Waiting for Go…err, for an official inquiry
I was just listening to an interview with the mayor of Shlomi, a town in the far north of Israel. He was waxing indignant over the discovery of huge attack tunnels discovered by the IDF in south Lebanon.
“They told us we were hearing things. I would bring them recordings taken by residents and they would say that they would check and they always came back with the same answer, that there were no tunnels and no danger.”
If ever there were a time to let someone freely express frustration at injustice, or rather, at an insult, this was the time.
But nooooo. That wasn’t going to happen. The interviewer pressed him: “Why do you bring this up now, when you can see that the IDF is fighting mightily in southern Lebanon? Why not wait until there is an official committee of investigation?” I give credit to the mayor for keeping his cool. For me, and I imagine for any level-headed Israeli, the questions were jaw-droppers.
The mayor answered, seemingly flustered that he had to explain what was painfully obvious. “We’ve been telling the IDF for years that the terrorists were tunneling…”
The interviewer interjected. “But why bring it up now?”
The mayor calmly answered and repeated himself. What he did refrain from saying out loud was that the subtext of the answers given by the IDF was that the residents of Shlomi were crazy. Or too simple to understand the serious and complicated subject of military defense. The mayor, now doubly insulted, was forced to give obligatory praise to the IDF for its present activities.
This was as much of the interview as I was willing to watch. My mind strayed. I thought of the people of that town hearing the noises of purposeful digging while lying in bed at night, after putting the children to sleep. Who were they going to believe, the generals or their lying ears?
I agree with the mayor. Someone from the IDF needs to come out now, publicly, and apologize. As I write this I’m thinking: Bastards! Just say the words! You were wrong! Apologize! Even if you do not mean it, it is the right thing to do. Step out of the tent and say it: “We were wrong, the people of Shlomi and the other northern towns were right. I apologize in the name of the IDF.”
An apology may yet be forthcoming, probably given in passing during a daily summary of the battles.
What a magic pill the wait for the official inquiry has turned out to be. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” How depressing. Those to be investigated are now running the IDF and military intelligence, are running the war and indeed, the country. It is not a cloud over their heads, it is an anchor of shame chained to their feet. How can they be expected to lead in battle when at the same time they need to meet with the attorneys who will be responsible for spinning their story? They cannot be expected to perform either task efficiently for the simple reason that it cannot be done, because the tasks are at odds with one another.
The fact of the matter is that everyone in top leadership positions in Israel is on the verge of going crazy. How could they not be? A leader, by definition, must be concerned with his legacy. Yes, you are a servant of the people (am I right?) but you want to be remembered as having served well. Definitely not as being responsible for the worst leadership failure in the history of modern Israel.
The humane thing would have been to force them out of their positions of leadership immediately after the fiasco of October 7–and I mean all positions, political and military–and let them nurse their wounds and spin their tales. Write books. Give lectures.
And blame the people of Shlomi.