Analysis: A Crisis of Confidence, By Anshel L. Pfeffer
Excerpts;
Olmert could be excused for believing that he has handled things pretty well until now, but whether he likes it not, the Gilad Shalit saga, now into its second week, has defined his first half-year in power and could well cast a pall over the next.
The final resolution of Shalit’s saga notwithstanding, it will take a Herculean effort on the part of Olmert and his cabinet to regain one of their most important assets, the confidence of the military and the intelligence establishment.
“The IDF just follows the orders of the political level” is a recurring motto among the members of the General Staff.
Officials who were uneasy with the way Olmert heaped praise on Hosni Mubarak’s head at their meeting a month ago in Sharm e-Sheikh felt last week that the Egyptians were being given way too much credit to negotiate in Israel’s name.
The last-minute decision to postpone the second phase of Operation Summer Rains to facilitate the Egyptian mediation was seen as an extra unneeded humiliation, especially when Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman canceled his plans to arrive in Gaza and deal with matters on the spot.
… The crucial question for Israelis now is, where does the power lie here? Are those who are legally authorized to wield that power also confident enough to do so?
Commentary;
Perhaps it is indeed self-destructive when the IDF sees itself as subserviant to a government more concerned about defending and perpetuating itself and it’s destructive institutions than about the heretofore main mission of the IDF: fighting to defend the Jewish nation. MB