 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tried to defuse growing public anger Monday over his handling of the war against Hezbollah, promising to rebuild rocket-scarred border areas but rejecting peace talks with Syria, a key supporter of the Lebanese guerrillas.
| I don't think anything bodes well for Olmert's political future, but chatting with Assad probably bodes worse than most things. |
With efforts to recruit troops for an international peacekeeping force facing resistance from Europe, the week-old truce appeared increasingly fragile. The Israeli army, which is waiting for the U.N. force to arrive before fully withdrawing from southern Lebanon, said its soldiers shot two Hezbollah guerrillas who approached in a "threatening manner" late Monday. A Hezbollah official called the report "untrue and entirely baseless."
| "No, no! Certainly not! They were... ummm... somebody else!" |
Although Italy offered Monday to command the enhanced international force, many European countries are apparently hesitant to commit troops because of questions about whether they will be called on to disarm Hezbollah fighters, who have largely melted back into the civilian population. Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh have offered front-line troops but Israel does not want them because those Muslim nations have not recognized the Jewish state.
| Yeah, there's something not quite right about having hostile troops on your border as a peacekeeping force. |
Since the U.N.-brokered cease-fire took effect, ending 34 days of war, the Israeli public's frustration with the performance of the government and the military has grown steadily. On Monday, hundreds of reservists signed a petition calling for an official inquiry, some marching outside Olmert's office to demand his resignation. Olmert's government, a coalition headed by his centrist Kadima party and the moderate Labor party, is in no immediate danger of collapse.
| Unless Israeli attention spans are really, really short, its eventual ouster should be a certainty... |
It could be brought down only by parliament, which is in recess until October, and it is not clear whether the public storm will last until then. "I think Olmert will simply allow the anger to pass and get on with his business," said Gadi Wolfsfeld, a professor of political science at Hebrew University. He said none of the parties in the ruling coalition are eager to hold new elections, and there is no leader in Kadima with the clout to replace him.
| Ummm... I'm thinking Netanyahu, here, who's admittedly not Kadima. But the war would have gone differently with him at the helm. I don't think anyone doubts that. |
The war, launched in response to a Hezbollah raid in which two soldiers were captured and three killed, initially enjoyed broad public support that withered as the fighting dragged on and the Israeli death toll grew.
| The death toll grew while the government dithered and "sent signals." Had the IDF and the north taken the same number of casualties and dismantled Hezbollah, as they said they were going to do at the start of the festivities, the public would have known they'd been in a fight, but they'd have been happy to be victorious. |
Critics said Israel's political and military leaders were indecisive, set unrealistic goals and settled for an insufficient truce. The harshest criticism has come from reserve soldiers, who form an integral part of the military. Reservists returning from Lebanon complained about poor command and a lack of food, water and equipment. "No goal was achieved. ... Nothing was done in this war," Roni Elmakyes, whose son Omri was killed in the fighting, told Israel Radio.
| If you start out saying Hezbollah can no longer exist, and you end up with Hezbollah claiming victory — whether justified or not — you haven't accomplished what you set out to do. |
Even the army's leadership began to show signs of dissent. Brig. Gen. Yossi Hyman, the outgoing head of infantry, said this week that "we all feel a certain sense of failure."
Olmert has said he is ready for an investigation, but did not say what kind. An independent commission could call for the resignation of government and military officials. During a tour of the north Monday, Olmert appeared cool toward such an inquiry, saying the second-guessing would undermine the army. "I won't play this game, the game of beating ourselves up," he said.
| Then go ahead, resign, and call new elections. |
The defense ministry has already established a team to look into the war, but the panel of retired generals has been derided as toothless. Olmert's tour stops included Kiryat Shemona, one of the hardest-hit border towns, and the Arab village of Maghar, which also came under Hezbollah rocket fire during the fighting. Facing local officials, Olmert pledged speedy reconstruction and defended his government's performance. He also appeared to pin some of the blame on his predecessors, saying his government had been in power for just two months when the war broke out.
| But the IDF's been around since 1948. The operation showed the classical signs of government setting tactics, over-reliance on air power, misguided attempts to avoid enemy casualties, and lack of integration of air and ground forces. |
"We knew for years that there was a great danger, but for some reason, we didn't translate that understanding into action, like we just did," he said. "We knew what Iran was doing, what Syria was doing, arming Hezbollah. We acted as if we didn't know."
| You found out. But Hezbollah as a military force shouldn't have been a match for the IDF. Period. |
Olmert also rejected a proposal by some members of his Cabinet to resume peace talks with Syria, a key Hezbollah supporter. He said talks could resume only if Syria stops supporting militant groups. "Syria is a committed, aggressive member of the axis of evil, which starts in Iran," Olmert said. "Before we negotiate with (President) Bashar Assad, let him stop launching missiles, by means of Hezbollah, onto the heads of innocent Israelis." |
