The military figures prominently in Israeli society, some say too prominently and well, there is certainly a debate to be had on that subject. However that conversation, we will save for another time.
It is important to remember that the IDF is an instrument of the democratically elected government of Israel. The IDF does not and should not have a say in policy. It is there to carry out the policies and orders of the government of the day.
In a highly politicised society where people are active and passionate on all sides of the political debate, maintaining the apolitical nature of the IDF is paramount. When the uniform goes on then political views need to be left at the door or gate if you prefer.
The disgraceful display of political protest during the Kfir unit's ceremony at the wailing wall, marking the end of basic training for new recruits; represents a clear and present danger to the security of the state. The overtly political display threatens the very nature of the IDF and its effectiveness as a military unit. When individual or groups of soldiers start choosing what missions they will or will not perform, then the security of the state is under threat. The actions of these young soldiers and their families, who joined their protest from the spectators gallery; only serve to undermine the defense of the country.
The soldiers must be disciplined to the full capacity of the military courts. In addition there should be an investigation to see if the family members who waved banners at the ceremony are guilty of inciting soldiers to refuse orders, and if they are, they should be prosecuted.
I must stress this is not about left and right. This is not about West Bank or Judea and Samaria. This is not about... should settlements be evacuated or not. This is about the very survival of the state of Israel as a democratic state and the IDF's ability to defend it. If you think I am being over dramatic then think again.
As soldier fighting in Beirut during the first Lebanon war in 1982, I remember the huge demonstration in Rabin Square (Malchey Yisrael at the time). While we were up there fighting, we heard around four hundred thousand people demonstrated against the war. We were angry and felt betrayed, well some of us did and then again some did not, in fact several of the guys who were out on leave attended that demonstration before returning for duty not long after. Like it or not, the demonstration was a legitimate display of political opinion in a democratic country, legitimate in civilian life... however not in uniform. And it is imperative that in a country which depends upon citizens from all backgrounds and sides of the political spectrum to serve and defend the nation, that this distinction be maintained.
I am firmly of the opinion that you cannot choose if or where you serve or what tasks you will or will not perform. You can only choose how you will serve and in what manner you will carry out your orders. You can of course refuse to carry out an illegal order. However, what and what is not illegal, again is for the courts to decide, not individuals.
Just as soldiers with left wing opinions should not have been allowed to refuse to serve in Lebanon or today on the West Bank, so too soldiers with right wing opinions should not be allowed to refuse to evacuate settlements or to perform any other task demanded of them by their officers and ultimately their government. You cannot call one side traitors for their actions and then betray your country in the very same manner. Many left wing refusniks have served jail time for their refusal. It is important that right wing refusniks be treated in the same manner.
In recent times there has been far too many attempts to promote political and religious agendas within the IDF. Those responsible must be brought to account and the IDF must defend itself from all such attempts regardless of which side of the argument they may come from.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The President, The Prize & The Damage Done
I am not one for conspiracy theories, however I cannot escape the suspicion that someone at the Nobel Foundation is really "out to get" the new American President. A Nobel prize for peace was the last thing the new President needed (or deserved) at this time.
Now for the record, I like the man. I think he is extremely capable and one of the best things to happen to US politics...no, to world politics in a long long time. He is a leader who wants to effect real change. He speaks well, there is no one better. He inspires like no other and he has indeed introduced the notion, that perhaps there could be hope for the world after all.
So, does he really deserve a Nobel Prize for peace?? Sorry but I think not. As far as I am aware the Noble prize is given for achievement not for promise or potential. Perhaps what he should have received is "most promising newcomer", that he is for sure. However unless that promise leads to results then hey, potential unrealised is well... nothing.
Not only is this a bizarre and questionable decision, in my opinion it is also an extremely dangerous one with wide ranging consequences for the conflict regions in the world.
If we look at Barak Obama's policies in regard to the various conflicts currently in need of a solution, then one surely cannot come to the conclusion that he has had success with any of them.
I will mention but a few high profile conflicts and apologise to the millions of suffering innocents for omitting so many other conflicts which also cry out for action.
In Afghanistan the US and coalition forces are on the back foot. Obama is being asked to send another 50,000 to 60,000 troops. This one will not end soon, not well anyway. In Iraq, things look better, but can we say this will continue or that for that matter any improvement is due to Obama or his administration. North Korea continues to do as it pleases, with little or any fear of "consequences". Perversely, detaining journalists without reason seems to bring its own rewards from the US administration. Iran is running rings around the US administration, and the international community; successfully buying time for its nuclear programme in the process.
