Deputy IDF chief of staff Yair Naveh, who ordered the targeted killings of Palestinians, a story which Anat Kamm leaked to Uri Blau, said at an army ceremony:
The events currently shaking the Arab world “were ordained from above” by a guiding hand, Israel Defense Forces Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Naveh said on Sunday. Naveh added that the Israeli army needed faith in God now more than its supply of planes and tanks.
…Naveh said [referring to protesters in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya] supposedly democratic forces in the Middle East have always been supplanted by negative extremist and religious forces. Addressing the chief rabbis, Naveh called the IDF a Jewish army, an army of believers and an army that from the beginning always “knew how to create the right balance among communities represented in it, all the religions represented in it, but always leading with the power of faith and adherence to mitzvot [religious commandments].”
He said in recent years, the army had become more welcoming to religious soldiers.
I recently had a discussion with a reader who is a retired officer in the IDF who claimed it remained a secular army. I disagreed based on what I’d read in many sources and heard from IDF veterans. I think this passage above proves the reader wrong.
Can there be any doubt that nonsense like this is an indication of but one of the severe problems facing the IDF? Even if we presume Naveh was kissing the tush of the army chief rabbi when he made this statement, what does it say about the number two officer in the army that he would even utter such stupidity?
And if he really believes even half of what he said why should the IDF even need tanks or planes to defend Israel? Why not just send soldiers dressed in tallit and tefillin? That should suffice to protect them given that God clearly is on their side and not the side of the Muslim heathen.
Also remember this is the self-same Naveh who sided with Haredim who pressured the municipality to set aside gender segregated light rail cars for men and women saying that doing so is a human rights issue on behalf of the ultra-Orthodox.
I think Naveh is the Jewish equivalent of Jesus’ General.
Yair Naveh said, in part, “supposedly democratic forces in the Middle East have always been supplanted by negative extremist and religious forces.”
Just curious. Is it a matter of faith with his listeners, ur whut, that “democratic forces” (that is, “the people, militant”) would not be expected to be “extremist” (that is, independent of Washington/Israeli ukase) or “religious”? Why, I inquire, would anyone expect the people of Egypt (for instance) who have suffered so much and so long at the hands of Washington/Israel to hew to the W/I line? Just to avoid being labeled “extremist”?
If as the article seems to say, the people of Israel (at least during their time in the army) are “religious” and also (at least it is occasionally still said, of Israel) “democratic”, suggesting (at the rhetorical level at least) that “democratic” and “religious” are not antithetical.
People often say very silly things. Remember people saying that democratic countries never attack other democratic countries? Such a lovely idea, supportable if you keep your eyes tightly closed. Israel never attacked Lebanon, twice (1982, 2006)? Hmmm? And Israel basking so happily in Egypt’s dictatorship but now fearful of a democratic Egypt? I guess we will save a little time in not having to listen to that particular nonsense again for a while!
Can anyone remember the last war when any side failed to claim that god was on their side? (or if not god then “destiny” etc)
Having god on your side is just another way of saying “my side is right” to justify killing and maiming the other side.
Why is Naveh any different to any other general who thinks his side is right, and that right will triumph, etc?
Mr. Naveh is using the little time he has as a deputy chief. Soon will Mr Gantz choose his military cabinet and Mr Naveh will go back to where retired generals like him go. The problem I have with him is a bit different. The Israeli strategy is saying that if someone will attack Israel (bomb Tel Aviv with rockets -) I will kill him. As an Israeli,my problem is that nothing will come out of dead syrians in Damascus or dead Shiites in Lebanon. As an Israeli I would like to see my children safe (But also all my neighbor’s children) and the problems solved. Unfortunately,all this will happen after the big bang. Only then people like Naveh and Barak Nassralla and Asad will understand what every one knows already now. That wars are terrible and that no one wins a war nowadays. All sides loose.
I sympathize with your point of view, MS, but I must respectfully disagree about the “all sides lose” business. Wars are not fought for altruistic reasons; rather, they are fought precisely because someone in power stands to (and typically does) profit from them.
Andy,I ment the people who live here.Not “someone in power”. Israelis ,Syrians ,Lebanese,Palestinians….Not politicians that today make important decisions and tomorrow are somewhere else. If After the big bang we will sit and talk about all the things we should be discussing now and find an agreement …..if our leaders were smart than all this toil and suffering could be saved.
RE: “And if he really believes even half of what he said why should the IDF even need tanks or planes to defend Israel?” – R.S.
MY GUESS: Not to further confuse things, but “G_d only helps those who help themselves”, or so I’ve heard.
why do you care if the IDF is strong? A weaker IDF would be better for the whole world.
1. Neva is a religious man for them everything is directed from above.
2. And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking. (2 points to those who will find who said that)
3. how is Ike’s msg any different then nave’s ?
Dwight Eisenhower’s final msg to the troops before D-Day.
Ike never said faith was required to be a good soldier nor that it’s more important than tanks. If he had FDR would’ve removed him in a heartbeat. He wanted his generals to be fighters more than believers.
You earned the two points.
but you are kind of taking Naves statement out of context.
1. as you rightly concluded, he was kissing ass not to the army chief rabbi, but to the 2 head Rabbi’s who attended.
2. The army is a representation of the society, there are far more secular people in Israel, then religious ones. so far, the army is still secular. that may change in the future when Haredim and Arabs become the majority in israel. and that is part of the reasons there are notions that call for mandatory civil service for these two groups (the other is financial, but that refers to hardim only and their way of life)
3. Nave was referring to “אמונה בצדקת הדרך” which is the set of values and believes that govern ones decision and performance. with the upgrade in the ones financial situation he becomes a bit more comfortable and tends to fight less for his believes (in general terms, this is a major contributor to the collapse of all the empires / powers throughout history) and without believing one makes a bad soldier.
P.S Just FYI, the acceptable “price” for killing non involved civilians during a targeted killings is far less in israel then in the USA. In the US it’s about 30, and in Israel it is far less.