for Sputnik.

A week earlier, she said, the ‘Israeli’ intelligence agency, the Mossad, transferred information to its counterparts in Denmark, exposing a cell of militants who planned to carry out a series of deadly terror attacks on Danish soil.

Danny Yatom, who headed the Mossad in the late 1990s, claimed ‘Israel’ clearly differentiates between political and security concerns.

According to reports, intelligence provided by the ‘Israeli’ spy agency helped thwart some 50 attacks over the last three years in 20 countries, including Italy, Germany, Denmark and even Turkey, relations with which continue to remain sour.

The ‘Israeli’ reputation, nevertheless, has suffered over the years, according to Yatom. In 2003, for example, a study that surveyed 7,500 people in 15 EU countries found that Europeans considered ‘Israel’ as a bigger threat to the world stability than Iran, the North Korea and the US.

Another survey, in 2014, found that most people in Asia, Europe and South America had a mainly negative perception of ‘Israel.’

Yatom explained that it's probably due to the ‘Israeli’ expansion policy in the West Bank.

Between 1967 and 2017 the occupation entity established more than 200 settlements in the West Bank.

"‘Israel’ is perceived as a conqueror that oppresses other people. As such, it makes the political relations with other states more difficult, as they feel free to attack us on the international arena."