For IDF, depth of public fury is beginning to sink in

Senior IDF officers emerged with a new tune yesterday regarding the results of the war in Lebanon. A week following the cease-fire, it seems the General Staff is finally coming to terms with the enormity of the public fury over the conduct of the war. Now that the protests of the reservists are taking shape, instead of going head to head with them, senior officers are trying to explain.

The victory celebrations are being toned down. Although some generals opted to begin their morning statements to the troops with declarations of victory, lower-ranked officers were not keen to do the same.

During the cabinet meeting yesterday, Chief of Staff Dan Halutz claimed Israel had won "not by knock-out, but on points." During a meeting with reservists, Halutz admitted there had been failures, including errors in judgment, such as his sale of stocks on the day the war began.

Brigadier Yossi H yman, who completed his tenure as head of the infantry forces and the paratroopers, went a step further.

"We have sinned the sin of hubris," he said during the ceremony for his replacement. "We all feel a certain sense of failure." Is it any wonder Hyman is not expecting to be promoted?

In closed sessions the comments are much harsher.

"Our standing among the public has been severely damaged," a senior officer in the General Staff admits. "This is not merely an expectation among the public for 'heads to roll' after the war. There is something much deeper here - a public wave against the way the army is run. We made mistakes in the war. In some of the cases we didn't meet the standards we set for ourselves. We will need to investigate thoroughly, correct and put the IDF back on track. But to do that we need to regain trust - of the public and the media."

At the General Staff, they know they missed a major opportunity in the second Lebanon war. It is doubtful whether in the coming years there will be another campaign where the army enjoys such unequivocal public support at the start.

It is hard to tell how this sense of failure Hyman mentioned will affect the IDF's conduct in future confrontations, and whether the fact that the IDF was exposed as relatively weak against Hezbollah's guerrillas will encourage Iran, Syria and other enemies to challenge Israel in the future.

"There are questions here not aimed at the army," a senior officer says. "We need to ask ourselves whether we are ready, as a society, to fight. Do we really understand the region in which we live?"

As usual there is IDF criticism - indirect this time - of the media for being too quick to judge the army. Would this same media hold back its criticism in view of the hundreds killed during the first day of the Six-Day War, or would they call it an unacceptable failure and call for concessions and surrender?

But beyond these deep-seated issues, the generals have personal concerns, some fairly urgent, and they appear in the form of a commission of inquiry. A number of officers have begun consulting with attorneys. Others are being aided by civilian public relations experts. Some of the conversations with journalists in the past two weeks seem like preparations for the Lipkin-Shahak committee, including recitations from relevant internal documents that under normal circumstances are secret or classified.

It is amazing how far removed this is from the arrogance of the first days of the war, not only at the General Staff but also among politicians. How many declarations were made that Israel had changed the rules of the game; that there would be no negotiations with Hamas on the release of the abducted soldier, Gilad Shalit; that there would be no cease-fire in Lebanon without the release of Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser? Olmert freed Israel from the constant fear that any tough stance would result in the execution of the hostages by their captors. Now Opher Dekel, the former Shin Bet deputy head who has been appointed to coordinate efforts to release the abducted soldiers, has to go back to the old rules: negotiations.

How will Hezbollah conduct itself in the indirect negotiations with Israel? This is one of the most difficult dilemmas facing Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. During the war the Lebanese Parliamentary Speaker, Nabih Beri, declared that Hezbollah would demand the release of Lebanese prisoners. The image of a victorious Hezbollah may encourage Nasrallah to revert to his original demand and ask for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the two Israeli soldiers. In the territories, there is a feeling of certainty that this will be the outcome.