We knew about the tunnels for years but not that they would be used?

...Oslo, retreat from the Gaza Strip and Philadelphi Corridor, "quiet for quiet", as well as the many initiatives to trade the Golan for a piece of paper that only failed because of an uncooperative Assad, are all illustrations of how policymakers had reasonably accurate technical information about security ramifications but chose to downgrade or ignore the information since the technically possible scenarios had yet to play out. As has been often said: our enemies tend to save us from our incompetence.

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA..
19 July '14..




(Recording) Most important quote this year: Min. Livni: we knew about the tunnels for years but not that they would be used

This recording helps to provide a very important understanding as to how the very top of Israel's leadership analyzes situations and makes policy decisions.

Here is the guiding principle: "there is a difference between a problem that still hasn't taken place..."

To be clear: The decision makers in the Government of Israel can know that the enemy has developed a strategic capability (and in the case of the tunnels there can even be past experience in the use of tunnels against Israel), but the Government of Israel is only compelled to act against this strategic capability when the enemy uses it in a high profile operation.


http://youtu.be/fFGL8bcO1zU

At the time of this writing (Sunday morning) the IDF just discovered a major tunnel reaching inside Israel to Kibbutz Netiv Haasarah. If Hamas had accepted the ceasefire last week, that tunnel and the many others now being discovered would still be intact - waiting for use at a time that most serves the program of the enemy.

This revelation by Minister Livni should serve as a warning regarding the policy making process inside Israel.

It appears to be an approach that enables policymakers to make decisions that can ignore all the facts, all the dangers, all the threats - as long as they have not yet actually take place.

Oslo, retreat from the Gaza Strip and Philadelphi Corridor, "quiet for quiet", as well as the many initiatives to trade the Golan for a piece of paper that only failed because of an uncooperative Assad, are all illustrations of how policymakers had reasonably accurate technical information about security ramifications but chose to downgrade or ignore the information since the technically possible scenarios had yet to play out.

As has been often said: our enemies tend to save us from our incompetence.


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Minister Tzipi Livni - Member of Security Cabinet - Friday Studio Channel 2
18 July 2014

Anchor: Minister of Justice, Cabinet Member Tzipi Livni - Shabbat Shalom

Second anchor (Yonit Levy): Can you explain to us the gap, Minister Livni, between the fact that on Tuesday we almost, or basically the Government of Israel agreed, to a ceasefire and on Thursday it remembered, in a way, that the tunnels are a strategic problem that must be urgently taken care of.

Livni: First of all

2nd Anchor: It wasn't already a strategic problem?

Livni: First of all, in truth the tunnels aren't something new. And I told you what the two things that, from my standpoint, brought about support for this operation.

First of all there is a difference between a problem that still hasn't taken place and you still don't see it inside the territory of the State of Israel.

Something that was known to Israel over the past years - and between that same exit (from the tunnel) at Sufa that basically meant that there isn't only a tunnel but that Hamas continues and intends to use them inside the State of Israel against the citizens of Israel.

At the same time, the rejection by Hamas of the Egyptian ceasefire proposal that we accepted - everyone accepted it, out of the idea that they (Hamas) could make gains as they attack us was, from my standpoint, a sufficient justification to launch the operation.

Link: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=64393

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IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis

Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations

Website: www.imra.org.il

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