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| Staff Sgt. Dor Chaim Nini, 20, and Maj. Yochai Kalangel, 25: Yet more "sacrifices for peace"? |
At least when Peres told the grieving families of terrorist victims that they were 'sacrifices for peace' he was never actually directly part of the plan to have them killed, even if that was the inevitable result of his policies. But it is now becoming increasingly clear that the Israelis killed by Hezbollah yesterday were 'sacrifices for peace' in a much more literal sense. Or, more accurately, they were 'sacrifices to avoid a more serious confrontation with Hezbollah right now as opposed to a bit later'.
Why do I say this? Last week after the brilliant and totally justified pinpointing of Hezbollah and Iranian operatives who were planning a mass terrorist attack from Syria, the Israelis decided to issue what can only be regarded as an apology turning a major victory and deterrence into a grovelling plea that the enemy should not hit us back too hard. On Sunday Israel allowed Hezbollah to fire several rockets from Syria into its territory without any serious response, in the hope that this would somehow satisfy its blood lust for revenge. It clearly did not, because the rocket attacks continued into Monday. Given that Hezbollah has most of its firepower on the Lebanese border it is impossible therefore to explain how the IDF allowed soldiers to be driving close to that border on Tuesday in unarmoured vehicles, unless they were prepared to have their 'sacrifices for peace'. All of the noises coming out of Israel and Hezbollah suggest that indeed Hezbollah has for the time being satisfied its blood lust and that Israel is happy 'not to provoke' Hezbollah.
The IDF has become increasingly politicised to the extent that it can even be characterised as 'lions led by donkeys'. As commentator asherpat points out in response to this article even Mossad and Shabak have become dominated by leftists who feel that appeasement is always the best way forward. In 2004 I had a discussion with Efraim HaLevy (who had just ended his term as Mossad head), after a public talk in which he intimated that he did not really support military action to stop Iran getting a nuclear weapon. HaLevy tried to paint himself as the ultimate realist but instead managed to convince me that he was the ultimate defeatist, because he actually said that we could never properly defeat our enemies. He said that there was no way to avoid continued regular future conflicts and his depressing 'realist' strategy was one of concessions and continual containment to ensure the conflicts were only 'minor'. He regarded the withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000 as a successful example of this strategy.
It is clear Halevy's strategy was accepted by the entire Israel political elite - and has became a self-fulfilling prophecy. In 2005 Israel withdrew from Gaza which has led to what Halevy would regard as acceptably 'minor conflicts' every two years or so since. The withdrawal from Lebanon resulted in occasional flare-ups and the 'minor war' of 2006. Halevy - like Peres - no doubt considers that the killing yesterday of Chaim Nini and Yochai Kalangel were 'sacrifices for peace' to avoid a broader conflict. Meanwhile Hezbollah becomes more emboldened - and has no deterrence any more from building up its capacity in the Golan Heights - and Iran gets closer to its nuclear weapon.....
3 comments:
Edgar,
Thanks for mentioning my comment on the article about Israeli sheepish response to Hizb'allah.
I would like to make a couple of points. Firstly, I disagree with your criticism of the military that “allowed soldiers to be driving close to that border on Tuesday in unarmoured vehicles” – apparently, the border is 4 kilometres from where the missiles struck and even armoured vehicles would not have saved the troops against the Russian Cornet missile, maybe the Wind Coat system could have neutralised the missiles but this system can only be installed on the heaviest tanks and it is not possible to use only tanks. With all due respect, this criticism is akin to the Left trying to diminish the evil of Muslim terrorists because “the intelligence community failed to stop the massacre in advance”. No, the blame lies with the baddies, not the goodies that weren’t able to stop the baddies.
The other point is about the coming elections in Israel. Despite the bravado of right-wing journalists (in itself, having right wing journalism in Israel is a shockingly welcome fact...), I'm afraid that the duplicitous “Zionist Camp” (it’s Zionism Scotty, but not as we know it) is going to win, which is very close to suicidal. This reminds me of two additional understandings.
