The Indefensible Defense Minister
Excerpts;
These passages from a Jewish Telegraphic Agency story carried by Philadelphia’s Jewish Exponent lay out much of what even the most able defense minister is up against: “How to deal with Palestinian terrorism under a radical, Hamas-led Palestinian Authority that refuses to condemn attacks; how to prepare for the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program, which is led by a regime that talks about wiping Israel off the map; how to accelerate completion of Israel’s West Bank security fence, delayed in part by bureaucratic bottlenecks in the Defense Ministry itself; and how to facilitate a major West Bank evacuation with minimal friction between the army and evacuated settlers.”
Not too much pressure, eh?
In Friday’s New York Post article, Uri Dan conceded that both Olmert and Peretz lack experience in national security matters. However, Dan stressed that armed forces commander Dan Halutz “will play the major role in matters like Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”
Except to note that elected political leaders must set policy, Dan does not make clear where this will leave Peretz. Will he be a mere figurehead or will he be participating in decisions on subjects of which he has little knowledge?
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