On the one hand, I think FM might be going after his political/religious opponents a bit too much here. On the other hand, he has a definite point that money and loss of morale can be traced to the haredi "nation of learners" phenomenon as well as the massive settler reaction to the pullout. Of course, the orange campaign was to be expected, and protest is part of a democracy. That said, the argument that extra money could have been saved had the protests been different in nature is an i interesting one. I certainly think the point about morale has quite a bit of merit.
3. State support of haredim through its various welfare programs takes money away from very important things like national defense. In other words, there is no free lunch, and a community of people that does not value work, instead intentionally depending on state welfare, carries with it higher costs than is often realized.
4. The IDF spent a huge amount of money planning and implementing the withdrawal from Gush Katif and northern Samaria. It also spent much of its training on that issue, rather than Hezbollah. In other words, if the settlers had accepted the decision of the government, taken their compensation and moved to the Negev or central Israel, the IDF could have spent the last two years doing what it is really supposed to – preparing and training for national defense.
Whether you agree or disagree with his analysis, Failed Messiah's last point is dead-on:
Just as Netanyahu's reckless budget cuts endangered soldiers in this war, so did the misbehavior of haredim and settlers. What must be fixed in the IDF will, God willing, be fixed, and politicians will fall because of their incompetence. But can the same be said about the haredim and the settlers?
Indeed. Will there even be a willingness to look at their own behavior, even as they continue to push introspection and teshuvah on everyone else?
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