Why aren't victories investigated?
By refusing full state inquiry, PM acting as though we lost war
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should have appointed a state commission of inquiry into the second Lebanon war because we won. But Olmert is afraid of conducting a state commission of inquiry into the victory, because our victory also involves failures, mistakes, shortcomings and costs.
When I wrote here two weeks ago that in the war between Israel and Hizbullah, Israel had won by 80 percent and Hizbullah had lost by 80 percent, many responded in disbelief and anger. In the atmosphere of defeatism and self flagellation that reigned at the time, it was almost impossible to use the word "achievement", let alone "victory."
Public opinion is nourished by reports on the ground, which are usually partial, emotional and disproportionate. The mismanagements of the war were exaggerated and created a false picture of its outcome.
Hizbullah's televised "victory fantasy" resounded in Israeli and in international ears and was perceived as being true. Two weeks ago Nasrallah's image appeared on the cover of the world's most important publication, the British Economist, with the headline "Nasrallah won the war."
Nasrallah's lost
The Economist was wrong: Nasrallah lost, big time. His loss was so great that he was forced to make a public announcement admitting his defeat while finding excuses for it. The majority of the Lebanese people - including the Shiites, Sunnis, Christians and Druze - believe that Hizbullah was defeated and that it is responsible for the devastation of their country. Now they are calling on Hizbullah to disarm.
With the deployment of 7,000 European soldiers in southern Lebanon, there can no longer be any doubt: Hizbullah has lost its hold on southern Lebanon and it is folding. "Hizbullah land" established with the help of billions of Iranian dollars has collapsed as a result of Israel's military operations and the Lebanese government's decisiveness in imposing its sovereignty on the entire country.
This process is the actual Lebanonization of Lebanon, a process Israel so eagerly sought.
The people on the streets of Teheran are currently hostile towards Hizbullah, which is perceived as a parasite living at the expense of the Iranian people. Nasrallah has switched from being a strategic asset to a military burden: He cannot be relied upon, they say in Teheran. Because due to his audacious nature Hizbullah (Iran's long arm) has lost its ability to threaten Israel.
State commission of inquiry
Had the second Lebanon war ended in failure, we would have been able to understand why the prime minister is rejecting the calls for a state commission of inquiry: In such a case he would have understandably feared the public airing of dirty laundry such as the feebleness of the military and the political leadership, and he would not have taken the risk of being ousted.
But now, with the picture of our achievements clearing, there is nothing more appropriate – publicly, nationally and historically – than the appointment of a state commission of inquiry.
Although such a commission would be time consuming for many in the upper echelons, it is not such a high price to pay for transparency, responsibility and accountability.
True, a state commission of inquiry will not be authorized to determine whether the Israeli government responded in the right way to Hizbullah's attack, or whether we could have achieved what we did without a ground assault; but it could have provided legal answers to key questions posed by the Israeli public.
Namely, the relationship between the government and the military, the decision making process, the logistic handling (which was badly run), the flow of information, the preparedness of the troops and the cabinet's abandonment of the home front.
It is reasonable to assume that its findings would not have led to political head chopping, and that the first paragraph in the report would have opened with the words: "Israel emerged victorious from the war against Hizbullah."
Olmert missed the opportunity for a victory report. His attempt to appoint a series of examination committees conveys a false message of defeat and cover up. By refusing to establish a state commission of inquiry, Olmert is acting as though we had lost the war we actually won.
