But they brought peace in their time. Didn't they?/s
Posted on 08/17/2006 3:16:21 PM PDT by Dark Skies
About 100 demonstrators arrived Thursday at the Rabin Square in Tel Aviv and called on the political echelon and on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign in light of the "Lebanon war failure."
The demonstration participants held signs reading "Defeatists go home," "Olmert, did your sons fight?" and "Olmert=Chamberlain."
This is one of a series of demonstration being organized in the past few days through talkbacks on the internet.
One of the demonstration's organizers, Ariella Miller, spoke of why she decided to protest.
"About a month ago we went to return the kidnapped soldiers, strengthen the deterrence and neutralize the strategic threat. Eventually we left as we entered, only with 150 dead. We call on the decision makers, headed by the prime minister, to claim responsibility, resign and pay for the failure."
According to Boaz Arad, who also organized the demonstration, Israel entered the war in the best situation possible and left in the worst situation possible.
"The political echelon is the one that managed and caused the war to fail due to scandalous appointments and hesitant decision making," he said. "We do not demand an investigation committee and not a commission of inquiry. We demand that they get up and go home. This is exactly like Ammunition Hill – the soldiers bravely sacrifice their lives, while the ones leading them to the battle are acting foolishly."
Colonel (res.) Yehoar Gal, an Air Force pilot, personally criticized Olmert. According to him, the prime minister is facing a serious moral dilemma because "he is sending our sons to fight, but at the same time his daughter is holding signs and demonstrating against him and his wife is wearing black. How can he take responsibility for the death of soldiers when he has no support from his family? He is being torn apart in his home."
'Olmer ruining country like he ruined Jerusalem'
And there are those who remember the old days and miss them, even the Yom Kippur War.
Prof. Benjamin Fischer, 78, the former manager of the dermatology department at the Sheba Medical Center, explained: "I am sitting at home and I feel bitter. I thought that after all these years we would have to fight, but this is a new Yom Kippur, people should not delude themselves. In fact, on Yom Kippur I even felt better, because we had (former Chiefs of Staff) Bar-Lev and Dado, and I knew that sometime everything would be reversed. I had more faith in them than in the threesome running the State in such great failure."
Shai Yefet, who came from Jerusalem, was angry about the social situation, which he claims the government created in the war.
"The government is using terms of solidarity and unity, but is in fact the one causing a rift. Every two days Olmert changes his mind. We have a strong army which was not given the possibility to operate. I am a Jerusalem resident and I know exactly what Olmert did there are mayor – he ruined it and now he is ruining the country," he said.
And Adi Tal, whose son served as a reserve soldier in the Paratroopers brigade during the war, said: "This war took me 33 years back, when I served in the northern region of the Suez Canal and we were surprised during the Yom Kippur War. Now my son is in Lebanon and the surprise was even bigger."
"I am not naïve and simple like I was then. I understand that my son was sent to an unknown place, to a lack of policy, a lack of decisiveness and a lack of ability to function. The impression and the feeling I got was that the army was defeated, our soldiers are tired and frustrated," she concluded.
But they brought peace in their time. Didn't they?/s
I wonder if Israel's failure to eliminate Hezbollah was directly related to support from the United States. It is in the midst of other countries that wouldn't bat an eye, if it no longer existed. So, musn't it abide by what the U.S. says if they want support?
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"According to Boaz Arad, who also organized the demonstration, Israel entered the war in the best situation possible and left in the worst situation possible."
That's a good line. They also left Lebanon worse, weakened the govt. Such a convergence of forces supported Israel delivering a knockout blow - they even got two Saudi fatwas in support!
Olmert gave Hezbollah apparent victories. The whole time they talked about "diplomacy" and getting the UN and Lebanon to disarm Hezb. I saw the lady foreign minister on TV last night. She was talking about diplomacy as if it was a cheese dispute between Belgium and Holland. She was talking as if she knows what the "world thinks" how Syria should respond and Syria must do so therefore. Very "liberal" in the wishy washy, approval-seeking mode.
