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Last update - 09:45 26/10/2009
Investigating the IDF would be the real war crime
By Shahar Ilan
Tags: Goldstone Gaza Report 

There are positions which are difficult to understand anybody wanting to hold. One of these is a commander in the army. During every military campaign, we place them on a pedestal, send them to fight in our name and (supposedly) give them the backing of 90 percent of the public.

Each time, we lead them to believe that the support they received was so widespread that perhaps they would no longer be asked to pay the price for fighting our wars for us. And each time we betray them anew and abandon them on the battlefield to the devices of commissions of inquiry.

It is important to remember this: A commission of inquiry is not an entity whose purpose is to get to the truth. A commission of inquiry is an entity whose very existence affirms the fact that there was an oversight and a crime was perpetrated.
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The commission's very being gives rise to an oversight. There has yet to be one commission of inquiry that was formed and failed to find any flaws, nor has there been one panel created only to dissolve with the following statement: "Sorry, you appointed us for no reason. You just wasted hundreds of thousands of shekels to subsidize our time and our wonderful sandwiches, and the real mistake was in our very formation."

Whoever thinks that such an inquiry does not have an impact on the willingness of quality, upstanding people to pursue a military career and the readiness of senior officers to make proper decisions in the field is burying their head deep in a jug of military camouflage face paint.

Every time the standing of the military's senior echelon of officers is discussed, one ought to bring up the question of why Lt. Col. Roi Klein, who jumped on a grenade during battle in Bint Jbeil in the Second Lebanon War and as a result saved the lives of his soldiers, has not been mythologized (and perhaps encouraged the mythologizing of others).

There was a time when we considered officers worthy of adulation. Today, we haul them before committees of inquiry. There was a time we feted acts of heroism and sacrifice, a time when we hailed those who won the battles for us. Today we consider them suckers.

During the Second Lebanon War, perhaps it was possible to claim that the war was not a rousing success and that this justified an investigation. It was certainly not a failure, but Israel's strategic predicament does not allow for anything less than a decisive victory. This was something the Israel Defense Forces should have taken into consideration.

But Operation Cast Lead was a resounding military success. It put a stop to the Qassam rocket fire in the south and we sustained few casualties. Yet even this success does not relieve the commanders of the need to go into battle with a lawyer in tow.

There is no way to wage combat in Gaza without harming the civilian population, and it is obvious that the IDF did much to avoid this. We are essentially telling our commanders: Your war is never over, and even if your life was saved, your career is in danger. No deed geared toward Israel's defense will go unpunished.

IDF officers and their charges are not the only ones whose faces we are spitting in by entertaining the very idea of establishing a commission of inquiry. What message are we sending to the residents of the south? That we accept the claim that firing thousands of Qassam rockets on their heads is not a war crime, but our operation is?

One needs to be blind not to recognize the fact that the world is judging us by a double standard. It does not change the fact that the world is stronger, and sometimes we need to put our heads down and play their game.

But there also comes a time when we need to say "enough is enough." If the officers who led Operation Cast Lead end up paying for it with their careers, or even if they do not pay but their appearances before a commission of inquiry become nightmarish, this will be the real crime.

All of us will bear responsibility for it, and all of us will pay the price during the next war.

