Uri Avnery’s latest:
It seems that Ya’alon and his generals have reached the conclusion that their campaign has failed. Any further pressure on the Palestinians will be counter-productive: producing more hatred, more hostility. So there will be more attacks, compelling the army to mobilize more troops and invest more resources, without achieving anything. Ya’alon the Hawk turns into Ya’alon the Pseudo-Dove. But his new remedy, too, is based on false assumptions…”
It’s a sad commentary on human behavior that when a military man makes the point that non-militarists have long made, his words carry more weight. Just like the recent announcment by four former heads of the Shin-Bet.
Of course it is always a bit encouraging that those most responsible for implementing war crimes, see the failure of their methods. But somehow, their words would seem more sincere if they actively renounced their former behavior and tried to make ammends. Out of all these recent pseudo-Doves, I would have to say that Ami Ayalon is making the most effort to repent for his past actions. While the statement of principles he and Sari Nusseibeh are pushing may not go far enough, at least he is actively working towards peace, justice and reconciliation. Bogie Ya’alon continues to preside over war crimes.