While Israel is facing a third intifada and its security personnel are dealing with enemies from within and without, apparently they are squabbling among themselves as well.
It took the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the IDF three days to reconcile their differences in a spat over a claim the IDF ignored Shin Bet warnings in the summer about impending war.
On Friday, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and Shin Bet director Yoram Cohen met to settle the dispute.
The IDF has vehemently denied claims by the Shin Bet that army brass ignored its warnings Hamas was preparing to launch a full-scale war against Israel in July.
Officials on both sides also emphasize that despite the dispute, which was public, both agencies maintained full joint cooperation.
“During the conversation, measures were agreed upon to further advance the cooperation between the two organizations on behalf of the security of the State of Israel,” said a joint statement issued by the two entities following the meeting.
Both were ordered by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to end the conflict.
“The cooperation between (the IDF and the Shin Bet) is a basic element of our national security,” said the prime minister in a statement on Thursday, Nov. 13. “This cooperation led to significant results on the battlefield during Operation Protective Edge. It saved many lives. Thus I, as a prime minister, am responsible for seeing to it that this cooperation continues, because the security of the citizens of Israel always comes before any disagreement.”