Mister Olmert led his nation into war and then lost the war.
Mr. Olmert's "on again, off again" handling of the IDF manacled generals in the field. His famous 48 hour air assault cease fire was a terrific failure. By withholding the main thrust of the ground offensive to the Litani River while diplomats dithered in New York, Mr. Olmert handcuffed his generals and needlessly put lives at risk.
As Shmuel Rosner reminded Israeli readers in the Haaretz newspaper on Thursday, "This is not a Presidency - it's the constant coalition of the willing, and the weaker the Prime Minister gets, the faster he will be abandoned by his partners."
Or, as observer Noah Pollak wrote, "To most Israelis, supporters of Israel, and especially to the IDF soldiers I spoke to on the border over the past few days, the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that recently went into effect is viewed as a cruel indignity, a dangerous projection of Israeli weakness and equivocation, and a plucking of defeat from the jaws of victory."
The people of Israel, we expect, will come to their own conclusions on Mr. Olmert.
On The Rise?
So who may be on the rise in Israel? Perhaps Bibi Netanyahu.Former Prime Minister and hard liner Mr. Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, currently the Opposition Leader, said this week the government needed unity but also needed a careful self-examination concerning the war against Hizbullah terrorists. He criticized the Olmert administration for not declaring an emergency situation at the outset of the war.
The former prime minister also attacked Prime Minister Olmert for not accomplishing the return of two kidnapped IDF soldiers and the dis-arming of Hizbullah.
Stating that Hezbollah executed a "cross border raid", while accepted as truth in corporate media is nothing but an Israeli government lie.
Both the IDF and Israeli Foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev admitted that the Hezbollah capture of 2 Israeli soldiers took place in LEBANON, NOT ISRAEL:
"It appears we have an escalation in the North," he said. "It is very clear that the escalation started on the Lebanese side of the border, and Israel will respond appropriately."
Voice of America, Jerusalem, July 12, 2006
See:
Operation "Change of Location"?
How Reports of the July 12th Capture of IDF Soldiers Soon Shifted From Lebanon to Israel
By TRISH SCHUH
http://counterpunch.org/schuh08152006.html
"Hizbullah terrorists" is a slur that does not correlate to a resistance against an unlawful occupying army. While the term "terrorism" can be bandied about by anyone in any circumstance these days, capturing combatant occupying soldiers hardly qualifies as "terrorism."
This article is biased and shameful in its treatment of Israel's illegal and immoral bombardment of Lebanon, its people, its infrastructure and its children.
It is Israel that has committed atrocities in this conflict, began the assault, and acted in a despicable and barbaric fashion. Israel should be punished in no uncertain terms with arms embargoes and economic sanctions.
Israeli "terrorism" from the air has greatly overshadowed this war, and should be stated as such. While Israeli pundits always attempt to portray Israel as a victim and its neighbors as the victimizers, this is usually a lie. The body counts speak for themselves.
Dead Lebanese civilians: 1300 minimum
Dead Israeli civilians: less than 100
Who is the true "terrorist" here?
by
johndoraemi (17 articles, 12 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 170 comments)
on Saturday, August 19, 2006 at 9:35:49 PM
you speak the truth, and the truth is painful...we must find a solution better than the willingness to kill for the sake of killing, just to be perceived as strong.
by
Zenseeker (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 14 comments)
on Monday, August 21, 2006 at 6:14:46 PM
Yes, poor old Israel really lost. Did you see all the Hezbollah tanks withdrawing out of Israel? Did you see all the Israeli airports, bridges, roads and buildings leveled to the ground. Poor Israel. In spite of one billion Muslims and another billion Israel haters, she losses one war after another. I guess this makes six wars she has lost. Poor Israel. Allah must really hate her.
by
pratliff94 (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 945 comments)
on Saturday, August 19, 2006 at 10:54:42 PM
