[Ynet News] Guy Bechor - IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's resignation caught the Arab world by surprise. The prevailing view among the Arab public six months after the war in Lebanon is that Hizbullah did not win, and wasn't defeated. This view is largely prevalent among leaders, among the large Sunni institutions, and among the more educated strata of Arab society in general. Deep in their hearts, key Arab leaders, who would have preferred this war had never taken place because it strengthened their sworn enemies - the Shiites and political Islam - had hoped that Israel would strike a heavy blow at these forces, and in so doing cut them down to size. On the Arab Internet, the lion's share of surfers at key news sites expressed surprising readiness for soul searching. "The Israelis distanced Hizbullah from its borders, killed 1,200 of its combatants, destroyed its infrastructure, and positioned the Israel Defense Force in the north. Is this deemed a victory?" wrote a surfer from Cairo. Another wrote, "Ask the Lebanese people who lost this war. They know the truth all too well." The majority of surfers didn't ridicule Halutz. On the contrary, they expressed understanding and support for his actions. Many wrote that this is a lesson that should be learned by the entire Arab world, that when mistakes are made they should be rectified. "If only the Arab leadership would learn from Israel," wrote someone from Egypt.
2007-01-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive