How to say "Olmert is toast!" in Hebrew?
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Posted by Al Gordon on 08:41:01 2006/11/06
In the aftermath of the Lebanon War
Laura Rosen Cohen
National Post
Monday, November 06, 2006
TIBERIAS, Israel - In downtown Tiberias, the smell of grilled meats, lamb shwarma and greasy French fries wafts through the air. The streets are packed with Israeli tourists from all over the country, and the sound of Sephardic oriental music blares from speakers.
Looking around at the crowds, it is hard to imagine that just weeks ago, the city of Tiberias and Israel's entire northern population were living in bomb shelters, weathering relentless Katyusha attacks from Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Now, a groundswell of anger toward Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is bubbling beneath the surface appearance of normalcy. As the post-war Olmert-appointed Winograd Commission begins its work, many average Israelis are only just starting to express their anger at the way the war in Lebanon was handled by the Olmert-Livni-Peretz government.
The litany of civilian, reservist and regular troop complaints concern a variety of problems including the glaring lack of appropriate equipment and food supplied to IDF troops, dilapidated public bomb shelters, indecisive and ineffective military leadership and -- perhaps most damning -- the failure to retrieve Israeli hostages or to make a significant dent in diminishing Hezbollah's vast arsenal and supply lines of sophisticated rocketry. In addition, the government's plans for northern Israel's economic and infrastructural rehabilitation are under close scrutiny by a public that will not forgive nor forget the lessons of this war.
On Aug. 18, the Associated Press reported that Israeli soldiers returning from battle said that they were forced to drink water from the canteens of dead Hezbollah terrorists. On Aug. 21, an Israeli news agency reported that soldiers said that they had, at times, gone without food for more than 24 hours, and that they had broken into local Lebanese stores to get food in between battles. Soldiers complained of such extensive equipment shortages that the Israeli Bank Hapoalim donated 400 flak jackets to troops. Other soldiers had to ask friends and family members to send them equipment.
Reports such as these prompted Israeli corporations to send food packages to both soldiers on the front and beleaguered northern residents and triggered a similar response on the part of Jews in the Diaspora. Throughout the summer, "crisis" fundraising drives went into high gear. The United Jewish Communities of North America has already raised some US$330-million for its Israel Emergency Fund. UJC literature says that the funds are for the immediate needs of the northern residents -- i.e., outfitting bomb shelters with air conditioners, lighting and televisions; providing summer camps for kids that were out of Katyusha range and offering psychological counseling.
In the U.S., American Jews started an "Operation Body Armor" to purchase Kevlar flak jackets from northern Kibbutz Sasa for Israeli troops. They wanted to support local industry and help IDF soldiers. The concern for the lives of soldiers and northern settlers is admirable.
Yet, rather than celebrate the generosity of these donors, a critical question must be asked.
Why is the Israeli government downloading the equipping of the IDF to anyone outside of Israel, no matter how pure their intentions? Have no lessons been learned from previous wars where Israel was at the mercy of fickle external suppliers for war materiel and equipment? Why did the Israeli private and volunteer sectors have to pick up governmental slack? How can the Olmert government justify its colossal logistical and tactical failings?
It's not as though sloppiness has plagued all recent IDF operations. The IDF's evacuation of Jewish settlers in Gaza was flawless. But the war in Lebanon seems to have been fought by an entirely different army. Soldiers and policemen evacuating Gaza settlers were outfitted with special psychological training sessions, spanking new uniforms, baseball caps with special insignia and water bottles. Soldiers heading into Lebanon felt like unequipped sitting ducks.
The continuing silence from the Olmert government is deafening. However, the Israeli public is demanding answers. The Prime Minister simply could not continue to ignore the growing number of army reservists who began demonstrating in front of the Knesset, demanding a fully independent commission of inquiry into war blunders. Yet, in response to their impassioned pleas for answers, in lieu of an independent commission, Olmert handpicked five members to sit on the Winograd Commission.
As the Hebrew press is widely reporting, the Israeli public has little faith in the ability of the commission to do anything but cover up, and gloss over the glaring failures of the Olmert government or worse -- to simply resort to blaming previous governments for neglecting to properly assess the threat posed from Hezbollah since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon six years ago. Even from within the cabinet there are voices questioning the possible objectivity of a committee that was appointed by and reports to the Prime Minister.
Fortunately, alternate Israeli leadership is available and organizing. In the coming weeks, names such as Binyamin Netanyahu and Natan Sharansky will enjoy an increasing presence in headlines.
Back in Jerusalem, reservist soldiers and bereaved parents of IDF soldiers continue to demonstrate outside the Knesset, and the emperor grows more naked each day. But hope springs eternal, and it's just a pity that "incumbents are toast" translates so miserably into Hebrew.
- Laura Rosen Cohen is a Toronto-based writer.
© National Post 2006
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