Soccer Dad

More on yaalon

Ed Lasky of the American Thinker forwarded me an article from FrontPage by P. David Hornik praising Gen Yaalon.

For many of those deeply worried about Israel’s course over the past decade and a half, which has led from the Oslo disaster to the disengagement fiasco to the Lebanon imbroglio, Yaalon is a ray of hope. Though from a kibbutz background that usually fosters wishful, conciliatory views toward the jihadist siege, Yaalon as chief of staff under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon proved himself a realist who saw through the faulty assumptions of the disengagement.

For that clarity of vision he was denied a customary year’s extension as chief of staff and had to step down on June 1, 2005, before the disengagement got under way. It was, in effect, a dismissal that shocked Israel’s military and political establishment. Since becoming chief of staff at the height of the Oslo Terror War in 2002, Yaalon was credited with crafting a strategy that eventually substantially reduced the attacks and dealt harsh blows to Hamas and other terror groups.

I am a fan of Gen Yaalon, but there is a reason for caution. Trent Telenco, whom I quoted the other day wrote in an essay about Israel's "hollow" military

For Israel to survive, a similar IDF military renaissance must be started and it needs to begin with a systemic audit of the real state of the IDF's reserve formations and, in particular, the reserve stocks so vulnerable to corruption, plus a purge of the IDF officers and bureaucrats involved with that poor troop equipping and preparation.

If this does not happen - if Israel's politicians block it - it, we will know that the Israeli Defense Forces are likely hollow while reform is unlikely until further disasters occur. Israel cannot survive many military disasters. Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s silence on these points, plus his past service as Prime Minister of Israel 1996-99, indicate that the blame here might be shared by all of Israel’s political elites.

If the problems in planning and logistics are a longstanding then it's not just the political elites who are responsible, it is the military leadership too. And Gen Yaalon was just at the head of the military from 2002 - 2005. As Shiloh Musings writes

Am I the only one asking why he was silent during his years as Chief of Staff? From 2002 to 2005, he was the one responsible for everything going on in the army. He is more responsible for the state of the IDF than Amir Peretz and Ehud Olmert. Ya'alon succeeded Shaul Mofaz, who has shown himself to be an extremely ambitious politician, switching parties and policies with ease!

Ya'alon is no innocent, when it comes to the question of who was the was supposed to be making sure that the IDF was ready for war! And as Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005, he had to have known what Hizbollah was doing in Southern Lebanon.

And her point about past military leaders being political opportunists is well taken too, my brother made the same point in comments earlier.

I guess what impresses me is how much he and Netanyahu seem to be on the same page about the Iranian threat, not just to Israel, but to the West. Also, Gen. Yaalon has something of a paper trail.

He was always skeptical about the peace process (or at least of Yasser Arafat.) He wasn't even always correct - In Context once pointed out, for example, he predicted that violence from Judea and Samaria would increase and that Gaza would quiet down subsequent to the withdrawal from Gaza.

Still if you study what he's said and what he's written he seems to have judged many things correctly.

IMRA reproduced an interview from 2002 with Ari Shavit.

The IDF and the Israeli Spirit an essay for Azure.

Here's an index of articles of Gen Yaalon's from the Washington Institute.

A summary of the points from Gen Yaalon's "exit interview" with Ari Shavit last year. The complete interview is here.

IMRA has an article where Gen Yaalon was quoted; unfortunately the Clinton administration wasn't listening.

Read Gen Yaalon's offerings. I believe that it shows someone who has thought deeply and seriously about the threats Israel faces. Will he solve Israel's problems? Who knows? Over the past 13 years Israel has seen many politicians who were supposed to solve Israel's conflicts come and go. What Israel needs now, is not someone who promises a quick,easy (but wrong) solution, but someone who will lead.

Is Gen Yaalon the one (along with Bibi)? I don't know but I'm sure that Israel could do a lot worse.

Technorati tags: Moshe Yaalon, Israel.