The Problem with the Israeli Army

AMICHAI

Two years after the destruction of Gush Katif and one year after the massive bombardment of the northern half of Israel, the Gaza Strip is ruled by terrorists and Israel is surrounded by missiles aimed at our cities. We are on the brink of war and everyone is asking if our army is ready to defend us and if the country is prepared for war. What is the problem with the Israeli army? Nobody asked in the last thirty years if the IDF was able to defend Israel. What has happened today that the Israeli army is incapacitated and cannot be trusted to defend the country?

The army has withdrawn from Lebanon and the army has withdrawn from the Gaza Strip. Not only does the army not control these areas, it is afraid to enter them. Some may say the IDF left those territories because it did not wish to remain there. It even destroyed bases and towns, expelling its own people from their homes, because the army did not wish to remain there. The truth is that the Israeli army was defeated. It was incapable of remaining in those areas and was unwilling to defend our people, therefore it retreated. It does not matter if it takes one casualty or one thousand to cause an army to flee. What matters is that the army was unwilling to absorb the losses and it fled from the battlefield. That is called defeat.

A defeated army can no longer be trusted to defend its country. If the army is willing to surrender then the nation is no longer secure. The army pulled out of southern Lebanon, so northern Israel is under attack. The army pulled out of the Gaza Strip, so the Negev is under attack. The border is closing in on us, and yet there is talk of further withdrawal. In our small country, there is not much space for the army to flee, but into the cities to hide behind our families. Our people might desire peace, but it is not comforting to see an army that should be securing the border camped near the cities in view of our homes. Someone who’s willing to live that way either enjoys war or is living in a dream. The army can no longer retreat and cannot afford defeat.

The problem is not the army, but rather the leadership. Our soldiers are strong and brave men who will fight fiercely to defend their home. The problem is that they are not sent to destroy the enemy, but rather to retreat and absorb attack. Our leaders are afraid to advance. They order the soldiers to disengage whenever they are victorious and withdraw whenever they conquer. It is impossible to win a war without victory. If the army is restrained whenever it is winning and pulls back whenever it gains ground, then the war will never be won. If our leaders won’t let the army be victorious then eventually we will lose. CONTINUE