Olmert Distorts Reality of Israel’s Northern Border For Visiting Jewish Organizations

On February 18th, 2005, during a public presentation for the annual Jerusalem meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations from North America, Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert pointed to Israel’s security situation on the Lebanon as a model which Israel would apply to Gaza and Samaria. Olmert stated that the Hizbullah terrorists now based in Southern Lebanon had accumulated some 15,000 missiles and mortars in Lebanon and that they have never used them against Israel on the Northern border since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in May, 2000.

Writing both as a journalist and as the father of a son who was stationed as a combat soldier and forward observer for the Israeli artillery corps on the northern border for almost three years, it is incredible that Olmert could make any such statement.

The declassified IDF situation report that was issued on the day that my son was discharged from the IDF on June 8th, 2004 speaks for itself:

“In the four years since the IDF unilaterally redeployed its troops from Lebanon, the following attacks on Israel took place from the North:

• 34 attacks with mortar shells and anti-tank missiles into Northern Israel.
• 7 shooting attacks with light arms fire into Northern Israel.
• 8 roadside bombs that were planted in Northern Israel.
• 127 times when anti-aircraft missiles** were fired into Northern Israel.
• 5 Katusha rocket attacks into Northern Israel.
• 10 infiltrations into Northern Israel.
• 11 soldiers killed in Northern Israel while 3 IDF troops were kidnapped and murdered.
• 50 soldiers who were wounded in Northern Israel.
• 14 civilians were killed in Northern Israel”.

During these years, the Israeli media often reported that these missiles were firing at Israeli aircraft, while this was hardly ever the case.

However, as Ha’Aretz military correspondent Z’ev Schiff once explained after one of these anti-aircraft missiles killed a sixteen-year-old boy in Shlomi, the trajectories of these missiles were readjusted to act as surface-to-surface missiles.

At a time when Israel is considering another unilateral withdrawal of troops from Gaza without any “quid pro quo” of peace, our son was witness to what it means to move back Israeli troops and watch Israel’s enemies regroup and continue their attacks against Israel.

Now Ehud Olmert tries to say that there were no attacks from the north since May, 2000.

Perhaps Olmert should make 28 belated shiva calls to refresh his memory.