Israel blames everyone else for abduction

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA, JULY 10. The Israeli Army continues its gyrations as it desperately seeks to shift blame for the abduction of three of its soldiers last year on to someone else. Thankfully its penchant over the last two days to pick on an unit of the Indian Army has faded. This might be connected to reports that the Israel Foreign Ministry and the embassy in New Delhi were concerned about the detrimental effect of these accusations on relations with India.

Maj. Gen. Uzi Dayan, head of Israel's national Security Council, was the latest to complain against the U.N. Interim Relief Force in Lebanon, which includes contingents of the Indian Army. He was reported to have said on Israel's Channel Two television on Monday that it appeared that the UNIFIL men could have done a lot more to foil the abduction.

By now, the whole of Israel knows that the contingent involved was the Indian one. So Maj. Gen. Dayan's ``generous'' non-mention of the identity of the contingent is not something to be grateful for. The senior officer and other military men have not been asked to explain what exactly UNIFIL could have done when the rules under which it is deployed prohibit it from doing anything. It can only observe the situation on the border and report any violation to the U.N. headquarters; it cannot even issue warnings of possible attacks.

Neither have the Israeli officers clarified what UNIFIL could have done to stop the abductors from making off with the captives when their own Army started shelling the area soon after the incident.

Israel is usually prompt in ordering probes in military affairs. It is not clear whether such an enquiry was held, and if so what its conclusions were. Israeli media, which follows military affairs closely, has not reported about any enquiry in connection with the recent accusations.

If the Israeli soldiers were abducted while they travelled on a route prescribed for them, there was little that UNIFIL could have done to intervene even if it did have the mandate. If they were travelling on a route or were in areas they were not supposed to be, it would have been that much more difficult for UNIFIL to have helped them.

Surprisingly, some Israeli officers whose names have found mention in these despatches are people who have had contact in the past with the Indian military attache in Tel Aviv. They have surely discussed these matters with the Indian Air Force officers who have served as attaches over the period.

This blind drive to dump the blame on somebody is inexplicable when military exchanges between the two countries form a major part of their relationship. The Israeli media has at last woken up to the fact that the Indian unit that shot the videotape a day after the abduction was 2 Madras and that they were substituted by 5/9 Gorkhas in December last.

Meanwhile, the Israel Foreign Ministry and the Embassy in New Delhi are reported to have taken cognisance of the reports appearing in this newspaper. According to Haaretz, Israel's diplomats were worried that the controversy could sour ``what had been an improving relationship''.

Of particular concern were reports in some Israeli publications (an editorial of Haaretz not excluded) that some jawans might have been bribed by the Hizbollah.

PTI reports:

Israel may not confirm the appointment of a senior Indian Army officer as Commander of UNIFIL, the Hebrew daily Maariv reported today.

The appointee, on whom the U.N. has decided, requires the agreement of both Israel and Lebanon, and it seems Tel Aviv will oppose him in protest against the alleged involvement of Indian soldiers in the abduction incident, the report claimed quoting sources in the security establishment.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : 23 fishermen to be freed
Next     : Musharraf has determination, says mother