Comments on: Yaalon II: Lebanon Strategy Based on ‘False Feeling Military Means Alone Could Dismantle Hezbollah’ http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/09/15/yaalon-on-lebanon-ii/ Essays on politics, culture and ideas about Israeli-Arab peace and world music Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:18:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Richard Silverstein http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/09/15/yaalon-on-lebanon-ii/#comment-5000 Richard Silverstein Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:17:14 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/09/15/yaalon-on-lebanon-ii/#comment-5000 Caspit is spot on too, Peter. My sentiments precisely. I never thought of the way you formulated Yaalon's views on Syria. Of course you're right. Imagine the Joint Chiefs chairman saying the U.S. should negotiate with Iran over its nuclear facilities rather than fight. But I'm sad to say that Israel needs military figures like Yaalon because Israeli pols are so damn spineless when it comes to speaking the truth & doing what they know must eventually be done. Here I'm talking about territorial concessions & talking to Hamas, etc. If Israeli pols did any leading (instead of following) they wouldn't need generals to step out of their military capacity & dabble in policy. I'd never heard of Jews for Justice for Palestinians. I like what they do & have added the group to my blogroll. Caspit is spot on too, Peter. My sentiments precisely.

I never thought of the way you formulated Yaalon’s views on Syria. Of course you’re right. Imagine the Joint Chiefs chairman saying the U.S. should negotiate with Iran over its nuclear facilities rather than fight.

But I’m sad to say that Israel needs military figures like Yaalon because Israeli pols are so damn spineless when it comes to speaking the truth & doing what they know must eventually be done. Here I’m talking about territorial concessions & talking to Hamas, etc. If Israeli pols did any leading (instead of following) they wouldn’t need generals to step out of their military capacity & dabble in policy.

I’d never heard of Jews for Justice for Palestinians. I like what they do & have added the group to my blogroll.

]]> By: Peter H http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/09/15/yaalon-on-lebanon-ii/#comment-4998 Peter H Fri, 15 Sep 2006 22:49:01 +0000 http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2006/09/15/yaalon-on-lebanon-ii/#comment-4998 Your comments about the role of the IDF in Israeli politics is spot on. It would be totally unthinkable for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to suggest enetering into negotations with a foreign country. There was an excellent article a couple of years ago by Ben Caspit in Maariv about the role of the IDF in escalating the Second Intifada. Caspit wrote that, "With the outbreak of the Intifada it became indisputably clear that Israel is not a state that has a military but rather a military that has a state." If you're interested, the translation is here: http://www.jfjfp.org/maariv_caspit.htm Your comments about the role of the IDF in Israeli politics is spot on. It would be totally unthinkable for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to suggest enetering into negotations with a foreign country.

There was an excellent article a couple of years ago by Ben Caspit in Maariv about the role of the IDF in escalating the Second Intifada. Caspit wrote that, “With the outbreak of the Intifada it became indisputably clear that Israel is not a state that has a military but rather a military that has a state.” If you’re interested, the translation is here:
http://www.jfjfp.org/maariv_caspit.htm

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