One, is the dichotomy of people’s logic in “micro” v “macro”. So many times in my life, I meet people who are highly successful in their careers, private lives (the “micro”) but are myopic and/or naïve in their understanding of the world, in particular, their analysis of the existential conflict that Israel is in. for example, smart, erudite people may acknowledge that “yes, the Arabs will not, in any foreseeable future agree on anything remotely acceptable to even the dovish (but sane...) Jew” and in the next sentence proclaim something like “but if only we would have [insert here any of “stopped the settlements”/”refrained from responses on missiles”/”not discriminate Arabs”. These two statements are illogic when they are made by the same commenter and this is misunderstanding of the “macro” permeates the Israeli middle class.
The second understanding is that people tend to have almost genetic preprogrammed views/positions. When we had buses exploding and civilians slaughtered, the incurable dove, Yossi Sarid proclaimed indignantly “they [the Palis] can look for me [but I will not be there for them]”. Once the situation improved (due to the Separation Barrier and countless sacrifices of our sons and daughters in the security services and IDF), Sarid forgot his indignation and drifted back into his comfort-zone of “we are bad, Palis are good”. I saw many such “back and forth” moves with my very intelligent but “genetically-left-wing” friends.
Which brings me to the conclusion. You may remember that since 2006 Lebanon war, then the realisation that the withdrawal from Gaza was a huge mistake and that the Palis, instead of creating Singapore-on-the-Sinai, are actually entirely happy living life of misery as long as the dream of terminating the Zionist project in the Holy Land is intact , we were told that “there is no more Left left in Israel”? Remember that? Well, whether by the relentless camouflaged-sabotage by the New Israel Fund, the incessant subversion by the mainstream media and the opportunity to “revolt” against the mythical “cost of living”, Israelis, lulled by the relative calm and unprecedented improvement in the standards of living made possible by the right-wing, free market reforms initiated by Bibi in the 90s, began drifting back to their original, centre-left positions, and this can make a ruling coalition of the Labour Party with Meretz, supported by the unified Arabs a chilling possibility. This will be suicidal. I pray to God, please save Israel from such suicide.
asher pat
I appreciate your insight about the Cornet strike. But it is a fact that Israel was comfortable with the outcome because they had made it clear they were desparate not to have a wider conflice and it was of scale that enabled Hezbollah to claim their revenge without Israel having to retaliate. I fear that in the long term this decision (not to retaliate) will prove to be a catastrophic decision. The whole episode has destroyed any deterrent effect against Iran and Hezbollah operating on the Golan Heights.
Regarding the forthcoming election, I fear you are right. The majority of Israelis - like voters anywhere in the West - are just as easily brainwashed by the leftist media as anybody. I find it completely demoralising listening to so many young Israelis who fail to see the danger of the idiots in the potential left-block coalition.
"Only one issue was decisive in elections: who will lead the country against radical Islamic terrorism and Iran's race for nuclear weapons, which will maintain confidence in our citizens and our children — Benjamin Netanyahu in Likud Prime Minister broad and strong, or Tzipi and contempt for Prime Minister left submissive and weak"
(Taken from a supporter of Bibi facebook page, it is in the form of a video promotion. The video shows a young Israeli couple engaging in idiotic behaviour in front of a mirror and then answering the doorbell and who is standing there but Uncle Bibi...that sort of "stuff") I believe that in this election Israelis, all Jews and all supporters of Israel have moved beyond the above and need really serious discussion which will include the issue of leadership and what has been the past of Bibi especially on Hebron and the Gaza Withdrawal)
SO...In response to the above from the Bibi campaigning I would wish to interpose: Yes vote for Bibi or Bennett or Feiglin etc. but do so with eyes wide open...Popular Frontism is always bad news for the real victims in the situation because the only thing that the victim (the Jew meaning Israel in this case) has is the truth and Popular Frontism leads to the elevation of people like Bibi to cult status and ABOVE ALL the elimination of free discussion. It is entirely possible to call for a vote for Bibi or Bennett or others to keep the "Jewish" Fascists like Livni/Herzog backed by nearly the whole Israeli Media from holding power, but go into the polling booth with eyes wide open about the past treachery of Bibi and others too, and certainly future treachery too (I place Glick ALSO in that category because Glick marched into Iraq behind Bush and has never apologised!!!) To seek to limit discussion and critique is Popular Frontism and any kind of denial of free speech is always bad news for those who are really fighting for freedom. from www.4international.me
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