The Day After, In Israel

Posted by on . 6 comments.

(1) V For What-Was-That-Again?
That victory that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Bush declared yesterday, in ringing tones and in chorus? Well, Olmert is apologizing to his country for that victory today.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday acknowledged mistakes in the war against Hezbollah as the Israeli government confronted widespread criticism and political recriminations over the conflict.

“There have been failings and shortcomings,” Olmert, with deep circles under his eyes and a haggard look on his face, told a special session of the Israeli parliament. “We need to examine ourselves in all aspects and all areas. We will not sweep anything under the table, we will not hide anything. We must ensure that next time things will be done better.”

His words may sound more like he’s addressing the international criticism about crimes against humanity, but the political recriminations referred to above are in fact perceptions that Israel suffered a defeat, not a victory:

Olmert and other political and military leaders have been criticized in the news media and by political analysts as Israelis attempt to grapple with the perception that their military, the most advanced in the Middle East, has been losing a war to guerrilla fighter.

Similarly, opposition leader and former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is calling for soul-searching—not over whether Olmert’s government compromised the very ethical-moral foundations of the Israeli state, but over the risks “threatening our very existence.”

(2) Let Them Loot Stores

When Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, the head of the Israeli military’s logistics branch, was asked Monday about the complaints of many soldiers that they did not have enough food to eat during the combat operations, he told Israel’s Army Radio: “If our fighters deep in Lebanese territory are left without food or water, I believe they can break into local Lebanese stores to solve that problem.”

I’m a little foggy on the laws of war. Are the good guys allowed to do this?

(3) Revisionism
Yesterday it was:

In a statement to parliament, Olmert said the U.N. cease-fire agreement that went into effect Monday morning eliminated the “state within a state” run by Hezbollah and restored Lebanon’s sovereignty in the south.

Today’s version:

Speaking to a domestic audience skeptical of his decision to accept a cease-fire … Olmert insisted that the military “has struck a major blow to this murderous organization.”

He added, however, “The extent is not known.”

Comments

  1. Winux says:
    August 15, 2006 at 8:46 am

    I think the victory that Bush was referring to was the UN resolution that addressed Syria and Iran supporting Hezbollah and that repurcussions would occur….

    2) If my troops were hungry and I couldn’t get supplies fast enough up to them, let them find what they need. It happened in every major war out there. If they don’t eat, they starve and get shot and die. I’d rather look out for my own troops.

    3) I think Israel is grasping to for an a political answer to its people….

    What laws of war do you refer to, anyways? I would like to read this law book….

  2. sac says:
    August 15, 2006 at 9:14 am

    They drove Hezbollah away from the border, a UN peacekeeping force is being put into place, it seems the Lebanese military is actually becoming involved in attempting to keep a lid on Hezbollah (we’ll see how much internal support that one gets). In that sense, Israel achieved its goal. However, is was much more difficult than anticipated, and their methods have received much international scrutiny.

    On Hezbollah’s side, they weren’t completely destroyed, which, for a guerilla army going against a national force, is victory. Also, they very nearly achieved the impossible, which was to bring together Sunni and Shia support for their cause. Almost, being the key word, although Hezbollah has gained major brownie points with much of the Arab world.

    So, Israel gets its short-term goal, Hezbollah achieves less tangible though possibly more long-lasting gains. It’s a win-win/lose-lose proposition. In other words, business as usual in the Middle East.

  3. sarabeth says:
    August 15, 2006 at 10:13 am

    I think the victory that Bush was referring to was the UN resolution that addressed Syria and Iran supporting Hezbollah and that repurcussions would occur….

    What’s to think? He said what he said. And “Bush says Israel defeated Hezbollah” is how every media outlet reported it.

    AP:

    President Bush said Monday that Israel defeated Hezbollah’s guerrillas in the monthlong Mideast war and that the Islamic militants were to blame for the deaths of hundreds of Lebanese civilians.
    […]
    “Hezbollah attacked Israel. Hezbollah started the crisis, and Hezbollah suffered a defeat in this crisis,” the president said

    WaPo:

    Speaking to reporters at the State Department, Bush brushed aside suggestions that the United States was slow to respond to the crisis in Lebanon or that the war had resulted in anything less than a clear defeat for Hezbollah.

    He ain’t talking about no U.N. resolutions here.

  4. Winux says:
    August 15, 2006 at 10:59 am

    I didn’t know which day you were speaking of because you didn’t quote before. Over the weekend or last week sometime the UN passed a resolution against Hezbollah, and the media then played the line “Hezbollah suffered a defeat” and people took it to Isreal bombing them, and not the UN resolution.

    It’s a defeat for both sides, and a win for both sides, but I think now the world will be watching the whole Hezbollah-Isreal-Iran-Syria-Lebanon situation.

    Iran already stated they can blow up Tel-Aviv if Isreal attacks them or Syria, insinuating that if Isreal goes any further in advancing against Hezbollah, an all out war will begin. However, I think this is just cannon fodder, since he only stated it after the truce and Iran has little balls and little money to support a war….

  5. sarabeth says:
    August 15, 2006 at 12:05 pm

    I didn’t know which day you were speaking of because you didn’t quote before.

    Funny. Because the first line of my post reads:

    That victory that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Bush declared yesterday

    (And my advice is not to use phrases like “cannon fodder” if you don’t know what they mean or how they are to be used.)

  6. Winux says:
    August 15, 2006 at 2:55 pm

    A good source of a Muslim point of view on everything…

    http://eteraz.wordpress.com/