From the moment the massacre in the south began, many Israeli citizens have been wondering and perplexed how we got to a situation where a not-so-big terrorist organization managed to surprise the State of Israel, which often and rightly boasts of its greatness and power.
But the bigger puzzle is how the terrorist organization still manages to keep its head above water and continues to live and kick even after eight months of fighting.
There are many reasons for the lack of decisiveness and the faltering and rather discouraging situation in Gaza. Some will say that Biden and his policies are to blame, some are ready to swear (and demonstrate) that Bibi caused all of Gaza's ills, and many claim that the heads of the military and intelligence have brought it to this point. It is possible that all of the options are correct, but today I want to address one of the most resounding and dangerous failures in the current war.
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About two weeks ago, IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari announced, during the ground maneuvers and without any prior warning, that between 8:00 AM and 7:00 PM, there would be a tactical pause in military activity in Rafah for humanitarian needs. The spokesman's announcement was met with harsh and justified criticism, both from the public and from all political parties. Politicians were interviewed and made it clear that this was unacceptable to them, and could even lead to the dissolution of the government. The uproar took its toll, and the Prime Minister immediately made it clear that this was unacceptable to him and was done without his knowledge. The IDF spokesman retracted his remarks.
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This morning, Israeli citizens woke up to yet another stirring decision. The Shin Bet and the IDF decided to release, without any compensation, the director of Shifa Hospital, the terrorist Muhammad Abu Salmiya. Of all the thousands of security prisoners brought from Gaza, they saw fit to release precisely the one who had knowingly directed and commanded all the terror that had come out of the hospital.
And once again, right-wing politicians were furious, with the Minister of Public Security even directly accusing Shin Bet head Ronen Bar of committing the moral lapse. This time, too, the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense issued statements that the move was carried out without their consent and knowledge.
In normal times, friction between the political echelons and the military and intelligence echelons do not occupy much space and attention in the public, but in times of war, when people's senses and nerves are tense, it is impossible not to notice the power struggle that exists between the Prime Minister, the Chief of Staff, and the head of the Shin Bet.
In times of war, the basic and most important thing in achieving victory is coordinating positions and knowing everyone's place. In our country, the correct arrangement is that the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are at the head of the system and give the instructions to the heads of the army and intelligence, who are obligated to carry out all the instructions of the political echelon, without any change.
The two decisions of the Chief of Staff and the head of the Shin Bet paint a stark picture of lack of coordination and executive lawlessness, which is unacceptable and incomprehensible under any circumstances, especially not during a time of war. In a civilized country, no one can carry out critical actions and moves without the orders of the political echelon.
When we see the audacity of the heads of intelligence and the army and their disdain for the political echelon, we can understand for ourselves how and why the terrorist attack that struck us on Simchat Torah came.
No country can allow intelligence and military officials to do whatever they want. There must be a tough and swift response from the political echelon, including the firing of the head of the Shin Bet and those responsible for the failures. Although the Prime Minister instructed the head of the Shin Bet to provide him with answers within 24 hours about the failure to release the despicable terrorist, will anything really come of it and will someone pay a price? I doubt it.
In the meantime, we are all learning another lesson in the art of war.
