Enough of political perfidy

From JPost, July 1, 2008, by Isi Leibler:

...Labor and Shas .... Together with Ehud Olmert's ruling party Kadima...have once more betrayed their national obligations. By extending the prime minister's political lease of life by at least another six months after having repeatedly proclaimed that he is incapable of leading the nation, Labor leader Ehud Barak demonstrated that he and Olmert are birds of a feather.

...In the past, Israel was renowned as a nation of courage, determination and sophistication. Deterrence was the hallmark of our defense and our adversaries were highly conscious that they would face swift retribution if they shed innocent Jewish blood. Today, our enemies are aware that empty threats are the order of the day. The impotence of our government was highlighted when it abandoned citizens in the south, transforming many of them into refugees in their own land.

Today, despite having the most powerful army in the region, both Olmert and Barak violated their repeated mantra that "there will be no truce with terrorists" and the numerous pledges extended to the cabinet and to the Schalit family, that no Gaza agreement with Hamas would be consummated without securing Gilad's freedom. They entered into a truce with a terrorist militia which openly proclaimed that it had no intention of enforcing compliance on other groups. Hamas also made abundantly clear their intention to exploit the lull in order to regroup, obtain more lethal weapons from Iran and renew their attacks on us at a time of their choosing.

After having canvassed the world to reject any relationship with Hamas, we have now provided all countries with a green light to recognize and deal directly with them. That a terrorist militia could impose a military stalemate on us amounts to an even greater national disgrace than our debacle with Hizbullah in Lebanon. The "truce" also contradicts our repeated insistence that appeasing terrorists is a guaranteed prescription for disaster that will embolden jihadists worldwide.

Appeasement and unilateral concessions are also underway on the broader diplomatic front. Our prime minister is engaged in secret negotiations behind closed doors in frenetic efforts to reach an accord with his impotent Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas before the end of the year. This is especially bizarre in view of the virtual certainty that the PA will ultimately merge or be taken over by Hamas, who will then reap the benefits of our largesse. What is even more incredible is that the concessions Olmert has offered the Palestinians relating to Jerusalem and other vital national assets have still not been revealed to the cabinet or Knesset.

There are the negotiations with Syria, also initiated by the prime minister without prior Cabinet approval, signaling the Syrians of a willingness to relinquish the Golan. Olmert did so realizing that an accommodation with the Syrians, who are deeply entrenched with the Iranians, is currently virtually impossible. In doing so, we outraged the Americans and rehabilitated Assad, who until now was regarded as an international pariah. The UN representative to Lebanon, Terje Roed Larsen - no friend of Israel - condemned our government for "giving Syria a huge gift without thus far getting anything in return." To top it off, we are also signaling the reluctant Lebanese that we are willing to cede the Sheba Farms to them despite the fact that hitherto the UN itself rejected Lebanese territorial claims to this highly strategic piece of land, on the grounds that it belonged to Syria.

The prime minister and his spin merchants utterly mishandled the cruel negotiations relating to our missing soldiers. They issued contradictory statements every day, inflicted unbearable pain on the families, undermined the morale of the nation, and provided grist for the propaganda mills of Hizbullah and our enemies.

In parallel to this chaos we have the ongoing flow of irresponsible outbursts by self-promoting ministers. Haim Ramon, a deputy prime minister, wails that the truce is a defeat for Israel. Shaul Mofaz, another deputy prime minister, proclaims that Israel will bomb Iran. Both the foreign affairs minister and the defense minister, directly or implicitly, call on the prime minister to resign because of his immoral behavior. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i tells Sderot citizens to stop moaning about missiles being launched against them. Interior Minister Avi Dichter condemns the government for not taking military action against Hamas. Justice Minister Daniel Freedman describes the truce with Hamas as an act of insanity. This list could be substantially extended and an entire section devoted to the political perfidy and twists and turns of Defense Minister Ehud Barak....

....The people are enraged and frustrated....

...Throughout this entire unhappy period, our nation has displayed courage and resilience. Under a new leadership, they will again rise to the occasion. The IDF is in good hands and has been dramatically upgraded. When authorized by a new government to employ genuine deterrence, it could transform the entire situation overnight....