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Last update - 10:03 29/01/2008 They're not Andy and Yoni By Amir Oren Tags: Israel, Ehud Olmert  The collapse of Israel' s policy in the Gaza Strip has landed on Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a particularly embarrassing time. His line of argument against toppling Prime Minister Ehud Olmert upon the publication of the Winograd report has been based on the necessity of having himself, Barak, in the role of defense minister and the importance of "government stability." Ehud and Ehud, are like Andy and Yoni, the tennis doubles champions, but reality and Hamas have made a laughingstock of the governmental duo, and they are looking like the prankish Max and Moritz. Barak and Olmert have pretensions of being far more experienced that their predecessors, former defense minister (now Labor MK) Amir Peretz and Olmert the First, who was the prime minister during that summer in Lebanon, and since then has learned and improved. In fact, Olmert's functioning in terms of diplomacy and defense has been and remains problematic. Even the transition from Peretz to Barak has not added significantly to Israeli wisdom. The need for governmental stability did not interfere with Barak's acting to depose Peretz a few weeks before the air force operation in Syria. Who if not a former commander of the General Staff's elite special-operations force should know there is no connection between the ability to plan a special operation in secret against an enemy who is not aware of this and the friction in fighting an active enemy. The same Israel Defense Forces and the same prime minister, Menachem Begin, who attacked the Iraqi nuclear reactor became embroiled a year later in the 1982 Lebanon War. The aerial operation in Syria on September 6 of last year does not indicate anything about the general readiness of the IDF. The boasting about the rehabilitation of the army also requires proof: What has been chalked up are Inputs (attention, training) but not outputs (combat achievements), because the IDF has not faced another test. Advertisement Vice Premier Haim Ramon's choosing to brag about the quality of the decision-making in the Syrian affair was especially canny. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and the head of the Investigations and Intelligence Branch in the police, Major General Yohanan Danino, who are authorized to embark on a criminal investigation, are afraid to be considered oppressors of Ramon; they, after all, were the ones who led to his conviction for an indecent act on a female military officer. The IDF's chief censor Colonel Sima Vaknin-Gil has remained furious and frustrated and she is not alone in feeling thus. The official system harasses journalists and civil servants and spares politicians. In advance of the operation in Syria, Olmert and Peretz appointed the former head of security at the Defense Ministry (Malmab), Yehiel Horev, to guard the secret, and the Shin Bet security service equipped itself in advance with an order from Tel Aviv District Court President Uri Goren. When the new head of Malmab, Amir Kain, was appointed, journalists were summoned to him for a clarification, to find out what had been leaked and to stop them from publishing. Now Ramon is talking, and Kain is keeping silent. Barak is sharing a pup tent with Olmert. Olmert demands only of others that they keep the military and politics separate. As a soldier during his compulsory military service, contrary to a General Staff order, he continued his party political activity in the Free Center in the Knesset. As a candidate for the Knesset during the Yom Kippur War he stage-managed a photograph of himself in IDF uniform at Ariel Sharon's division command. During the last elections he enlisted the help of IDF pensioners, who decked themselves in their ranks and their combat roles, brigade commanders and not - perish the thought - mere company commanders. Barak is prepared to risk political suicide for the sake of the hero of 15 pages of moral turpitude, decked in negative "public norms," out of the 200 pages of summation sent to the state prosecutor by the team that investigated the Bank Leumi affair; the public has the right to know exactly what is written there. The assessment at the Israel Police is that in the summer further summations can be expected in the other investigations against Olmert. Even if Barak is not interested in government corruption, Israel deserves at long last, for a change, perhaps in honor of its 60th birthday, an honest and responsible prime minister. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Pride of Shas Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct. In bad taste Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival.   1.   I read this article and didn`t understand a thing 10:25  |  S 29/01/08   2.   Poorly argued and incoherent article 10:50  |  David 29/01/08   3.   Feeling in all the corners of an empty bag 10:52  |  Clickfool 29/01/08   4.   