July 30, 2007:
The
commander of the Israeli navy, Admiral David Ben Bashat, resigned, as a result
of his performance during the war with Hizbollah last year. Bashat took the
fall because the navy failed to get information, that other Israeli
intelligence agencies had, about Hizbollah possessing Iranian anti-ship
missiles. Had the Israeli navy told its ships, off the Lebanese coast, about these missiles, the ships would have
turned on their anti-missile systems, and avoided getting hit. One Israeli
corvette did get hit, and four sailors were killed. Bashat stayed in his job
until a government investigation could be completed, and his actions or, in
this case, inaction, could be confirmed.
Israel has traditionally
been hard on military commanders who do not perform well. Even after victorious
wars, poor performers are usually eased out. This is in sharp contrast to Arab
practice, where failed generals often retain their jobs, lest their boss look
bad for having hired a loser. One exception to this was Saddam Hussein, who was
quick to replace generals who were not getting the job done, or were suspected
of disloyalty. This harsh treatment of senior officials was one of the reasons
Saddam was so popular at the street level throughout the Arab world. Most Arab
leaders never appreciated this angle, or chose to ignore it.