Dr. Aaron Lerner IMRA: Last time the security authorities were clueless
about the significance of the tunnels so they are now pouring billions of
shekels into this issue. But today are these same folks clueless about the
significance of the massive Hamas preparations for war not directly
associated with the tunnels facilitated by the "quiet for quiet" policy?
Why clueless? Perhaps because the COS and PM are so locked into the "quiet
for quiet" concept that no one wants to be the "trouble maker" that puts in
the record that "quiet for quiet" is no longer a workable policy.
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Report: IDF probe finds failures in preparation for 2014 Gaza war
LAHAV HARKOV The Jerusalem Post 10/18/2016 09:40
http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Report-IDF-probe-finds-failures-in-preparation-for-2014-Gaza-war-470326

The partially-classified report said the IDF knew there was a tunnel threat,
but not how big it was, and thus the divisions were not prepared to deal
with them.

A commission of over 30 IDF officers found shortcomings in the military’s
efforts to detect and block Hamas terrorist tunnels leading up to 2014’s
Operation Protective Edge, Army Radio reported Tuesday.

All commanders involved in the operation were questioned by the committee,
led by Maj.-Gen. Yossi Bachar, which reportedly found failures at all levels
that harmed the forces’ ability to be prepared for the operation.

During Protective Edge, on July 17, 2014, Hamas terrorists emerged from a
tunnel near Kibbutz Sufa by the Gaza border and were stopped by IDF
soldiers, two of whom were killed. Several other tunnels were discovered
during the operation and four more soldiers were killed in related combat.

The partially-classified report said the IDF knew there was a tunnel threat,
but not how big it was, and thus the divisions were not prepared to deal
with them, and any preparation they did do in relation to tunnels was
insufficient and led to problematic situations in the field, according to
Army Radio.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said that the committee’s conclusions were
integrated in the IDF and Southern Command’s plans.

“The matter of dealing with underground matter is at the top of our
priorities and great efforts are invested in building the force, through
operative plans and actions in the field to the give the best response to
the threat,” the IDF Spokesperson told Army Radio.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who was in the Diplomatic-Security
Cabinet during Protective Edge, praised the report for its transparency.

“This is exactly how things should be investigated, and I am proud of the
IDF that it is not afraid to check itself. The political level should do the
same and not try to find who is guilty for the tunnel matter,” he stated. “I’ll
do everything possible in the cabinet so that the IDF and the State of
Israel are ready for the next threat. That is our central responsibility.”

The State Comptroller is expected to release a report in the coming weeks
stating the government was not prepared for the tunnel threat.

In advance of the report, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his
cabinet held discussions on the issue as early as January 2013, and
according to information seen by The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu did in fact
convene eight cabinet meetings, between January 2013 and the eve of
Operation Protective Edge, to specifically address and tackle the issue of
tunnels.

Yaakov Lappin contributed to this report.