Major General Itzhak Harel : "Israel army is hollow"

[tocqueville]

long article but worth the reading

excerpts :

"The IDF took efficiency measures in those years and endlessly discussed how to become more effective. But in the end you can buy a limited number of tanks and a limited amount of materiel.
When reservists discover in wartime that the shelf is empty because the equipment wasn't purchased, they rightly feel deep frustration. Saving is an important value, but in our neighborhood you have to be alert and as tightly coiled as a spring. Thus we found ourselves with an air force that was prepared and an eroded land army.


"We are being asked why we didn't warn of the dire situation. I am telling you that for six years the IDF presented the bad situation to the political echelon, the heads of the security establishment and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee again and again. The Knesset members support us, the defense ministers are dealing with political difficulties, and prime ministers and finance ministers respond nonchalantly. I have a collection of articles about the waste in the IDF, and I am telling you it is lucky we have the United States.
We have to give thanks every day to our only friend in the free world for the support it has given us in this war."

...............................

In order to ensure that a crushed Lebanon does not fall like ripe fruit into the hands of Iran, the senior officer proposes that tomorrow morning Israel call upon the free world to declare a Marshall Plan to rehabilitate Lebanon. "We have to be the generator, in order to ensure that Iran does not pour in money and take over the country. Had we acted in this way from the start, instead of showing up raring to fight, Rice would have come here with the idea of rehabilitating Lebanon and strengthening its moderate elements."

.............

"We must talk with the Syrians.
This is the United States' opportunity to bring about a turnaround in Iraq. Syria can become a positive axis, but in our neighborhood no leader takes a bold step before he is convinced of its success. Look at Sadat's visit to Jerusalem. It is a pity that in the territories we missed quite a few opportunities to build a coalitions with the pragmatic forces.
But the Palestinians have learned from the events in Lebanon that they don't interest anybody and that we are taking blows and not going anywhere. The time has come for us to look ahead and stop interfering with the middle generation in leading the Palestinian renewal."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/750499.html

[bridgit]

1. i'm no war planner, but it seemed to me that Israel waged 'a form of'...

total war...on the wrong people. everyone hears so much about the invincibility of the IDF, but when the smoke cleared all there was, was rubble and crying men, women & children with Hezbollah still a factor. i don't see how they can claim that as a victory

[stepnw1f]

3. It's a HUGE LOSER for Everybody

Stupid assholes just strengthened sentiment for Hezbolla.... yuh. The people they were supposed to be killing. OOOOOps... sorry civilians.

"We are special... we are neo-cons and we will do whatever is necessary."

DUMB and fanatical.

[bridgit]

4. well there it is...

agreed

[sweetheart]

2. it was a military mistake

They've shown their "real" enemies their tactics and what will work against them.

In today's information war, to deploy is to lose, to be deconstructed preemptively
before you deconstruct any more lives, indeed.

The IDF lived up to its impressive myth until this past month's disgrace, and now
it is a laughing stock along with the americans with a fine fighting force being
picked apart in an asian desert bereft of the history of so many millions of others
across time.. that really, its just so unoriginal, artless and blatant, and for
that reason, more than anything else, tremendously sad, as it is all any of us
will ever be remembered for, our era is the era of stupid shits running the
place in to the ground and fucking everything all up...

:-) lord bless

[raysr]

5. All Hezbollah had was rockets

Israel, every weapon known and unknown to man. Hezbollah still stands. Might just want to try diplomacy.

[sweetheart]

7. no more fear

no fear
no

[eccles12]

6. People seem to forget that it's only because of the superior weaponry

that the IDF has been able to achieve what it has in the past. Pre-emption and the most sophisticated arsenal in the world next to the US and billions and billions of dollars is what has given the IDF its reputation. It really doesn't take much bravery or military skill to bulldoze or tank your way into a pile of rubble made by cruise missiles from ships at sea and bunker-busting and cluster bombs dropped from the air and claim victory against rock-throwing, home-made bombs, and hand launched rockets. Using high tech drones, night-view, and the most sophisticated communications equipment didn't help much either. And it is no secret that to save face, the IDF unnecessarily destroyed infrastructure, caused a huge and damaging oil spill in the Mediterranean, and killed many sick, elderly, and children.

Call them "terroists" "militants" "insurgents" or whatever. The truth is that people fighting for their homeland, even with sticks and stones, will fight to the death, just as we would do under the same circumstances. If you have to lose the soul of your nation to "win a unnecessary war" then you lose more than you gain. Iraq anyone?