Gaza crisis 11:06  |  iletzter 29/01/08   5.   #1, S 11:10  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/01/08   6.   HAMAS has made a mockery of journalism. 11:18  |  PETER SM 29/01/08   7.   an honest Prime Minister 11:18  |  michael Cohen 29/01/08   8.   The central theme of Israeli politics 11:24  |  Natallie Durson 29/01/08   9.   #8, Durson, the central theme of Palestinian politics 11:47  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/01/08   10.   NDURSON" central theme" repelling the central theme of Hamas govt 11:48  |  PETER SM 29/01/08   11.   Terror PLO-PA has Made a Mockery of Road Map 11:55  |  Joseph . E 29/01/08   12.   Peter SM 12:12  |  Guido 29/01/08   13.   GUIDO With help from Iran,Hesballa lots of terrorist activity 12:46  |  PETER SM 29/01/08   14.   Central theme of Palestinian politics 12:47  |  Sam 29/01/08   15.   Clickfool the brave 12:57  |  Nik Miller 29/01/08   16.   Clickfool the brave 12:59  |  Nik Miller 29/01/08   17.   WHO WILL BE NEXT? 13:19  |  indrajaya 29/01/08   18.   The Podge and I agree for a change # 15 13:25  |  Clickfool 29/01/08   19.   They were their own fools. 13:43  |  Dutch 29/01/08   20.   9. dear cipora. read Martin gilberts book 14:03  |  bozhidar balkas 29/01/08   21.   Clickfool 14:04  |  Nik Miller 29/01/08   22.   To Natallie Durson # 8 - `Peace`??? 14:12  |  Dagma 29/01/08   23.   Improved decision making procedures, but still bad results 15:14  |  Tosefta 29/01/08   24.   A message to the doom sayers & Clickfool in particular 15:35  |  The Judge 29/01/08   25.   The Qassams stopped for a while 17:41  |  Shlomo from Tel-Aviv 29/01/08   26.   "Honest and responsible prime minister" 18:26  |  Ismail 29/01/08   27.   # 25, SHLOMO FROM TEL-AVIV 18:27  |  indrajaya 29/01/08   28.   "The official system harasses journalists" 18:36  |  Rowan Berkeley 29/01/08   29.   For The Judge # 24 18:38  |  Clickfool 29/01/08   30.   Wishful thinking from Shlomo # 25 18:41  |  Clickfool 29/01/08   31.   Simple # 12..........their friend, the UN 19:05  |  Samira 29/01/08   32.   Shlomo - winning the battle 19:13  |  Pablo B 29/01/08   33.   Correction: Olmert & Barak have made a mockery of themselves 19:16  |  peacelover 29/01/08   34.   #8 Natallie, Re the central theme 19:29  |  Dutch 29/01/08   35.   To Clickfool number 3. 19:47  |  David Nigel Braham 29/01/08   36.   Cipora, I have news for you... 19:48  |  Dutch 29/01/08   37.   Shlomo from Tel-Aviv - we shall see 19:55  |  Mark Lincoln 29/01/08   38.   Hamas` goal was achieved (Mark Lincoln #37) 21:01  |  Tosefta 29/01/08   39.   dutch 21:05  |  caroline 29/01/08   40.   #34 its time for doris to sit down and reread 22:11  |  victor hardman 29/01/08   41.   INDRAJAYA HASSAN IN HIDING STILL AFTER HIS "VICTORY".HE ADMITTED 22:28  |  PETER SM 29/01/08   42.   INDRAJAYA.Qassems HAVE killed and wounded,wounded many 23:22  |  PETER SM 29/01/08   43.   #15 Well, thanks Nik Miller! 23:41  |  Maureen Ann 29/01/08   44.   # PeterSM about Darfur. 00:22  |  Maureen Ann 30/01/08   45.   39 caroline re dutch 00:58  |  leo 30/01/08   46.   # 41,42, PETER SM 01:24  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   47.   Tosefta thinks Hamas goals were achieved 02:31  |  Reid 30/01/08   48.   Is it that HARD to make a mockery of Israel.... 03:02  |  Dagma 30/01/08   49.   #47, REID 03:38  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   50.   INDRAJAYA Hamas has said they do NOT accept Abbas negotiations 06:22  |  PETER SM 30/01/08   51.   39/45 the dutch dryer and an identity crisis 10:43  |  v hardman 30/01/08

Today Online Winograd panel said 'shocked' over IDF wartime performance Responses: 49 Report: Egyptian authorities foil suicide attack against Israel Responses: 7 Amira Hass: Finally, there's a popular uprising in Gaza Responses: 9 UN envoy: Gaza women feel coerced into covering heads Responses: 21 Shlomo Shamir: Obama created solidarity between Jews and blacks Send response More Headlines 10:54 Winograd panel 'shocked' by IDF performance in war 10:40 Report: Egypt thwarts suicide terror attack against Israel 08:46 PM's camp pressures Labor to stay in coalition post-Winograd 11:21 Hamas, Abbas to seek control of Gaza crossings in Cairo talks 07:57 McCain edges out Romney in Fla. primary; Giuliani to quit race 10:34 Fallen soldier's father blames himself for son's death in Lebanon war 06:56 Reservists to camp outside Barak's home to 'help him decide' to resign 22:54 European Jewish leader: World Jews should have say in Israeli politics 08:59 Libya rescinds bid for UN condemnation of Israeli blockade on Gaza 10:33 UN envoy: Women in Gaza feel coerced into covering their heads 02:41 Hezbollah official threatens to kidnap additional IDF soldiers 08:14 Snow, rain and winds stop school across the country, delay flights 09:10 Press conference after Winograd report release aims to deflect media spin Previous Editions Select Day 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 18 jan 17 jan 16 jan

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