Barak's hot summer
New defense minister faces profound strategic, tactical dilemmas
I have a close friend who is a single mother. She recounted times when her daughter even wanted her to marry an electricity pylon, just as long as there was a man in the house. In Israel of 2007, many citizens would have been willing to opt for that same deal in order to see Amir Peretz leave the house.
Ehud Barak, who took up office Monday, is definitely not an electricity pylon. On the contrary: In his toolbox he has everything to make him a good defense minister.
The big question relates to the decisions he will have to make: The first, which is strategic, is whether to dive or to remain on top of the diving board; the second is tactical, whether to use a Philips screwdriver or a 10-pound hammer to release obstinate screws.
The dilemmas facing him are profound and complex and much has been written about this. Primarily because none of them have an "academic" solution and none have a military solution only.
Nonetheless, despite the inevitable overlapping of defense and diplomacy related matters, and despite the fact that Barak is also a minister in the incumbent cabinet, burning military questions such as restoring public confidence in the defense establishment - which Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi has began doing - must be addressed.
Every organization requires public legitimacy in order to deal with the matters at hand - this is even more essential for a military organization.
The urgent problem, albeit not the most crucial, is the conflict with the Palestinians. Israel has an uncontrollable urge to stir the pot of internal politics in the Palestinian Authority: To crown, to oust, to lift up and to humiliate its leaders.
This has never served our purposes and probably never will. If the Palestinian public tires of Mahmoud Abbas, the hundreds of millions of dollars channeled there would not improve the situation; the opposite may be true.
Ill-prepared for Iran threat
Hence, despite the patronizing tendency to determine the face of the Palestinian political establishment, including via the army, the Israeli defense establishment should focus on key assignments, and that too is a lot: It should stop the Qassam rocket fire on Sderot or at least mitigate the extent of the barrages, and apprehend suicide bombers from the West Bank. And this still doesn't mean that the sounds of war coming from the southern command, for example, should not be taken in all seriousness.
For years now ahead of the summer, the IDF has revved up its engines through a wide-scale command exercise. Every year, the forces being tested are anxious to see the wild scenarios devised by current exercise planners. Yet despite the convoluted scenarios created - and often rejected as impractical – reality proved to be a surprise.
Despite the army's reputation of being amateurish when it comes to individual handling of issues, the new situation differs greatly. Barak has good multitasking skills, and a lesser ability – judging by past experience – to set priorities. This is exactly the time to do so.
For years Israel has allowed itself to determine "red lines" with regards to its relationships with its neighbors, while counting heavily on its power of deterrence. This is not the case today. Although it does hold true with regards to Syria and no less so with regards to Iran. Regarding Iran, however, without discussing possible scenarios, it may well be said that Israel is lagging far behind in its preparedness for the Iranian threat - certainly when it comes to preparing the home front.
And the Home Front Command, as it may be recalled, is still subordinated to the army. So yes, it's wonderful that a new command bunker has been built, but answers are urgently required for the residents of Kiryat Shmona, Sderot and Tel Aviv as well.
