Monday, September 7, 2009

PM Netanyahu disappears for 10- hour 'military facility' visit to unknown Location

(Jpost).Rumors swirled Monday afternoon that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had gone abroad, to an unnamed country, for a few hours of intensive talks.

Some said he went to Jordan, which he has done unannounced in the past, and others that he was in Egypt discussing Gilad Schalit.

Still others mentioned the possibility of a short trip to Turkey, perhaps discussing Syria, or to one of the neighboring Arab countries that might - or then again might not - take steps toward normalizing relations with Israel.

Throughout the day the Prime Minister's Office, when asked about Netanyahu's whereabouts, said only that he was on a tour. After hours of speculation, and numerous inquiring phone calls, the PMO finally released the following laconic statement Monday evening: "The Prime Minister's military attaché reports that the prime minister is visiting a security installation inside Israel."

Netanyahu was accompanied to the installation by National Security Adviser Uzi Arad and the military attaché, Meir Kalifi.

The length of the visit - Netanyahu was gone from the office from before noon and was still in the meeting some 10 hours later - led to speculation he was meeting a high level official from an Arab country at a Mossad installation.