Israel’s former Military Intelligence chief, Amos Yadlin, says that the appointments of John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state and of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense are “a bad signal for those who believe in” U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

Speaking within the context of his previously-held position that Obama is capable of ordering an attack on Iranian nuclear installations as a last resort, Yadlin said that the two nominations may have made his argument weaker. Describing the forum of Obama, Biden, Kerry and Hagel as “the four senators”, Yadlin said that they are “like-mind, very cautious, [and] very supportive of a negotiated agreement.”

Nonetheless, Yadlin said that it is ultimately Obama’s decision alone to make, and that he stands by his assessment that Obama may ultimately decide to attack Iran.

Yadlin, the director of the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, was speaking on a conference call for American journalists organized by the centrist, peace-supporting Israeli Policy Forum organization.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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