Eye on the Enemy: Hizbullah UAV penetration is an "Israeli" failure

Local Editor

Haaretz: By all standards, Hizbullah UAV penetration is an "Israeli" failure

Reuven Pedatzur, the strategic affairs analyst and a former officer in the "Israeli" Air Force stressed that the penetration of the UAV Ayoub into the "Israeli" airspace is an embarrassing failure for the "IDF", noting it is shameful to turn failure into success.

Pedatzur said that when people start praising failures, it's time to worry. And that is exactly what happened a week and a half ago: Defense Minister Ehud Barak praised the chief of staff and the air force commander for the "sharp, effective performance in which a drone was intercepted and shot down in the area south of al-Khalil (Hebron)." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised the drone's interception. In reality, this incident was anything but a "sharp, effective performance. "By any professional standard, the penetration of an UAV into "Israeli" territory, apparently after it had flown for more than two hours over the sea is a failure for the "IDF".

Pedatzur continues, "As far as is known, the UAV made its way over the sea from Lebanon to the coast of Gaza. During its long flight parallel to the coast, it was not discovered by one of the various detection devices that "look" westward. If this wasn't due to negligence on the part of someone manning these detection systems, who wasn't alert to what was happening out at sea, and then it points to gaps in the IDF's radar coverage of the western sector.

During its flight, the UAV passed over "Israeli" naval vessels without anyone noticing it. It also passed over the drilling platforms at the Leviathan natural gas site - a point worth noting for those who are supposed to defend our gas production sites in the future. Those who launched it could very easily have loaded it with explosives and then blown it up over one of these platforms."

Pedatzur adds, "According to official IDF sources, the UAV was discovered only as it was about to cross the coastline near the Gaza Strip, and at that point, fighter planes were launched. Someone in the IDF needs to explain why it was discovered so tardily. After all, had the drone been loaded with explosives, its operators could have aimed it at the coastal city of Ashkelon, the nearby power plant, or Ashdod Port. In that case, the explosion would have occurred with no advance warning."
Moreover, Pedatzur further wondered, "No less astounding, upsetting and worrying is the description of the air force's activity after the UAV was discovered.

A statement put out by the IDF Spokesman said that fighter planes escorted the drone on its flight eastward for about half an hour before launching two missiles at it, one of which hit. If so, it's hard to understand the considerations that guided those who managed the interception. After all, it was impossible to know for sure that the drone wasn't laden with explosives, turning it into a flying bomb. And if it had been, there was a possibility that it would suddenly dive and explode over a preplanned target - for instance, the air force base over which it flew. It's not clear why such a risk was taken instead of downing it as soon as it was discovered."

Pedatzur concluded, "Even if those responsible for the decision believed that it was carrying a camera rather than explosives - and it would be very hard for the fighter-plane pilots to confirm or deny such a guess - it's not clear why they allowed it to continue flying, thereby enabling it to photograph targets in the heart of the country. The explanation that "operational considerations and considerations of protecting [nearby] communities" led to the army's decision to down it only after about half an hour is unconvincing.

But what ought to be most worrisome about the UAV affair is the depiction of this failure as a success. After all, if the IDF and the air force are being praised for a superb performance, it is clear there is no need to investigate, ask questions and learn lessons.
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"Israeli" Minister: "Israelis" are frustrated by the government's performance

Minister of Communications and Welfare & Social Services, Moshe Kahlon, said in an interview with the newspaper "Maariv" that he had differences of opinion with "Israeli" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stressing that the "Israelis" are frustrated by the government's performance.

"Ma'ariv" reported that the day after he announced that he won't be included in the next Likud list for the elections, Kahlon tried to stay ambiguous about the uproar caused by his temporary resignation. Unlike all the estimates that talked about his resignation because he did not get the Ministry of Finance, Kahlon said he never wanted to be finance minister, "this is my CV and you can do some searching on the Internet, I have never mentioned that I wanted to be a finance minister."

According to Kahlon, he did not demand a pledge from the Prime Minister to appoint him as a finance minister, "I did not come for negotiations with Netanyahu, but I came to tell him that I am not running," adding, "you can ask the manager of Netanyahu's Office, Gil Sheffer, he was a witness. "
Kahlon pointed out that after the four years in the government, "I saw the problem of governance, the frustration among the public, and continuous rupture between the Government and the electorates, and what is needed is a different kind of elections."

