Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., October 13, 2008 Tishrei 14, 5769 | | Israel Time: 06:56 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Last update - 22:46 11/10/2008 One more victory like this By Yossi Sarid Tags: IDF, Israel news  When the Jewish month of Tishri starts, we have many worries. During this month, generals give interviews, one after the other, on the basis of an empty slot in the profusion of newspapers' holiday supplements. And there is nowhere to hide - we have to check whether our air-raid shelters are ready. Ever since 1973, on every Yom Kippur, I shout "Ya" from the depths of my air-raid shelter, not necessarily from the synagogue. Two generals, from the north and the east, have already managed to say their words in honor of the new year, yet they are ready to add more. One is General Nothing because he has learned nothing, the other is General Lazy because he is too lazy to block the settlers' wicked deeds, to remove a roadblock from the road to Bethlehem or a mobile home from a hilltop. He too, like his predecessors, complains about the situation but will not lift a finger to improve it. Was it they the outgoing prime minister was addressing when he said: "I read the statements of our generals and I say, how is it possible that they have learned nothing?" One of the generals has neither the strength nor the determination to enforce the law in the territories, and the other, by contrast, "has imposing strength as compared with what there was during the previous war." He also has determination. Both of them were chief cooks during the Second Lebanon War, when the dishes were overdone, but the next war, for a change, they plan to win "with speed, with intensity, and without winking at world public opinion." The next war is always the most successful of all wars. Advertisement True, in the summer of 2006 they destroyed half of Beirut, they brought ruin on 120,000 homes in Lebanon, they caused hundreds of thousands to flee, they launched, by all accounts, tens of thousands of mortars and cluster bombs - who's counting? Never have so many weapons been used on so small an area, but the victory was still not complete. When the next round comes, it will be different: the Dahiya Doctrine - referring to the densely populated Beirut neighborhood flattened by the Israel Defense Forces during the last war - will be applied, "disproportionate force" will bring about "tremendous damage and destruction," the victory will be complete, and to hell with public opinion at home or abroad. Veteran generals' urges are never contained, they are merely fired up anew. They have a certain proficiency in operating military forces, but they are ignoramuses about recognizing their limitations. Of course, our generals will instruct us - when and where did any recent war end with a decisive victory? When was a war decided from the air? Who is the victor when there is no clear victory, the strong side or perhaps actually the weak side? And what are the objectives of the war, which are so close at hand, to such a strong hand, and when these are achieved, the country will be calm for 40 years. And what indeed is a "victory" when we are referring to guerrilla organizations? And how do we go to another war and win it without a broad national consensus? And how will this consensus be found before all other possibilities have been exhausted, which have not even started to be exhausted. On the 35th anniversary of the "October War" this week, the heads of the Syrian army stressed their desire for peace and not war - that is what the official Syrian news agency reported. Israeli generals in their stead are sharpening their tongues and swords, and there is not a word about peace. I must reveal a closely guarded secret. If for a whole year, including the eves of holidays, there were to be silence here, all our enemies would be under pressure, rather than us being inside our shelters. Silence is a kind of deterrent. And we can leave the threats to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, for whom harsh words are an art, and whose threats will always be worse than ours. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Hair apparent Ultra-Orthodox shop unveils 'Sarah Palin Wig' based on Alaska governor's famous 'do. Protocols of Wall Street 'Report': Jewish execs sent $400 billion to Israel before Lehman Brothers' demise.   1.   A language that Hizbolla understands 22:20  |  Proud Israeli 11/10/08   2.   A language that Israel understands 01:42  |  Proud Lebanese 12/10/08   3.   A language that Israel understands 05:55  |  Sammy 13/10/08

Read & React Gideon Levy: Acre Jews warn 'Arabs will kill you with knives' Responses: 136 Conspiracy theory on Jews' role in Lehman Brothers collapse gains popularity Responses: 181 Amos Harel: Gilad Shalit is still in captivity - who is to blame? Responses: 38 Adar Primor: Will Haider's death pave the way to a unified far-right in Austria? Responses: 18 More Headlines 02:21 Sources: Hamas has raised price of Shalit deal in wake of Kuntar release 02:53 Labor Party, Kadima close to signing coalition agreement 06:30 ANALYSIS / A political partnership based on mutual lack of trust 06:34 Israel to allow 700 additional armed PA troops into Hebron 06:38 Hebrew University makes The Times' list of 100 top schools 04:48 Angry and confused, Acre residents wonder how everyday life will go on 01:09 N.Y. synagogues feel holiday pinch as financial crisis wears on congregants 04:58 VIDEO / TASE defies grim forecasts, ends day with moderate losses 20:14 Conspiracy theory faults Jews for Lehman Brothers' collapse 04:37 U.S. tycoon gives David Grossman Torah scroll in son's memory 05:58 Gaydamak's Radio 99 unable to pay salaries 05:47 Lebanon bans political posters in bid to defuse sectarian tension 22:52 Driver who sparked Acre riots: I'd sacrifice myself to bring back coexistence 15:27 Iranian presidential candidate: Ahmadinejad`s Holocaust comments are `irrelevant` Previous Editions Select Day 12 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 06 oct 05 oct 03 oct 02 oct 01 oct 30 sep 29 sep

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved