Olmert needs to go - and fast!

I am philosophically not a right winger. It is a theological issue with me as I do not believe that expanding Eretz Israel territory is worth the human sacrifice. Once we have established our toehold in our land we should be patient and expand when the opportunity comes. It is not worth pushing the envelope. I know that my position is controversial in the religious society but I am entitled to my opinion. I do not claim to be right and can see other viewpoints too.

However when it comes to defending our land, protecting its citizens, I am a hawk. It is clear that Israel did not assess the threat from Hezbollah correctly and in retrospect the unilateral pullout without adequate guarantees for an arms free border area was a mistake. The incident that started this crisis was a good pretext to change the equation, and in retrospect the decision to use it as an opportunity to hit Hezbollah was correct. However it should have been done properly, with good planning and full force. Half measures without total commitments are doomed to failure. Olmert all along kept on vacillating and has shown himself to be a feckless leader. He should be replaced at once.

The buffoon, Peretz, as defense minister is another character who hopefully will disappear off the scene. It is clear that the idea that Israel has become a stable and safe country is a mirage and we still need strong military leaders to ensure our safety.

The outcome we are facing is pathetic. Relying on the UN and the French! to maintain an arms free area is pure tragicomedy and a guaranteed recipe for a future war. The sacrifices and heroism of the 100 plus dead and the scores of wounded has been in vain.

The current leaders are going to go down to ignominy and let us hope that we will get better ones in the future.

I don't usually post about these matters as I don't consider myself an expert nor do I feel that living in Chutz La'aretz entitles me to pontificate. However this has been too painful and I had to get off my chest.