The state of the IDF

The failed handling of the case of Battalion 71 Commander Lt.-Col. Omri Burbarg is last week's major event.

What happened there? A soldier fired a rubber bullet at the foot of a bound Palestinian youth, in the presence of the battalion commander, and as it turns out, at his command. There was no operational justification, and certainly no other justification for this action, which borders on a war-crime.

This is not the first time that soldiers or border-policemen have abused Palestinians in the territories. The violence in Israeli society that some recruits bring from their homes to the army, and the inability to consider Palestinians as human beings, which also is widespread in our society, combine to create this phenomenon which runs contrary to the values of the IDF.

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Crime and premiership

The prime minister's announcement that he will not run for the leadership of Kadima and will assist the person elected in his place to become the premier of the next government was last week's major event.

I have never voiced a legal opinion as to Olmert's guilt or innocence. I believe in the basic democratic principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law - and only there. That principle applies as much to a Prime Minister as it does to any other citizen.

I cannot ignore the fact that all three of Olmert's predecessors in office were prosecuted, and not one of them was indicted.

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Gaza communities need actions, not just words

I spent the past week-end with my wife in the Gaza periphery. More precisely, I was hosted by my friend and fellow MK Shay Hermesh who extended the invitation to stay with him and his family at his kibbutz in Kfar Aza. The area's civilian and security problems have been known to me for some time. However, the 2 days I spent there allowed for a closer look at the reality on the ground.

The most impressive thing I noticed was the spirit of the people there. I met proud people, strong people, unpretentious people, heroes and certainly people devoid of the typical, whiny 'sense of entitlement' attitude so prevalent whithin Israeli population. A visit to a local kindergarten, whose walls were made of thick cement and whose windows were elevated and decreased in size so they almost looked like small shootout points, was enough to understand the continued difficulties such communities have endured for the past 7 years. The swings and slides stand alone in unused sandboxes since these small children are forbidden to play outside and spend their days in a room where very little sunlight comes through.

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Gaza op inevitable

Last week's barrage of Kassam and mortar fire from Gaza into the surrounding communities has set a new record for the residents living there. This collective suffering has reached a point of no return.

Israel's leadership must provide an answer to its citizens who are living under Hamas rocket fire, a definite answer. In the absence of such an answer from the government, I would like to state the truth as I see it.

Why is the government not preparing a major operation intended to break Hamas's strength and hold on the Gaza Strip? Such an operation is inevitable, because Israel cannot and will not resign itself to the existence of an Iranian terror base on its borders forever.

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Obama's AIPAC speech - a pleasant surprise

From my point of view, last week's most meaningful event was my participation in the AIPAC conference which took place in Washington. AIPAC is the biggest and most significant pro-Israel organization that exists in the United States. It acts as a lobby to the Senate and Congress and it succeeds, almost always, in passing legislation that is favorable to Israel.

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The fall of Lebanon and the rise of the West Bank

Amid the excitement of last week's events - the announcement of  negotiations with Syria and the developments in the latest Olmert  corruption scandal - not enough attention was paid to the most significant event of the week: the fall of Lebanon in oil-rich Qatar.

In negotiations that took place under the sponsorship of the Qatari  ruler, the Lebanese government surrendered to the demands of Hizbullah and Syria: the pro-Syrian military chief General Michel Suleiman was  nominated for the presidency, Hizbullah would appoint a third of  cabinet ministers (11 out of 30), Fuad Saniora would no longer remain  prime minister and Hizbullah's demands for the renewed division of  voting areas which would enhance its Parliament representation in the next election was also approved. Under Lebanese law, a third of government ministers have veto power on every decision. The moment 11 ministers are Hizbullah members, every decision made in Lebanon has to first be approved by Teheran and Damascus.

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Israel@60: Successes and failures

Last week was marked by the Independence Day celebrations of Israel's sixtieth birthday. The day's events were especially beautiful and moving. This day should also be a day for reflection and self-inspection.

What have we achieved in the last 60 years?

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Exodus remembered

Holocaust Remembrance Day left its indelible mark on the whole of last week. At the beginning of the week, Yossi Harel was brought to rest - the commander of the ship carrying 'illegal immigrants' under the British Mandate period called 'Exit Europe' more commonly knows as the 'Exodus'.

This ship set sail in the summer of 1947 with 4,500 Holocaust survivors to the shores of Israel. The British prevented its arrival by force and after commandeering the ship still at sea, a battle broke out between the British forces and the 'illegal immigrants' and these people, after a long and difficult journey in which they wandered at sea for two months, were sent back to Hamburg port in Germany.

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Keep up the pressure

The killing of a senior Islamic Jihad operative in the West Bank and the renewal of attacks on the western Negev last week only illustrated further the threat posed by Islamic terror.

These incidents brought to light the purpose of using targeted killings against senior operatives who are known to be carrying high-trajectory weapons aimed at our cities - we're not just talking about Sderot anymore and the areas in the western Negev, we are now also talking about our cities in the north.

In order to understand the answer, one must be aware of these fundamental facts:

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Put an end to Hamas' regime

The deterioration of the situation is Gaza is still in full swing. The barrage of Kassams on Sderot and the firing of rockets at Ashkelon is a calculated escalation on the part of Hamas. It is a retaliatory action for the successful targeted killings of terrorists who, in the absence of the assassination on Wednesday morning, would have executed an attack that would have extracted a high price from us. It is important to mention this fact since there is a general feeling that the IDF is not doing enough and that is completely untrue.

Even so, the frustration here is still high inasmuch as the rockets keep coming despite the offensive operations that the IDF is undertaking in Gaza, and the range has been expanded to include Ashkelon. With frustrating and confusing conditions, come futile ideas - defeatist and adventurous especially. Therefore, it is important to state clearly what is possible and what is necessary.

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