In an analysis of the Winograd Report, Aluf Benn, diplomatic editor of the Israeli daily Haaretz, draws attention to what he calls "the most interesting and thought-provoking paragraph in the entire interim report published by the Winograd Committee."
"The Israel Defense Forces was not ready for this war. Among the many reasons for this we can mention a few: Some of the political and military elites in Israel have reached the conclusion that Israel is beyond the era of wars. It had enough military might and superiority to deter others from declaring war against it … [so] that it alone could control the decision of whether to go to war … [so] that the main challenges facing the land forces would be protracted, low-intensity conflicts. Given this analysis, there was no need to prepare for war, nor was there a need to energetically seek paths to stable and long-term agreements with our neighbors" - the Winograd report, page 20
Benn argues that:
"This week, in the shadow of the storm, no one was focusing on strategy or diplomatic processes. But once the political dust settles, and a new government takes hold in Jerusalem, its leaders ought to give this paragraph of the Winograd report a careful reading. Perhaps they’ll learn some lessons from it for the future." Read more>>