Which brings me to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the worlds "favourite" conflict, and which, lets be honest is the one which concerns me most. I am also under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that it is his approach to this "hot potato" which won him the admiration of the Nobel Foundation. To me it is ironic, as I strongly believe that his naive and flawed approach is making it much harder (as if such a thing were possible) for any kind of agreement to be reached.
When he started out, lets just say that there was a great deal of good will towards the man and his administration. People wanted to believe that this guy, although not the messiah, was pretty much as close as we could hope for in this day and age. Well as Monty Python said "he's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy".
He's not naughty really, he just doesn't understand how he is supposed to behave. He tries hard, however in his desire to be a "good boy" and to change the face of world politics which are at the moment, lets face it, pretty damn ugly; he is unwittingly causing a huge amount of damage which will take years to fix, particularly in the Middle East. Well Mr President, it is time to grow up, and fast.
He came on strong to Israel insisting that all settlement activity cease. While pissing off the Israelis ( he did however stand up in Cairo and confirm America's unbreakable bond with Israel) , it really pleased the Palestinians and the Arab world. At last they thought, we have an ally in the White House. He made pleasant overtures to the Arab and Muslim worlds. He offered a hand out to Iran and Syria. So, a good start by all accounts. reasons for optimism perhaps.
Well what has happened since? Nothing... well in fact nothing would be an improvement. Things are getting worse not better. The Arab world, which Obama had hoped would make small concessions towards Israel has snubbed the President and toughened their stance in regard to Israel and any form of "normalisation". Obama has now backtracked in regard to settlements and is negotiating a compromise with the Israelis. The Israelis are now slightly happier, however poor Abu Mazen. The President of the Palestinian Authority has been led up the garden path by Obama and has been left far weaker than he was before Obama's arrival on the scene, which lets face it was not that strong to begin with.
With what he understood to be the full support of the US administration, Abbas mistakenly insisted he would not meet with the Israelis until a total freeze in settlement activity, including East Jerusalem. He was then forced, by the Obama administration; to back down and meet with Netanyahu, seriously undermining what little authority he has left in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Obama succeeded in providing a political victory to Hamas, who looked on and then said to the Palestinian people "we told you so".
So Obama's record so far in the Israeli Palestinian conflict is pretty poor. He has undermined Mahmoud Abbas, leaving him weak with elections on the horizon. His showing of support for the Palestinians has led them to harden their position and up their demands. With the "support" of the White House, they see far less reason to compromise. The Arab world has also decided that they can take advantage of the new administration's policies and demand more of Israel. Israel has gone into bunker mode feeling threatened by Obama's approach and its consequences.
President Obama started out with the best of intentions. I truly believe that. However we all know where a road paved with good intentions can lead. If the Nobel laureate wants to seriously tackle the Israeli Palestinian conflict then he will have to rethink his strategy and act swiftly to repair the initial damage he has caused. Only by taking a firm and even handed approach with all sides can he hope to achieve any progress.
The solution cannot be based purely upon "Land for Peace". Along with land there must also be "Peace for Peace". This demands a wholesale change in attitude on the side of the Palestinians and the Arab world. Israelis want to know that if they give up land they will receive peace and not rockets in return. The Palestinians must be made to understand that it is not just the Israelis who will have to make difficult sacrifices in the pursuit of peace. The Israelis need to know that the status quo is no longer an option and that Israeli settlement in the West Bank need to come to an end. The Arab world must realise that they can no longer use the Palestinians as an excuse for inaction and Israel as the scapegoat for all their ills. The international community also needs to realise that its unhealthy obsession with this conflict only serves to exacerbate the situation.
This is a seemingly impossible task, however of all those who have come before, it seems to me that just maybe, President Obama has a better chance than most. He needs to remember however, he is dealing with a tough neighbourhood where compromise is seen as weakness and where waxing lyrical and good intentions are no substitute for smart, determined and well executed policies.
Now for the record, I like the man. I think he is extremely capable and one of the best things to happen to US politics...no, to world politics in a long long time. He is a leader who wants to effect real change. He speaks well, there is no one better. He inspires like no other and he has indeed introduced the notion, that perhaps there could be hope for the world after all.
So, does he really deserve a Nobel Prize for peace?? Sorry but I think not. As far as I am aware the Noble prize is given for achievement not for promise or potential. Perhaps what he should have received is "most promising newcomer", that he is for sure. However unless that promise leads to results then hey, potential unrealised is well... nothing.
Not only is this a bizarre and questionable decision, in my opinion it is also an extremely dangerous one with wide ranging consequences for the conflict regions in the world.
If we look at Barak Obama's policies in regard to the various conflicts currently in need of a solution, then one surely cannot come to the conclusion that he has had success with any of them.
