A few thoughts on the Israeli situation

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By Arie Egozi

The world continues to hesitate when facing the horrors in Syria. Everything that could be said about Obama’s “red lines” has already been said, and apparently they are barely even pink-ish. The Europeans, too, are showing incredible weakness. They just don’t understand that the weakness they’re showing against Assad will cause a lot of trouble for them in their own back yard. Europe is full of Muslims, and they are taking over – slowly but surely. Is everyone blind over there? They don’t understand that what’s happening in Syria right now will happen to them in the future. This weakness comes from a lack of understanding, and we’re talking about countries with advanced intelligence capabilities. The raw intel exists, but its processing is lacking, to say the least. The White House, the Élysée Palace and others, they don’t understand what’s going on in Syria, not to mention the Middle East in general.

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Every additional Home Front Command drill is a waste of time and money. The way Israel “prepares” for attacks on its home front – we’re better off relying on dumb luck. There aren’t enough gas masks, there’s no coordination between rescue forces and no one knows who’s in charge in the field. There are endless, pointless discussions. The current system is nothing but a joke. The security, home front defense and internal security ministries can’t even agree on what day of the week it is. Where is the Prime Minister? Why doesn’t he intervene? Why doesn’t he order his ministers to reach an agreement? Someone fell asleep at the wheel, and we’re all going to pay the price.

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Every few weeks there are more reports dealing with “advancements in the privatizations of the military industry”. This fiasco could have been over long ago. Excuse me, not “could have” – “should have.” A defense industry critical to national security is fumbling because the relevant government ministries ignore it year after year. They’ll probably appoint a board to investigate this issue long after the damage will already be done. How stupid do you have to be to be unable to reach an agreement? Agreement on this issue is so easy to achieve, all you need is leadership. Leadership happens to be something that’s missing in the current government, and that’s including all its ministries. Ministers love participating in inauguration ceremonies, cutting ribbons and appearing in public, but apparently the defense industry doesn’t strike them as important.

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The incidents at the Temple Mount have become more and more frequent. Rocks and sticks are thrown by Muslims, and nobody can say for sure what are they even doing there. The police reacts quickly but not decisively enough. This allows the chaos to continue almost weekly.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

These incidents have to be stopped by force, by a lot of force if necessary. Instead, the system doesn’t actually cut it. Detainees are freed quickly, the police arrives in time for the next incident, and so on and so forth. As a way of keeping the Jerusalem police busy – it’s actually alright. But if the goal is maintaining law and order, more force should be applied.

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The U.N. Security Council proves once again that it has every right to hold the title of the best joke in history. It’s a completely useless, paralyzed organization, every penny invested in it a total waste. Russia and China continue to block any initiative. In this situation what exactly is the point of this entire council? Both it and its parent organization – the U.N. – have become totally useless. Countries, including Israel, keep sending delegations to this pathetic organization – we’re all paying for them out of our own pockets, at this point its laughable. No one has enough courage to say it, not here in Israel and not abroad. Cowardice and hypocrisy combined are the true rulers.

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Syrian fairy tales lately began to reach new heights of fantasy. Yesterday several Russian newspapers reported that Syria is capable of intercepting any aircraft attacking targets in its territory. It’s also capable, according to the reports, of intercepting any cruise missile launched against it. The Syrians seem to have forgotten how many attacks targeted facilities in their territory over the last few years, with the identity of the attackers remaining unclear and their aerial defenses remaining completely blind and useless. Assad’s military capabilities may be limited to using chemical weapons, but the eastern imagination – with some Russian help – is limitless.

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Israel apparently decided to remain officially neutral when it comes to Syria or a possible American attack. However, leaders can’t seem to help themselves, and every few days they have to vent, saying things like “if they attack us they will feel the full might of the IDF.” Seriously, why would anyone feel the need to say that? Last week I mentioned the famous quote “when you have to shoot, shoot, don’t talk.” I was talking about the American hesitation, but it applies here, too. Israeli leaders, please, learn how to stay quiet. Your statements imply something alright, but it’s not how powerful you are.