ARTICLE AND COPY SHOWCASE

A different view to challenges facing the IDF

Angered by the border violation and kidnapping of two Israeli reserve soldiers Israel responded by opening a military offensive against Hizballah guerillas in south Lebanon.

Wave after wave of fighter bombers reduced the southern Lebanese infrastructure to dust. Hizballah responded by firing wave after wave of katusha rockets into the Galilee and northern Israel.

Israeli civilians fled the airbourne onslought and took refuge with friends and relatives in towns further south. While Israel was besieging South Lebanon from the air the ground offensive was being planned.

After two weeks of intensive air strikes the decision was taken to start ground opperations. Conscript infantry troops poured over the boarder armed only with light weaponry. The commanders expected the resistance to be half hearted and demoralized.

Contrary to expectations Hizbollah resistance was strong and idealogically motivated even though Israeli fire power was overwhelmingly stronger. Hizballah was well organized and determined to inflict casualties on Israeli forces at all costs.

Mistake after mistake was made by Israeli commanders who continually failed to test fire or give appropriate cover fire. Casualties climbed. The shocked Israeli public found the news of their dead sons almost too much to bear.

As Israeli reservists appeared on the scene it became obvious that they fealt unprepared and ill equipped. Yet, driven by the urgency of destroying Hizballah’s cabability to attack Israel they eagerly entered the raging battle.

Again and again Israeli tanks and troops fell prey to Hizballah’s anti tank missiles. Conclusions hit home hard and adjustments were finally made to reduce the risks from the Hizballah’s saggers. By this time the damage had been done. About one hundred and twenty of Israels finest were dead and many more wounded. Where had all the generals gone?

Where was the strategical genius of old? Names like Sharon, Rabin, Dayan, Alon and Gur come to mind to mention but a few of Israels former military geniuses. Could it be that the new stock of Israeli Generals simply don’t cut the mustard when compared to the Giants of old?

Could it be that Israeli mothers are handing their sons over to a military heirarchy that cannot fill the shoes of it’s predecessors?

Do the new generation of Israeli generals suffer from inferiority complexes when they realise that they are to be compared to those Giants of the past? Does the fact they have no accompishments in real wars of survival make them feel at a loss in comparison? Are they itching to show the world that they are ready and capable of grinding any muslim adversary into the ground and to hell with the cost? If true, how dangerous are these characteristics to Israel as a whole?

In the year 2000 Israel drew out of Lebanon. Since that time Israel took no action against the development of Hizballah’s military infrastructure. Was this cold feet or were the generals waiting for something much bigger to happen?

Britain destroyed the IRA terrorist capability by putting special forces squads out on the ground year in year out day and night to irradicate terrorist targets by use of arms and target marking. The same options were open to Israeli forces. If these tactics had been employed Hizballah would not have developed into the same threat that we all witnessed in this recent conflict. If I had a very good idea that Hizballah terrorists had trained in Iran to the level of Iranian commandos I find it imposible to believe that the Israeli central command new nothing of this subject.

Citizens of the west awaken! Every small victory in the obscure muslim world of the east strenghtens and fortifies the anger and determination of muslim extreemists in western countries. This is not an Israeli problem but one that threatens all of our lives. Appeasement will only strenghten their resolve to weaken all of our societies.

Muslim fundamentalists must never be allowed feel that they can grind us down by eating away at our confidence and self esteem through intimidation and terrorism. This threat warrants the organization of a unified international front with true military power. Let us all unite in a common just cause and say that we will not stand to have our lifestyles destroyed by Islamic fundamentalism.