ISRAEL: Army probe of flotilla raid finds mistakes; blogger finds a big one

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The committee appointed by the Israeli army to examine the military’s performance in the ill-fated takeover of the Mavi Marmara, part of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, submitted its report Monday. Giora Eiland, a former major general who headed Israel’s national security council and served in senior military posts, had been tapped by Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi to head an internal team of experts a few days after the high-profile operation.

The report cites faults in planning, intelligence and information integration, among other things, but also said commandos acted well under the circumstances. Eiland’s team found no negligence but did find mistakes, including at senior levels. He chose his words very carefully.
But really, instead of spending five weeks on a 100-page report, Eiland could have just published this instead:

The cartoon made the cyber-rounds June 1, reaching Israel even before Eiland’s appointment. It seems to have originated from Abu Muqawama, the nom-de-blog of an expert at the Center for New American Security with a blog on contemporary insurgency issues and a good sense of humor. He posted ‘Fast-Roping 101’ the day after the raid, with a one-liner asking if it was ‘’too soon.’ Nope, not too soon, said one reader. Another commented it was too late, and others said the cartoon absolutely begged a T-shirt.

So, here it is again.

Now commandos may be waiting for the next commission to decide which decision-maker put them in the fast-roping-for-dummies situation to begin with.

-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem
Image credit: Abu Muqawama