Regarding his relationship with the association set up by former Mossad chief, Meir Dagan, he said, "I met him several times and his stance about the need to change the way governance is very important to me."
On the situation inside the party, "Likud", Kahlon indicated that "the Likud is not like Shas or Yisrael Beiteinu parties that are associated with one leader; we have many who can take over the leadership."
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Netanyahu intends to approve the recommendations of Levi committee to legislate outposts in the West Bank

"Israeli" Radio revealed on Wednesday morning that the "Israeli" Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, intends to adopt the recommendations of the report of Judge Edmund Levy on the legislation of the outposts in the occupied West Bank, after his team completed drafting the draft resolution.
Three months ago, Netanyahu has vowed, after the report was published, to submit it to the Ministerial Committee on the settlement, but he has declined to do so until now.

"Israeli" radio said that although Netanyahu gave, after the publication of the report last July, an impression that he will not adopt the recommendations of the report. He practically planned to avoid a clash with the international community on one hand, and to develop practical steps to adopt the report on the other hand.
According to senior "Israeli" sources, Netanyahu is expected to ask implementing practical recommendations and at the same time he will try to avoid restrictions imposed by international law; particularly those related to bureaucratic and procedural facilities to enable the construction in "Israeli" settlements and to overcome the obstacles that may be imposed by the Supreme Court or international law.

Transport Minister, Haim Katz (Likud) claimed in an interview with "Israel" Radio, in response to the news, that Netanyahu's adoption to several principles of the report does not mean imposing "Israeli" sovereignty over Jewish settlements in the West Bank. But perhaps there may be a need to examine this issue in the future. Katz added that the adoption of the report will facilitate the daily life of the settlers in the West Bank, and will enable them to live normally like other citizens of the state.

MK Yisrael Hasson of Kadima said that the government is messing with a barrel of gunpowder. There is no Palestinian political horizon and there is a very explosive situation, "Netanyahu's government intends to subdue the State of "Israel" to the interests of a private party, and we will pay the price for it."

Arab votes' influence in "Israel's" elections 2013

Or Kashti - Haaretz

Or Katshi, in Haartez newspaper, compared the percentage of the vote for the 2009 elections between religious Jewish extremist areas, right-wing regions and Arab villages and wondered what could motivate the Arab voter to actively participate and influence in the upcoming elections in 2013.

According to a study of the 2009 election, the voting rate in the Arab sector was only about 52 percent (that includes Arabs, Druze and Bedouin in Arab communities and mixed Arab-Jewish cities). Statistics published in the past also point to a continual decline in the voting rate in the Arab sector since 1996, when it was about 77 percent.

The author wrote about the Arab votes for Jewish parties, he said that the 2009 election was also exceptional in terms of Arab votes for Jewish parties. According to the study, Kadima lost about 35 percent of its Arab voters and Meretz, about 41 percent, since the 2006 election. However, the Labor Party holds the record, losing about 63 percent of its Arab supporters. Only about 17 percent of the Arab electorate chose to give their votes to Jewish parties in 2009. Between the two most recent election campaigns this number shrank by over one third.

He added that the unused reservoir of votes in the Arab sector - which includes almost half of those with the right to vote - should have led any politician from the left and the center who wants to survive to try to capture this hidden treasure. If the voting rate of Arab citizens increases and approaches the overall rate, it means an addition of over 100,000 voters - that's three or four seats.

The familiar map of Knesset blocs could change. But before the left (once again) blames the Arabs for not voting, thereby helping to ensure Netanyahu's victory, it would be better to ask how to increase Arab participation and to recruit them to a coalition that will not be led by the head of Likud. The high voting rates in the Arab sector in the elections for local councils throughout the years prove that things could be different: When the voters feel that they have the power to influence, that there is a chance that their voice will be heard, they participate and vote wholeheartedly.

The author stressed that Jewish parties, such as Meretz, Labor and whatever center party comes to the fore, will not find it easy to get the Arabs to vote for them. Years of unfulfilled promises and a rich history of empty words about equality and justice have created walls of alienation and suspicion towards Jewish politicians as well as fueling separatist trends in the Arab sector.

The author concluded by saying, "It's not a divine decree. It can be changed, for example, by means of a public convention signed by the interested parties, in which they promise to narrow the gaps and grant genuine equal rights in education, welfare, health, employment and other areas, based on a detailed plan. Those parties, and foremost among them the Labor Party, now have to choose between an attempt to attract a few of those disappointed with Likud, and being a more faithful representative than in the past to the population as a whole, Jews and Arabs alike."

Source: "Israeli" Media, translated and edited by moqawama.org