Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar responds: 'Remnants of the concept'

Dr. Mordechai Kedar attacked the heads of Military Intelligence and claimed that the person who barred him from a training program for Haredi intelligence researchers is part of the "remnants of the concept" of October 7. In his response to the media, he wrote, "Dr. Kedar is a realist, is not captive to the dreams of progressivism, and few in the intelligence system understand in depth the societies around us."

The Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a reserve lieutenant colonel who served 25 years in Unit 8200, responded to a report on Galei Tzahal that Military Intelligence had vetoed his participation in a program to train Haredi intelligence researchers because of his past remarks. In his response, Kedar repeated his claims regarding the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory, and attacked the current heads of Military Intelligence.

The senior scholar wrote, "The refusal of someone in Military Intelligence to accept Dr. Kedar as the academic mentor of the program stems from a statement he made seven years ago, about the need to truly investigate the assassination of Rabin, against the background of fundamental contradictions in the known story. Whoever refused Dr. Kedar ignores the fact that Dr. Kedar is a lieutenant colonel in Military Intelligence (8200), in a research profession."

Kedar added that he had previously given dozens of lectures in the Intelligence Directorate officers' refresher course and, according to him, stood at the center of the academicization process of one of the security arms at Bar-Ilan University. He also noted that until recently he served as an adviser on Arab affairs in Northern Command and Central Command.

Later in his response, Kedar attacked the officials who made the decision in his case and claimed that, "Apparently, whoever decided to remove him from the Haredi training track is among the remnants of the concept that led to October 7, 2023." He also added in his response that, "Dr. Kedar does not impose himself on anyone, not even on ignoramuses on Middle East affairs, who wear ranks like Aharon Haliva and his successors."

At the end of his remarks, Kedar launched a personal attack on former Military Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva and other senior intelligence officials.