Adonis Diaries

Why Israel went to war in 2006? (October 18, 2008)

I have been reading “Israel in state of chock” by Frederic Pons and many other manuscripts on the subject. Even the Winograd report and the other two reports didn’t dare state directly or clearly why Israel went to war in July 12, 2006; maybe the full reports did but were not released to the general public.

The way I see the big picture of the main reason Israel went to war against Hezbollah in July 2006 is that this war was not based on any strategic gain neither politically nor militarily at the time; there are indications that the Bush Administration and Chief of Staff Haloutz were readying a full scale war around September.  The crux of the matter was that many ministers in the Olmert Administrations were seriously implicated judiciary for financial and moral wrong doings and they hoped that a striking military victory, in this golden opportunity offered to them, would restore their political credibility or at least restrain the legal procedures raised in their cases.

For example, Ehud Olmert was already facing investigation for financial conflict of interest, the Justice Minister Haim Ramon was indicted of sexual harassment, the President Moshe Katsav was investigated for cases of rape, the minister of finance Avraham Hirschon accepted dubious transfer of funds destined to the syndicate Histadrout and the Chief of Staff Halouz wanted to make profit by selling his judiciously invested stock shares before the announcement of war. To exacerbate matters, the Defense minister Amir Peretz was totally ignorant in military affairs and didn’t do his military service too and Haloutz and his inner circle of officers had already a detailed plan for air strikes in coordination with the US air command; Haloutz wanted “his war” and to prove the superiority of his strategy relying solely on air power; and mostly to make lots of profit with his closest allies in the military industrial complex for the replenishment of the military arsenal. Thus, the restricted war group of seven ministers didn’t include ministers of expertise in military matters such as Shaul Mofaz or Benjamin Ben Eliezer or the minister of the interior that could contribute in their opinions and would ultimately be most directly implicated in war and its aftermath such as the minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni.

The military in Israel was not “prepared” or ready for war simply because society and the younger generations had other more urgent difficulties to worry about.  More than 25% of the eligible individuals to be drafted for their 3 years term avoided the call for military service, especially the most educated and living in large cities and the ultra-orthodox Israelites.  The reservists had made it a habit to skip their 40-day service per year because of lax regulations on account that the army wanted to save on its budget.  The so-called Home Front was totally neglected and no resources were allocated to social services or to improve conditions for any long term war situation. More than 2 million Israelites fled the areas targeted by katyousha rockets and the elderly and poor fresh immigrants from Ethiopia and Belarusian were left out without any government support for 33 days.

Israel used to hammer the concept that the “Arabs” do not read Israel’s newspapers; otherwise its “democratic” free press would have divulged the intentions of Israel against the Arab States.  Nowadays, it seems that the former generations in Israel failed to read the manuscripts of their Founding Fathers; if they did they would have discovered that Hertzel, Wiseman, Sassoon and others had made deals with the colonial powers of Britain and France to settle the Jews in Palestine and in return to play cops and keep the Near East States, after their independence, divided and preventing this important geo-political region from uniting.

Britain wanted to save on any tax impositions on her commerce with India and to keep the flow of goods cheap at any circumstances.  The colonial powers had this strategy from the 17^th century. The USA was glad of this arrangement to keep the flow of oil at a ridiculously low price.  Israel participated in the Suez invasion of 1956 along side Britain and France to satisfy its part of the deal and because France has offered Israel its first nuclear reactor.  Israel has over 300 nuclear head bombs; why so many and for what purpose if it is not to be launched far away from its tiny borders?

If the former generations in Israel were voracious readers they would have packed and left this dangerous area long time ago. The mothers and fathers of the fallen Israeli soldiers and civilians would not have to mourn their deaths in over five offensive wars for a chimerical objective.  I think that the times have changed and only those mercenaries happy to resume their favorite hobby of soldiers and sergeants would remain in Israel within this decade. It is hoped that the new Israeli generation is reading at the sources and would not wait any longer for this masquerade of their military industrial complex to abuse of their naïve fundamental religious beliefs.