Senior military officer questions government’s approach to conflict

By Molly Moore
The Washington Post

http://www.msnbc.com/news/987256.asp?0cv=CB10

Excerpts:

JERUSALEM, Oct. 30 — Israel's senior military commander told columnists for three leading newspapers this week that Israels military tactics against the Palestinian population were too repressive and were fomenting explosive levels of "hatred and terrorism" that might become impossible to control.
IN REMARKS that suggest a dramatic split with the approach of the current government, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces, said that crackdowns, curfews and roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were crippling the lives of innocent Palestinians and that the military’s tactics were now threatening Israel's own interests.

'CONTRARY TO OUR STRATEGIC INTERESTS'
The military chief directed most of his complaints at restrictions imposed on the West Bank four weeks ago, after a suicide bomber from the West Bank city of Jenin killed 21 people in a restaurant in the Israeli port of Haifa. Yaalon said the current curfews and travel restrictions, some of the tightest since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000, were preventing Palestinians from carrying out critical olive and other agricultural harvests, hampering thousands of children from attending school, increasing hatred for Israel and strengthening terrorist organizations.

"In our tactical decisions, we are operating contrary to our strategic interests," Nahum Barnea, columnist for the Yedioth Aharonoth newspaper, quoted Yaalon as telling him. Yaalon also said he believed the Israeli government contributed to the failure of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian prime minister because it was too "stingy" and was unwilling to make concessions to bolster his authority.Yaalon took his complaints public after several weeks of security staff meetings in which he advocated easing the military restrictions on Palestinians. But in each session he was overruled by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and the intelligence chief, Avi Dichter, who argued that loosening controls on travel in the territories could allow Palestinian militants to slip into Israel, according to two military officers familiar with the internal disagreements. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, the final arbiter in the meetings, sided with Mofaz and Dichter, the officers said.

'ON THE BACKS OF CIVILIANS'
"He felt it was his public duty to say that if we don't do something about this, then it will explode in our face," said one senior military official. "The war against terror is taking place on the backs of civilians." Sharon and Mofaz, who both advocate stringent and wide-ranging responses to Palestinian suicide bombings and other attacks, reportedly were infuriated that the chief of staff aired his complaints publicly.

An official of Sharon's government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that what Yaalon said "is legitimate," but that by making his case to the news media, "I don't think he said the right thing to the right people." He added that Sharon and Mofaz were "not happy" and that "it would not happen again." But Yaalon's remarks, echoed by equally vociferous criticism from other military officers interviewed Thursday, revealed a schism between military and political leaders over the government's handling of a conflict that many officers and soldiers say they believe is not winnable through military force, incites more terrorism than it prevents and mistreats innocent Palestinians.[b] Almost 900 Israeli citizens or foreign residents of Israel have been killed in attacks by Palestinians, and Israeli military forces have killed about 2,500 Palestinians.

"We're in a more serious situation that the U.S. was in Vietnam," said reserve Brig. Gen. Yiftah Spector, one of the most decorated fighter pilots in Israeli military history. Spector was grounded as a flight instructor last month after signing a letter, along with 26 other reserve pilots, calling the military's targeted killings of militants in crowded civilian neighborhoods "illegal and immoral."

Israel's military policies in the Palestinian territories, Spector said, are "opposing everything I was raised on" during his career in the air force.
While Yaalon's staff attempted to make a distinction between his concerns and those of the pilots, military officials and analysts said frustration and disillusionment within the military — not only over tactics that punish innocent civilians but also with the stalled peace process — had spurred large numbers of troops, from infantrymen in the field to reserve officers to the chief of staff, to speak more openly against the policies of Sharon's government.

that berlin wall theyre building is pretty neat

I don't know, obviously balancing strategic and tactical consideration in this conflict is probably one of the hardest things to do. I'm sure he has some valid critisms, however I have not understand what he would change, and what would his approach be entitled to?

also the following statement:

quote:

Yaalon also said he believed the Israeli government contributed to the failure of Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian prime minister because it was too "stingy" and was unwilling to make concessions to bolster his authority.

Leads me to question his true intent, is he just biased against the current ways of the government, enough to state that a Palestinian failure is the fault and cause of Israeli failure?

I don't think Abbas fell because of Israel, and I don't think Israel could have done much more to keep Abbas with in power. It was a power struggle between Arafat and Abbas, and short from taking Arafat out of the equation there was nothing Israel could do, international pressure, mayhaps, but not Israel.

This comment alone makes me question the intention of the points of crititism made by this offical. Also the lack of feasible alternatives (what does he want to do? does he give crititism or just critize?) from the article weakens his point in my mind.

In summary, I don't know what to say.. it looks like a very bad written/researched article, and I can't state much about it till more is heard.

what's so shocking about israeli military officials having opposing views? did you think that all of israel was one-minded in thought on what Israel's policies should be? of course there are things i personally disagree with, of course there will be people on different extremes of the spectrum. Maybe if this senior military offical conducts himself well he can bring about better change, maybe not, hopefully so. But i'm still wondering what the point is about this article or what it's trying to prove.

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Spector has also said that the israeli army is one of the most moral in the world,and that he thinks that israeli army didnt do anything wrong in this intifada but he"s just affraid from their actions in the future and not in the present.
spector also said that he dont agree with the petition and he was hopeing that it will promote him in his future political career.
all of the other pilots are citizens.

Btw:im here becuse im bored,no interesting threads in the other forums

I agree with him to a large extent. The problem is that it's difficult to measure the benefits of some of Israel's policies against the extent to which it serves to agitate the Palestinian population and undermine attempts to maintain order.

I'm of the opinion that Israel would be wise to try to avoid many of these types of policies. Unfortunately, backing out of them at this point could be construed as a concession to the terrorists, which would be even more disastrous.

It's a delicate situation, and I do believe that Sharon and other government officials are doing what they believe is best. However, they should take this sort of criticism very seriously, as opposed to the spurious rhetoric they're more often confronted with.

quote:

Originally posted by Arbiter I agree with him to a large extent. The problem is that it's difficult to measure the benefits of some of Israel's policies against the extent to which it serves to agitate the Palestinian population and undermine attempts to maintain order. I'm of the opinion that Israel would be wise to try to avoid many of these types of policies. Unfortunately, backing out of them at this point could be construed as a concession to the terrorists, which would be even more disastrous. It's a delicate situation, and I do believe that Sharon and other government officials are doing what they believe is best. However, they should take this sort of criticism very seriously, as opposed to the spurious rhetoric they're more often confronted with.

well said!

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* Infected Mushroom - B.P.Empire