I will mention but a few high profile conflicts and apologise to the millions of suffering innocents for omitting so many other conflicts which also cry out for action.
In Afghanistan the US and coalition forces are on the back foot. Obama is being asked to send another 50,000 to 60,000 troops. This one will not end soon, not well anyway. In Iraq, things look better, but can we say this will continue or that for that matter any improvement is due to Obama or his administration. North Korea continues to do as it pleases, with little or any fear of "consequences". Perversely, detaining journalists without reason seems to bring its own rewards from the US administration. Iran is running rings around the US administration, and the international community; successfully buying time for its nuclear programme in the process.
Which brings me to the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the worlds "favourite" conflict, and which, lets be honest is the one which concerns me most. I am also under the impression (perhaps mistakenly) that it is his approach to this "hot potato" which won him the admiration of the Nobel Foundation. To me it is ironic, as I strongly believe that his naive and flawed approach is making it much harder (as if such a thing were possible) for any kind of agreement to be reached.
When he started out, lets just say that there was a great deal of good will towards the man and his administration. People wanted to believe that this guy, although not the messiah, was pretty much as close as we could hope for in this day and age. Well as Monty Python said "he's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy".
He's not naughty really, he just doesn't understand how he is supposed to behave. He tries hard, however in his desire to be a "good boy" and to change the face of world politics which are at the moment, lets face it, pretty damn ugly; he is unwittingly causing a huge amount of damage which will take years to fix, particularly in the Middle East. Well Mr President, it is time to grow up, and fast.
He came on strong to Israel insisting that all settlement activity cease. While pissing off the Israelis ( he did however stand up in Cairo and confirm America's unbreakable bond with Israel) , it really pleased the Palestinians and the Arab world. At last they thought, we have an ally in the White House. He made pleasant overtures to the Arab and Muslim worlds. He offered a hand out to Iran and Syria. So, a good start by all accounts. reasons for optimism perhaps.
Well what has happened since? Nothing... well in fact nothing would be an improvement. Things are getting worse not better. The Arab world, which Obama had hoped would make small concessions towards Israel has snubbed the President and toughened their stance in regard to Israel and any form of "normalisation". Obama has now backtracked in regard to settlements and is negotiating a compromise with the Israelis. The Israelis are now slightly happier, however poor Abu Mazen. The President of the Palestinian Authority has been led up the garden path by Obama and has been left far weaker than he was before Obama's arrival on the scene, which lets face it was not that strong to begin with.
With what he understood to be the full support of the US administration, Abbas mistakenly insisted he would not meet with the Israelis until a total freeze in settlement activity, including East Jerusalem. He was then forced, by the Obama administration; to back down and meet with Netanyahu, seriously undermining what little authority he has left in the eyes of the Palestinian people. Obama succeeded in providing a political victory to Hamas, who looked on and then said to the Palestinian people "we told you so".
So Obama's record so far in the Israeli Palestinian conflict is pretty poor. He has undermined Mahmoud Abbas, leaving him weak with elections on the horizon. His showing of support for the Palestinians has led them to harden their position and up their demands. With the "support" of the White House, they see far less reason to compromise. The Arab world has also decided that they can take advantage of the new administration's policies and demand more of Israel. Israel has gone into bunker mode feeling threatened by Obama's approach and its consequences.
President Obama started out with the best of intentions. I truly believe that. However we all know where a road paved with good intentions can lead. If the Nobel laureate wants to seriously tackle the Israeli Palestinian conflict then he will have to rethink his strategy and act swiftly to repair the initial damage he has caused. Only by taking a firm and even handed approach with all sides can he hope to achieve any progress.
The solution cannot be based purely upon "Land for Peace". Along with land there must also be "Peace for Peace". This demands a wholesale change in attitude on the side of the Palestinians and the Arab world. Israelis want to know that if they give up land they will receive peace and not rockets in return. The Palestinians must be made to understand that it is not just the Israelis who will have to make difficult sacrifices in the pursuit of peace. The Israelis need to know that the status quo is no longer an option and that Israeli settlement in the West Bank need to come to an end. The Arab world must realise that they can no longer use the Palestinians as an excuse for inaction and Israel as the scapegoat for all their ills. The international community also needs to realise that its unhealthy obsession with this conflict only serves to exacerbate the situation.
This is a seemingly impossible task, however of all those who have come before, it seems to me that just maybe, President Obama has a better chance than most. He needs to remember however, he is dealing with a tough neighbourhood where compromise is seen as weakness and where waxing lyrical and good intentions are no substitute for smart, determined and well executed policies.
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