By Ze'ev Schiff
...[the] management of the war has been incompetent.
First, the IDF's ground troops did not contribute anything toward stop the war of attrition against Israel's cities...This conflict already has lasted nearly as long as the Yom Kippur War, and if the cabinet approves operative plans, it will clearly last far longer...The ground troops did not contribute to the battle against the short-range rockets in south Lebanon. Until yesterday, they were not deployed to prepare the area before handing it over to the multinational force − and it is doubtful whether any international force would agree to take it over under these circumstances.
The 1982 conflict was judged to be a bad war because it failed to achieve its objectives, but at that time, the IDF reached the Awali River in 48 hours with few casualties. Now, fighting in a narrow strip, the IDF hasn't finished the mission in three weeks...The battle did not end with one fell swoop as many had expected. The IDF is strong, but its power has not been properly used or exhausted.
...Even before the Qana disaster, we gave in to pressure and stopped bombing Hezbollah targets in Beirut. Washington thought this would strengthen the weak Lebanese government. However, we certainly should not have agreed in haste and without serious debate, even if the call came from Condoleezza Rice. It was a repeat of the stunned halt to Operation Grapes of Wrath in 1996 following a similar disaster.
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