Breach of Trust

Public pressure is mounting on the Kadima government coalition to launch a public inquiry into the successive failures of command in both the political and military sectors during the war with Lebannon. The latest group to bring its weight to bear against the government is the IDF’s reserve forces. The petition was presented yesterday to the government reports the Jerusalem Post:

In the letter, they described a severe breach of trust between the leadership and the soldiers. "The management of the war," they wrote, "caused us to feel that they were spitting in our face." The letter expressed frustration with the "indecision" that, the soldiers say, characterized their assignment in Lebanon. It also stated that the lack of a clear mission for their brigade in the final days of the war needlessly endangered their lives, Army Radio reported.

In a private meeting between Halutz and the commanders of the reserve Alexandroni Brigade, which fought in the western sector, the officers of the brigade criticized the army's management over the last month. Among other things, they described serious trust issues with the commanders, and told Halutz, "We need to rebuild the soldiers' trust in the system before it is too late." Many officers spoke about the inadequacy of the food and water supply in the battlefield.

On Sunday, Chief Infantry Officer Brig.-Gen. Yossi Hyman was the first senior IDF officer to admit the failure of the war in Lebanon. "I did not succeed in preparing the infantry well enough for war," he said, adding, "Sometimes we were guilty of the sin of vanity."

Hundreds of IDF reserve soldiers led a protest march/demonstration that ended outside the Prime Minister’s offices in Jerusalem as well. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Peretz has suspended a military review panel created to delve into the defense forces performance in the Lebanon war - allegedly because the government might order a broader inquiry into the conduct of the war by the various branches of government officials. Fee, fi, ho, hum.