Does the Former Head of Israeli Intelligence Know Something We Don’t?

Ex-Shin Bet Head Diskin Calls Netanyahu, Barak ‘Messianic’

I have to admit – this headline caused quite an acceleration in my pulse rate this morning. It could be political gamesmanship on Diskin’s part, or it could be he meant something other than what I think. It’s not uncommon to hurl an epithet at your opponents in preparation for a political campaign. At the same time, there are many other words he could have used. In my experience, men who head intelligence agencies are an unusual sort, who I don’t think typically choose any word lightly especially when they know how it will be analyzed in the future.

“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”.

I find it interesting as well that this story would surface on the day that the current prime minister is mourning the death of his father, a man who in his own right deeply impacted Jewish identity and a Jewish approach to history.

In case this doesn’t make sense to anyone as to why it would catch my attention – most people who call themselves “Messianic Jews” are follower of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now it’s possible that this is not what he meant – but why would he choose a word that so frequently has that strong connotation?

Is this anything? I don’t know, but at the same time it’s worth keeping an eye on.