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The IDF needs to fix itself.

With respect to the analysis of the conclusion of the Second Lebanon War, you’ll have to accept that we differ on the outcome. You don’t have to take my word for it, just read the Winograd reports and the numerous editorials and articles by people who participated in the war. Prior to the war, Israel had soldiers near the border, no hostages, Samir Kuntar, a force that could enter Lebanon at will to fight, relatively good intimidating presence that served to prevent wars, and no opposing forces’ doctrines on how to beat Israel.

After the war, you had the original dead soldiers in the Northern outpost, you had the dead hostages returned but in a humiliating exchange for the murderer Kuntar, you ended up with another 140 dead soldiers, another 40 dead civilians, no more intimidating presence because everybody perceived Israel’s weakness in fighting, tactical and strategic capabilities, a foreign force blocking Israel’s path should it need to re-enter Lebanon, a UN Security Council resolution that is willfully ignored by both sides but places Israel at a disadvantage because it is a state and Hizbullah is an organization, a new fighting doctrine against Israel that includes rocket barrages against civilian centers and fighting from sophisticated bunker systems, etc. etc.

In other words, it’s hard to spin this as a victory. When you lose, you have to lick your wounds, debrief like crazy, figure out what went wrong and then do everything in your power to fix the problems. It is well within the power of the IDF to do this. If a former major general whose job it was to evaluate the army’s failures stands up and says that two years after the fact the IDF still hasn’t and isn’t implementing the changes needed to improve the situation, then what can people do to get the army’s attention?

People protesting individually will get nowhere. You need a loud voice coming from those whose husbands and sons are or will be in harm’s way. You can be sure that if a meaningful number protests this issue, the army will address it.

Our oldest boy is scheduled to enter the IDF next year and we are convinving him not to make himeslef cannon fodder for the irresponsible leadership the IDF is still under, both political and military.

If it weren’t for the absurdity of the situation, we would leave our son to his own decisions.

Looking forward to the day when Israel remembers who it is and why we’re here.