I have yet to read one Israeli say the defeat had anything to do with the USA.
Olmert had a fear of reoccupation. So he waited for the real invasion until he had the false sense of security that his army would spend a short time and the UN could move right in.
Thanks for the info...
(1) Almost 50% of the births in Israel are non-Jewish. (2) The government's lax immigration law has diminished the Jewish majority of the State by almost 10% in the last two decades. (3) The government does not enforce the Citizenship Law against Israel's Arab citizens who aid or commit terrorist acts against the State. (4) Israel's ultra-liberal Supreme Court does not uphold the indictment of Arab Knesset Members who have incited Israeli Arabs to emulate Hezbullah. (5) The same Court has refused to uphold a law which prohibits any party that rejects the Jewish character of the State. (6) The Knesset consists of so many parties that it is virtually impotent. (7) Several of these parties - each with its own agenda - must coalesce to form a government, in consequence of which the government is incapable of pursuing a coherent and resolute national strategy - which prompts the Prime Minister to violate the law by ignoring his cabinet on controversial issues...
http://www.think-israel.org/eidelberg.systemreform.html
"I wonder if Israel's failure to eliminate Hezbollah was directly related to support from the United States. It is in the midst of other countries that wouldn't bat an eye, if it no longer existed."
It was actually a wonderful moment, at the start of the war, when the US refused to do the knee jerk thing, when Bush made clear that a ceasefire that didnt fix the underlying problem was not a useful solution, and we didnt condemn Israel's "lack of proportionality", nor send Condi off for talks, etc. We gave Israel enough room to act - at first... only after the PR about death toll did international pressure mount.
srael had about 3 weeks in which they could have changed the realities on the ground.
There was a phobia about putting ground troops into Lebanon that hobbled the strategic actions of Israel. Despite that, Israel seriously weakened Hezbollah's infrastructure, but whatever it gained militarily was lost in the PR war, which the Lamestream media handed to Hezbollah by being ass-kissing terrorist PR fronts.
There was only ONE strategy that the Israeli Government could take that would meet their objectives while dealing with the international constraints of impatience etc., and that was precision war combined with 'shock and awe' overwhelming force. The Israelis should captured bridgeheads instead of bombing them. They should have surrounded All of
Lebanon south of the Latani river and liquidated Hezbollah units one by one.
And they should have killed Nasrallah.
And they should have won the PR war, by getting the MSM to focus on Israeli civilian deaths and debunking the false news that Hezbollah put out.
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)
(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)
I've followed Paul Eidelberg's work for the better part of two decades and he's right...
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So have I, and I totally agree with you.
Believe me, the whole of the Middle East they would bat an eye. They would dance in the streets and hand out sweets.
But no, Israel doesn't have to do what America says. We can ask for advice (and take it or leave it).
Very interesting and informative read. It all makes perfect sense, as these thoughts crossed my mind throughout the turmoil. Regarding the MSM, I don't think they have enough brains to clean the gutter, much less help anybody's PR(not that they shouldn't have done this). With their irresponsible techniques and adherence to the talking money machines, they will quite willingly cause our country to fall...
"But no, Israel doesn't have to do what America says. We can ask for advice (and take it or leave it)."
Are you an Israeli reporter?
I'm just an Israeli living in Israel who wants the best for my country and for the Western world.
Hard enough for us to work out what's right for us, standing right here and knowing the people. Harder for Americans to understand from far away.
I think the problem with Americans understanding is strictly due to their PATHETIC lack of knowing the Bible. I know it must be terribly difficult living in the midst of Arabs who would be incredibly happy if Israel no longer existed. It is totally shameful that many of your Jewish counterparts here in America are so willingly selfish and ignorant that they think your country should not be defending itself, as is happening right now. Most of my prayers are for Israel, as we will be toast, if we do not stand behind your country...
BTW, Congratulations to Israel for obliterating another Hezbollah stronghold-My local newspaper reported this...
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