Maj-Gen (ret.) Giora Eiland, who headed the investigation intothe Gaza-bound flotilla raid ,alleged Sunday that the different Israeli governments are not familiar with the IDF's capabilities, adding the number of operational hearings held prior to military operations was too low.
Referring to the decision making process at wartime, Eiland noted that the political echelons were "over-occupied with intelligence.
"The prime ministers and cabinet ministers love to listen to intelligence overviews, because it's interesting and involves sexy sources; but they neglect information pertaining to IDF capabilities," he said.
According to Eiland, who was speaking at a conference hosted by the Institute for National Security Studies, since the withdrawal from Lebanon anduntil 2006 there was no discussion to determine an operational policy vis-à-vis Lebanon.
"In order to decide on ways of action you need to be familiar with IDF's skills as thoroughly as you are with those of the enemy," he said, adding that the same mistake has been repeating itself since the Yom Kippur War .
"Before the Yom Kippur War there were warning signs of an upcoming war, but the ministers were confident that the Air Force can handle the enemy. If they would have bothered learning what the Air Force can and cannot do, the situation might have been different," Eiland noted
In reference to the flotilla raid, Eiland said, "The deliberations took place five days before the operation. The timing leaves the military only two options – stop the flotilla, or don’t stop it. If the hearing would have been held three months prior to the flotilla, there would have been more possibilities at hand."
Eiland also criticized the Mossad for completely staying out of the affair.
"The military was dealing with the matter seriously, while the Mossad stayed completely out of it. If it had fully engaged its intelligence and operational skills three months prior to the flotilla, the whole handling of the affair would have been different," he claimed.