Is Israel losing its army?

[Darranar]

With pilots refusing to attack Palestine, the top brass briefing against hard-line policies and outrage at conscription, the Israeli army is at crisis point. By Robert Tait in Jerusalem

FOR more than half a century it has been a symbol of invincibility and the bedrock of the Jewish state. But now Israel’s much-vaunted army has been riven by a row with the political establishment over how to deal with the Palestinians.

So deep run the divisions, seasoned observers believe, that they provide a worrying harbinger for the disintegration of the army, an institution long regarded as the guardian of Israel’s existence, and even of Israeli society itself.

Tensions between the army and the right-wing coalition of Ariel Sharon, Israel’s Prime Minister, burst into the open after the army chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Moshe Ya’alon, gave what was intended to be an off-the-record briefing to three senior Israeli journalists last week. The resulting reports in Israel’s three main daily newspapers amounted to a devastating critique of policy in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank.

http://ww1.sundayherald.com/37774

[bemildred]

1. This may be a bit premature, I don't believe the IDF will

collapse just yet.

Although it has been pointed out in the past that the sort
of duty being asked of the IDF during the last three years,
aside from the moral problems it raises, does not tend to
have a good effect on readiness for a real war.

Clearly, one of the dangers of Mr. Sharon's policies is their
divisive effect on Israeli society as a whole, and this is one
of several manifestations of that effect.

It is certainly interesting to me that this subject is worthy
of so little debate.

[Darranar]

3. But this is still very bad news for Likud...

when high-ranking officials of the Army start questioning the PM"s tactics and Israeli public opinion starts shifting, it's bad news for them.

If public opinion starts shifting greatly to the Left and the IDF completely turns against Sharon, perhaps Shinui will withdraw from the coalition. They're the most centrist party; their decision to join the coalition was far more politically motivated then ideologically motivated.

Of course Tommy Lapid, with all his "remove Arafat" rhetoric, is in charge of Shinui. That poses a few problems.

And optimistic speculation is rarely known for success in this world.

[bemildred]

4. You will forgive me, I tend to neglect thinking about

how things affect Likud. Tsk.

[The Magistrate]

5. It Is Important, My Friend

Breaking Likud's electoral power is the key to the log-jam from the Israeli side, just as an end to attacks against Israeli civilians is the key from the side of Arab Palestine.

There may well be some electoral difficulty in a position urging a harder line than that supported by the leading Generals, these constituting, after all, a sort of gold standard in such matters. If the Chief of Staf says a military action is counter-productive, he cannot be dismissed as a "peace-nik" or a romantic idealist of any sort.

What is going on does not seem to me a disintigration of the Israeli armed forces, in any sense of losing fighting capacity, but rather an attempt to bring their politicians to heel.

[bemildred]

6. No Likud means no NuttyYahoo?

[The Magistrate]

7. That Reptile, Sir

Is also a Likud stalwart: they are unusually blessed just now: imagine our Republicans with both Reagan and the current jackanapes in the field at once....

Or better yet, perhaps, accept my apologies for the very thought, and think of a decent sherry.

[bemildred]

8. What's not to like?

If they are both removed from power, it cannot hurt,
like getting Arafat out of the way cannot hurt.
I don't know that the effect will necessarily be magical,
but its at least some steps in the right direction, and
perhaps an end to trying to force things in the wrong one.

[madrchsod]

2. interesting that both the idf

and the american army are in revolt against their leaders.if you look hard enough and dig deep enough you`ll see the american army is coming to the conculsion that bush and the people who run this "war" have no clue about what is going on and what should be done.as they watched their soldiers be slaughtered by the russians and the allies the german generals realized that hitler was mad and there was nothing they could do.is our army on the same path?