Former commander of Israel's ground forces: Gaza expulsion was 'nonsense'
For those of you who are fasting today, I hope that you are having an easy and meaningful fast. We have a little more than two hours to go here. I also apologize for not being online sooner. I don't fast well (given that I am a constantly sleep-deprived caffeine addict, that should not be surprising), and because of that, no one in this house will wake me up on a fast day unless it's 10 minutes or less until I have to be in synagogue.Former IDF ground forces commander Yiftach Ron-Tal told army radio today that the expulsion of Gaza's Jews four years ago this week was 'nonsense' from a security perspective, and that although he opposed it, he could not disobey orders.
Speaking to Army Radio, Ron-Tal said: "Today it's obvious to everyone - at the time it was perhaps under debate - that this was an event that, besides being rough, was simply utter nonsense from a security perspective."Unfortunately, the Gaza expulsion is behind us. We need to make sure that those who were expelled from Gaza receive new homes and jobs and are given the opportunity to put their lives back together (it is hard to believe that this still needs to be said four years after the event, but it still needs to be said - see the statistics at the end of the movie), and we need to ensure that it never happens again.
Ron-Tal further described the pullout as a "terrible event." He said he had opposed the plan "in the deepest sense of the word," security-wise, belief-wise and on the national level, and that he had let this opposition be known.
But, he said, he realized several months before the actual operation that it was going to happen, and decided that in the end, he would carry out the orders he was given.
"There was a lot of pain," he said. "Pretty early on I decided to fight from the position I was in. It was an important enough position to fight from, and my voice was heard in all the relevant [forums]. But when you weigh the issue, the alternative [to carrying out the orders] is worse."
Ron-Tal's difficult situation was compounded by the fact that his son Omri was living with his family in the Gaza settlement of Shirat Hayam, and he knew that he would have to evacuate him.
He said he felt tortured in the period leading up to the operation and did not sleep at night, but added that he felt his decision was the right one.
"I can't imagine a situation in which the state is unable to carry out the decisions it makes," he said. Therefore, after careful consideration and consultations, including with various rabbis, he said, "I think I did the right thing."
"And the most important thing," he said, "is that we learn our lesson."
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:06 PM
3 Comments:
I happen to believe what happened to Sharon was Divine Retribution for his having uprooted Jews from their land. When you do evil, you end up paying the price. The lesson is that all of us are ultimately accountable for our deeds before Heaven, whether in high places or like average people. I, in contrast to Yiftach Ron-Tal, could never carry out an order to harm an innocent person. An immoral order can never be executed. That is a principle going back to the Torah and was affirmed in the Nuremberg Principles after World War II. Had Israel's brass said "no" to Sharon, it would be a very different Israel today and who knows - tragedy would have been spared him as well as the people of Gush Katif - not mention those living in the border communities who also paid the price.
And Gilad Shalit's family has too paid the price for Israel's striking fellow Jews. On Tisha B'Av, the lesson is to see to it that it never happens again.
NormanF,
Such ignorant lahon hara on this day of all days? Have a point of view, but please stop with that highly speculative and superstitious slander.
Using Gaza as a baseline, trading additional territory 'for peace' appears to be a perfect solution.
/sarc/
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