Another snafu during the Second Lebanon War

Key data withheld from army officers during Lebanon war
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondents, November 3, 2006

Senior Northern Command and Division 91 officers were not privy to essential intelligence information regarding Hezbollah's deployment prior to the second Lebanon War.

The intelligence, which was available to the Israel Defense Forces, included accurate information about the locations of Hezbollah bunkers and positions, as well as the internal structure of such positions.

The officers were aware that such information existed, but were prevented from accessing it by the Intelligence Directorate's Committee on Source Security, arguing that the information was secret. Military Intelligence decided that the information would only be made available in the event of a war.

Officers' demands to gain access to information on routine security preparations that could counter Hezbollah raids inside the border fence were also rejected, and led to repeated and heated arguments among various units.

The information on Hezbollah positions was also withheld from the units during the war itself. Although there was a plan to transfer the data, which was stored in sealed boxes, to relevant units during a war, it was not carried out in time.

The initial boxes of intelligence reached the division command only a week after the initial encounter between an elite IDF unit and Hezbollah guerrillas inside a bunker (on July 19). But even then, it was difficult to adapt the intelligence to the immediate needs of the unit fighting there.

Ruthie - the giraffe - looking for a mate...

Qalqilya singleton looking for Israeli stud
Yediot, Ronny Shaked Published: 11.02.06, 14:18

Ruthie the giraffe has been wandering around with a broken heart ever since her mate died in 2002. The Ramat Gan Safari is full of eager candidates but due to administrative squabbling poor Ruthie is still waiting

They say it's hard to find a good man. Apparently it's even more difficult to find a good giraffe. Just ask Ruthie, the Qalqilya Zoo's resident female giraffe.

"I don't know who named her Ruthie," said chief veterinarian Sami Hadjar, "I got her six-seven years ago. She was born in 1995, we paid

15,000 dollars to bring here from South Africa. We also brought her a mate, named Brownie."

But then, at the height of the Intifada in April 2002 the IDF launched operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank. Brownie panicked from the noise and started running around his cage hysterically, eventually banging his head on a metal rod and collapsing. "When we came to the zoo the next afternoon we found Brownie dead and Ruthie standing next to him, sad," said Hadjar.

he Qalqilya Zoo was given to the Palestinians by the Civil Administration in the late 1970's and since its establishment maintained good relations with its Israli counterparts, especially the Ramat-Gan Safari. However since the breakout of the Intifada cooperation between the establishments has declined.

"An adult giraffe costs 20,000 dollars," says Hadjar, at a loss for how to cheer Ruthie up, "who has that kind of money these days? So I called the Ramat-Gan Safari and they said 'sure, no problem, send Ruthie over for a few months, our males will know what to do.' But their condition was that they weren't to be held responsible if Ruthie became ill. We said no and asked to bring one of their giraffes here, they said no."

And so for now Ruthie must wait alone, anyone who happens to know a nice, well-read single male giraffe (no smokers please) who's ready to settle down and likes sunsets and Acacia leaves please contact the Qalqilya zoo for a shiduch.