Tuesday the Palestine News Network spoke with Yoram Ben Nur, an Israeli journalist and political analyst, regarding the current state of thinking among the Israeli people. The 50 year old says that the Israeli war against destroyed the notion that “Arabs are weak.”
He continued to say, “We believe what Hassan Nasrallah says, and question the official Israeli version. Additionally, it would seem that people do not believe that the three captured soldiers will be returned without a real prisoner exchange."
The Channel 2 correspondent with 25 years experience as an Israeli journalist, Ben Nur, also told PNN today, “The Israeli war with the Lebanese Hezbollah has caused the Israeli people to lose confidence in the military, security and political leadership.”
Partial text of the interview follows.
PNN: How do you evaluate the Israeli war on and read the results?
Ben Nur: It is difficult to assess the situation and the outcome of the war and its implications at this premature stage, especially if there were political developments on the Syrian track. A large number of Israeli politicians talk about that, or whether there will be further actions by Hezbollah fighters from the southern regions. But I can assure you that this trend lead the Israeli people to begin to significantly lose confidence in the political, military and security leadership. This did not begin at the start of the war, but rather began during its second week and has grown with time.
Many Israelis feel anger, especially at the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff Dan Halots. There are some very angry at Sharon and Mofaz, the former leaders as the new Prime Minister and military leader Olmert and Burtis have been in power for just four or five months. Because of that they had not had sufficient time to equip the army for this battle, and that which had been put in place by Sharon and Mofaz was not implemented. This is the first failure on the record. The intelligence did not provide adequate information about where anything was or the power in . Without information, the failure was predetermined. The goals set, namely to eliminate Hezbollah or bring back the soldiers, were not achieved. The bombings were inaccurate. Beirut, the BeekaValley and southern , are not the Gaza Strip where Israeli planes can hit their targets accurately. There is so much information about the Gaza Strip, even the color of a window is known.
PNN:If that is the case, why did Israeli not resolve the major issues and withdraw from all of instead of just part in 2000. And why keep occupying Shebaa Farms. In 2002 there was a prisoner exchange, and Hezbollah continued their struggle and efforts to get their land back?
Ben Nur: adopts the idea that any release of Arab prisoners is weak, leading to the 13 to 12 vote against releasing the Lebanese prisoners after Hassan Nasrallah requested an exchange when Hezbollah captured the Israeli soldiers. As Nasrallah said, “I say to the Israeli leadership to consider others’ honor, dignity and desire to not be humiliated which only serves to increase animosity and hatred.”
PNN:This brings us to ask frankly, does establishing Israeli Nile to the Euphrates still exist in the mentality of the Israelis?
Ben Nur:There are really a minority among the Israeli people who think this way as there is a minority in Palestine and with other Arabs that thinks the Jews should be thrown into the sea.
PNN:I am thinking of former Israeli leaders who have said that will exist from the Nile to the Euphrates? Does this thinking remain amongst the leadership?
Ben Nur:No.
PNN:Not even from among the members of the Likud party, for example Lieberman of Russian origin in the Knesset?
Ben Nur:Neither is accurate exactly. Lieberman, for instance, calls for the expulsion of Arabs from the territory of Israel, meaning Arabs inside ’48.