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      1.   "no way to wage combat in Gaza without harming the civilians" 02:03  |  Heinz 26/10/09
      2.   Israeli war HEROES are mythologized! 02:23  |  jim the mechanic 26/10/09
      3.   IF THESE GENERALS COMMIT CRIMES AGAINST OWN PEOPLE (GUSH QATIF) W 02:27  |  THE DEEP THROAT))))) 26/10/09
      4.   Esterhazy`s Defense Team 02:38  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/10/09
      5.   Esterhazy`s Defense Team 02:39  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/10/09
      6.   "There was a time..." 02:39  |  Don 26/10/09
      7.   Israel LOST the Lebanon war, are you kidding yourselfs? 02:40  |  Marc Leb 26/10/09
      8.   absolutely right 02:56  |  McQueen 26/10/09
      9.   The only ENQUIRY needed is into methods of Terrorist`s Warfare 03:05  |  Alan SA 26/10/09
      10.   observation 03:11  |  potobac 26/10/09
      11.   WE AMERICANS CAN DO IT 03:15  |  FRED 26/10/09
      12.   The Real War... 03:55  |  Yosemite 26/10/09
      13.   This doesn`t really dignify a response, but... 04:06  |  Colin Wright 26/10/09
      14.   Politicians Are Also Responsible For the Crimes 04:12  |  Monitor 26/10/09
      15.   "...RESOUNDING MILITARY SUCCESS." 04:17  |  EL 26/10/09
      16.   Alan SA The IDF & Livni are liars? 04:29  |  CJ 26/10/09
      17.   what the author suggests is "carte blanche"; no questions asked 04:39  |  eric 26/10/09
      18.   The real crimes that need to be punished 05:40  |  Daniel 26/10/09
      19.   what the report ought to do 05:44  |  arieh zimmerman 26/10/09
      20.   Suicide bombers and war crimes report 05:55  |  Edifice 26/10/09
      21.   See why staus quo and Netanyahu are not a choice? 06:23  |  Carmen Farreira 26/10/09
      22.   i would hope the IDF in the future considers if its a war crime 07:00  |  that IS the point 26/10/09
      23.   Goldstone is a traitor. Where is his report on suicide bombers? 07:28  |  Saul 26/10/09
      24.   every war is a crime, but there are degrees 08:00  |  paskunyak 26/10/09
      25.   Not a dichotomy 08:11  |  Reuven 26/10/09
      26.   WELL WRITTEN! 08:13  |  henry 26/10/09
      27.   Right on! 08:43  |  George 26/10/09
      28.   Saul, where is his mandate on "suicide bombers?" 08:43  |  BBSNews 26/10/09
      29.   OK, Shahar Ilan, you definitely have a point there, but.... 08:56  |  Esther 26/10/09
      30.   in a democracy everything can be examined 09:14  |  kochmalogue 26/10/09
      31.   Absolutely correct Shahar Ilan!!! 09:17  |  S 26/10/09
      32.   This the whole point of a war crime investigation 09:21  |  gal 26/10/09
      33.   Esterhazy`s Defense Team 09:27  |  Mark of Lewiston 26/10/09
      34.   Cast Lead was a failure... 09:29  |  yezmar 26/10/09
      35.   WELL DONE 09:57  |  DS 26/10/09
      36.   It`s exactly people like Mr. Ilan who give Israel a bad name.... 10:01  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/10/09
      37.   OK, investigate Israeli politicians for war crimes then 10:44  |  Michael 26/10/09
      38.   MICHAEL Investigate thousands of Qassams fired PRIOR to Cast Lead 11:14  |  PETER SM 26/10/09
      39.   #2 Jim the Mechanic; Your argument justifying allegation of war.. 11:15  |  None is too many 26/10/09
      40.   Terrorists win politically as in Cast Lead, not militarily. 11:24  |  Michael 26/10/09
      41.   A bad name with Swiss (Dino) may be good... 11:30  |  Israeli citizen 26/10/09
      42.   JIM THE MECHANIC Sharon was a war hero.He counter attacked 11:35  |  PETER SM 26/10/09
      43.   PETER SM 23. Israel is in the wrong because of the occupation. 11:45  |  Michael 26/10/09
      44.   MICHAEL a crime is a crime is a crime. 12:21  |  PETER SM 26/10/09
      45.   # 25 Israeli citizen, I really don`t wanna sound presumptuous.... 12:33  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/10/09
      46.   To 28 13:11  |  Basic geography 26/10/09
