Hamas War

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Ehud Barak's Altalena

Before I get into this post, I wish to take the opportunity to remind any surviving Altalena attackers and supporters of that attack that they ought to do a serious חשבון נפש "cheshbon nefesh," accounting of the soul, their deeds.  There is nothing worse than acts of Jews against Jews, and no fancy liberal-sounding terminology can excuse it.  The Leftists love throwing that burden on us proud patriotic Right wing Israelis and Jews, but history and current events show that they are the guilty ones, not us.

Menachem Begin and Irgun and Revisionist followers raised money and bought weapons to use to free the Old City of Jerusalem from Arab rule during Israel's War of Independence.  The armaments and volunteers traveled/were shipped to Israel on the Altalena.  Begin's representatives negotiated with David Ben-Gurion as to how to divide the weapons between the various Jewish fighting units and where to land the ship.

Totally unknown by Begin, Ben-Gurion had other plans.  Ben-Gurion believed that once the public knew that it was due to Begin's contribution that Jerusalem, including the Kotel, western wall, would be guaranteed Jewish, they would support Begin over Ben-Gurion.  To prevent loss of power, Ben-Gurion decided to trick Begin and attack him and the Altalena.

Menachem Begin survived the attack, and the Old Walled City of Jerusalem was captured by the Arabs.  Only during the Six Days War, nineteen years later, was it liberated and returned to Jewish rule.

David Ben-Gurion preferred political power over Jewish rule of our HolyLand, including our historical and religious capital, Jerusalem.

Ehud Barak is following in Ben-Gurion's footsteps by attacking the hesder yeshivot like the one in Har Bracha.  It is a well-known fact that in today's IDF Israel Defense Forces, the most motivated soldiers are the national religious, like those who participate via the hesder framework.  Barak's policies will only weaken the Israeli army.  Apparently, he, too, like Ben-Gurion, prefers personal power over Israeli victory.  He wants soldiers who obey his orders, not intelligent thinking Jews.

Many of the military mistakes which caused the death of our soldiers during the "second Lebanese War" were due to the changes Barak, himself as Ramat Kal COS, had made in the army.  Barak initiated the dependence on technology rather than human reconnaissance.  Unfortunately things look different on a screen than in real life.  My son's unit was saved, because his officer refused the instructions from "higher up" and didn't stay where they had been ordered.  A different unit followed orders and many were killed and injured, because the place wasn't safe.

Ehud Barak's attempts to fill the army with technology-dependent yes-men is bad for Israel's security and survival.

10 comments:

Hadassa said...

Shalom!
One of the women under Ben Gurion's command did publicly apologize and warn others of the danger of "just following orders". She gave an interview with B'Sheva some time before the expulsion from Gush Katif and the northern Shomron. She said that she was young (18), believed everything that her officers told her about Begin's men destroying Israel and today trembles when she thinks about what she did. I'll look for a link after Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Urim Sameah!

Batya said...

Ahh, davka a woman!
But neither Ben-Gurion, nor Rabin or the many others ever publically admitted the error. And some of the left have come out in recent years saying that it was good. Things haven't improved

Daniel said...

It is a pity that few know the Jerusalem connection with the Altalena

Batya said...

Yes, Daniel, so few know any history and the truth behind it.

Hadassa said...

Shalom!
I haven't heard or read of anyone else apologizing either.
There was another woman. She refused orders, and was the only one to do so. In a letter to the editor to B'Sheva after the apology was published, answering the question, "Did anyone refuse orders?" the quote from one of her fellow "soldiers" was, "We knew that the religious would let us down."
If only it was that way today...
I'm still looking for links in English!

Batya said...

Thanks
We need more publicity for this issue than my blog.

Ruvy Kossover said...

Batya,

What is happening here is indeed Barak's Altalena. When you look at the history of the Labor Zionist movement, you find evil like the Altalena affair abounding in its annals. But unfortunately, it is getting worse. We are one bullet away from civil war - a civil war that is being provoked by Ehud Barak as he blackmails his boss, the younger brother of the man sent to Entebbe and murdered by Israeli commandos there.

Batya said...

Ruvy, as you've seen, I'm sticking my neck out to blog about it, but why is everyone else so silent?

Ruvy Kossover said...

Batya,

Link to my blog, Ruvy's Roost, and to my writers' page at Blogcritics Magazine. You may not agree with all that I say there, but I don't think you would call that silence, would you?

Barry Chamish sent me an article by e-mail on the topic "Civil War: What Ehud Barak has on Netanyahu". Give me a holler at my gmail addy, rkossover@gmail.com, and I'll forward it to you if you would like me to. Then you can republish here, crediting Barry, of course.

Batya said...

Ruvy, we're really not enough. I saw Barry's letter, but it should be re-written very simply to make his point.
I don't get it. Wouldn't it make Barak the guilty one out of responsibility?