"During her visit to Israel, Minister of National
Defense Dovilė Šakalienė proposed increasing bilateral military cooperation,
establishing closer ties, and invited Israel to develop the defense industry in
Lithuania. According to the minister, both countries are united by a common
military spirit.
Will we adopt experience without having capabilities?
The following remark by D. Šakalienė is most noteworthy:
"We want to adopt the experience accumulated during the difficult war and
apply the lessons learned in Lithuania." The Israeli armed forces are not
"paper", but know what it means to defend their country, so it is
especially important for Lithuania to adopt its experience.
I don't know what information space the minister lives in,
but her call to adopt Israel's experience and apply the lessons learned in
Lithuania is not only shocking, but also immoral, because it would encourage a
violation of international norms of armed conflict.
It is estimated that Israel has
killed more than fifty thousand Palestinians with its indiscriminate attacks
since the beginning of the conflict, not to mention thousands more who have
been pulled from the rubble, and after Israel resumed military operations in
March, an average of 100 children were killed every day in the Gaza Strip for
some time. Is it really desirable that the Lithuanian armed forces absorb this
experience and prepare to apply it in the event of a war?
Israel has one of the most modern and
powerful armed forces in the world. It has more fighter jets than France or the
United Kingdom, more than 2,000 tanks, numerous artillery pieces and other
sophisticated weapons. Lithuania cannot wage war the way Israel does, so there
is nothing to learn, except perhaps the tactics of small infantry groups.
But many incidents have shown that
Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into what the US called free-fire zones in the
Vietnam War, where anyone there was considered a legitimate target, and was
shot at according to the principle: if you move, you are killed.
D. Šakalienė is known for her combative statements,
sometimes giving the impression that she would like to be a military leader, a
modern-day Boudica. In an interview with German radio Deutsche Welle in April,
she claimed that Russian soldiers would “never cross her country’s borders
again.” This is an empty boast; even Poland cannot guarantee this. She also
justified Lithuania’s withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention.
Supposedly, “wake up.” We will use
all available means to protect our citizens, and “if any necessary means are
not available to us, we will create them.” I do not think that Lithuania will
soon start building Patriot air defense systems. We have neither the funds nor
the scientific and technical competence to do this, which, I believe, D.
Šakalienė knows. Her posturing is tasteless, although Estonian officials behave
similarly.
When convenient, they go along the way with criminals
D. Šakalienė’s actions are supported by the Presidential
Office and the Prime Minister. The President’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Asta
Skaisgirytė called for separating relations with the state from relations with
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for whom the International Criminal Court
(ICC) has issued an arrest warrant. According to A. Skaisgirytė, “the arrest
warrant is issued specifically for the Prime Minister, so the Prime Minister
must answer for it. And the relationship with the country is the relationship
between Lithuania and Israel.”
I don’t know if this is a simple misunderstanding or a
deliberate sophistry. The Hague court did not accuse B. Netanyahu of corruption
or illegal money-making, he is not reproached for scolding his wife too much or
for allowing her to scold and teach him. The court’s focus is on his political
decisions, not his personal life, his role in leading the country in the Gaza
offensive.
As head of government, he plays a decisive, or at least the
most influential, role in determining the goals of the war and their
implementation.
Without his approval, Israeli planes
would not bomb densely populated Palestinian camps with two-thousand-pound
bombs that kill or injure people more than 350 meters from the center of the
explosion, would not cut off the supply of food, water, fuel and electricity,
would not consistently obstruct efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the
victims, and Israel would discipline ministers who call for the ethnic
cleansing of Palestinians.
If Netanyahu were not the prime
minister and were not responsible for the actions of Israeli forces, the ICC
would not have indicted him. Israeli policy, not the prime minister’s personal
quirks, determined the court’s decision. The ICC also indicts a state that is committing
war crimes, perhaps even genocide, and that Lithuania is willingly and
knowingly supporting.
Imagine that an international tribunal would have indicted
Hitler. Could a self-respecting state continue to cooperate with Nazi Germany,
justifying its decision by the fact that this state was not indicted? I doubt
it.
Are interests placed above values real?
Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas, when asked by BNS whether
it is possible to turn a blind eye to sins if the relationship is beneficial in
some issue, explained that life and the world are not black and white. There
are all kinds of shades, and where we need to cooperate, we will cooperate.
Where there is no need to cooperate or we see evils, this is expressed. It is
said that a simplified approach does not allow for the effective implementation
of other set goals.
It is undeniable that the world is not black and white, and
where cooperation is needed, we will cooperate. However, there is no need to
cooperate with Israel, especially on military issues. There are many other
countries that could provide Lithuania with the necessary weapons and
investments. And it is certainly not the case that Lithuania criticizes evils
when it notices them. Silence and approval are the norm.
G. Paluckas has clearly stated that
the current policy towards Israel will not be changed, so talk about a
values-based policy remains empty.
Two reasons determine Lithuania’s policy towards Israel –
Lithuanian participation in the Holocaust and the tendency to appease the
United States, which is Israel’s main partner. As the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs reminded us last week, Lithuania actively contributes to the efforts of
the international community to activate Holocaust research, strengthen
historical memory and prevent anti-Semitism. Representatives of the Ministry
consistently work in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, of which
Lithuania has been a member since 2002, in the European Commission and in the
working groups of World Jewry to Combat Anti-Semitism. This work is welcome and
should be continued, but indirect responsibility for crimes committed 80 years
ago does not justify a decision to ignore the actions of the current Israeli
government. If Lithuania and other Western countries publicly condemned what is
truly reprehensible, Israeli society might begin to be more critical of the
far-right-dominated government.
I do not believe in miracles. Many Israelis will continue to
distrust and even hate the Palestinians, but some may understand that the
current policy is not in Israel’s interest. Washington will not turn its back
on Israel, but it could eventually soften its policy if it sees that
unconditional support is hindering better relations with the Arab and Muslim
world. In any case, Western countries must show that they expect their allies
and friends to respect the values that are considered the foundations of
democracy and the international community that we want.”
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