      47.   What`s all the Dryfus? 13:25  |  mark Lincoln 26/10/09
      48.   Marc Leb - both of them 13:28  |  Mark Lincoln 26/10/09
      49.   Hard on IDF Moral but Necessary 13:47  |  Jane 26/10/09
      50.   Dino - morally corrupt 13:52  |  ariel 26/10/09
      51.   Impunity 13:55  |  Brit 26/10/09
      52.   "Unlike the Palestinians, we know how to protect our kids" 13:58  |  B.Morris 26/10/09
      53.   a sense of purpose 14:07  |  Phillipe 26/10/09
      54.   Shahar perpetuates the tired old mythology 14:07  |  Roo 26/10/09
      55.   to PETER SM #27, on a war hero 14:22  |  zeev 26/10/09
      56.   psm Sharon was a war criminal ---he stood back 14:47  |  Labhras 26/10/09
      57.   PSM --Correct.So as Israel is "small fry" dont commit crimes 14:50  |  Labhras 26/10/09
      58.   BBSNews go read the report 15:02  |  Joe Sittizen 26/10/09
      59.   i suppose when goldstone passes ICC you will still lie about it 15:06  |  so add lying and 26/10/09
      60.   swiss dino 15:19  |  zoe 26/10/09
      61.   INVESTIGATING GOLDSTONE AND THE REPORT 15:29  |  Bob 26/10/09
      62.   Goldstone Report`s most important Finding-Forgotten 15:47  |  Bob 26/10/09
      63.   Goldstone report essentially flawed & meant to delegitimise isr 1 16:11  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      64.   Goldstone report`s most fundamental flaw 16:44  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      65.   CJK 48. You`re wrong. Hamas is civilian as well as military. 17:28  |  Michael 26/10/09
      66.   PETER SM criminal-hero-criminal #42 17:30  |  Roo 26/10/09
      67.   Cipora #`s 47 & 48 Good work. Too good for the posters... 18:06  |  S 26/10/09
      68.   Cipora`s most fundamental flaw 18:18  |  r cummings 26/10/09
      69.   What Goldstone saw. 18:22  |  Roo 26/10/09
      70.   "it is obvious that the idf did much to avoid this", don? 18:25  |  eric 26/10/09
      71.   Cipora is completly right 18:35  |  arik 26/10/09
      72.   Goldstone is wrong because he does not 18:38  |  r cummings 26/10/09
      73.   PETER SM criminal-hero-criminal #42 18:40  |  Roo 26/10/09
      74.   Only through deliberate blindness could 18:46  |  r cummings 26/10/09
      75.   The Goldstone report was essentially flawed 19:03  |  r cummings 26/10/09
      76.   # 46 zoe, I wish I could, but I`m afraid..... 19:40  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/10/09
      77.   #52, cummings`s perfect tautology 19:50  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      78.   #51, cummings, goldstone did debate tactics 20:02  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      79.   Police cadets fair game Cipora? 20:32  |  ahmed 26/10/09
      80.   #50, cummings on "totalitarian" 20:32  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      81.   swiss dino 21:06  |  zoe 26/10/09
      82.   #66, S, "too good for the posters" 21:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/10/09
      83.   ROO unit 101 came into being as a RESULT of Arab attacks 21:43  |  PETER SM 26/10/09
      84.   Joe Sittizen... So what? 22:13  |  BBSNews 26/10/09
      85.   jane 22:24  |  zoe 26/10/09
      86.   To Cipora Julianna Kohn ... 23:00  |  kibishi 26/10/09
      87.   Transparency 23:12  |  Tony Price 26/10/09
      88.   CJK When will you be reading the Goldstone report? #77 01:28  |  Roo 27/10/09
      89.   Where is the success? 01:31  |  Dean Adam 27/10/09
      90.   AHMED Paramiltaries are paramilitaries,in their bases with arms 02:12  |  PETER SM 27/10/09
      91.   Gaza and Fallujah 03:45  |  Capt Black 27/10/09
      92.   Its call Libel and hate 06:50  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 27/10/09
      93.   TG for Cipora 07:16  |  posters so hateful 27/10/09
      94.   #78, ahmed 08:05  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/10/09
      95.   Delusional 07:25  |  Steve Beikirch 29/10/09
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