Lessons from Afghanistan
Israel must pay attention to US willingness to engage in dialogue with enemies
Efraim Halevy Published: 04.14.09, 12:14 / Israel Opinion
At this time, a special American team is completing an extraordinary journey in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Accompanied by a group of journalists from America's leading newspapers, President Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen held talks with top government officials in both countries. At the same time, they also held special meetings with enemy commanders "“ the Taliban "“ in the presence of the journalists. These meetings were attended, among others, by a senior Taliban fighter who spent years in the Guantanamo detention camp.
The Americans' objective was not to make clear the policy which the world's greatest power intends to adopt. They traveled all the way from Washington first and foremost to seek the advice of the "moderates among their enemies"� in respect to the complex situation created in the wake of eight years of war. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said there, for example, that it took the US too long to recognize the damage caused by searches at houses and by bombings; he pledged to consider ways to minimize the suffering of the civilian population.
Holbrooke, a veteran senior diplomat known for his toughness, virtually begged religious leaders for advice on how to reconcile with the radical and cruel Taliban, which serves as the patron of al-Qaeda terrorists. The names of the participants in the meetings were kept secret lest they be hurt later, yet based on credible sources the "philosophy"� of the Guantanamo detainee is much more radical than that of Hamas in Gaza.
See MoreNo longer refugeesNation of citations
Lessons from Afghanistan
Israel must pay attention to US willingness to engage in dialogue with enemies
Efraim Halevy Published: 04.14.09, 12:14 / Israel Opinion
At this time, a special American team is completing an extraordinary journey in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Accompanied by a group of journalists from America's leading newspapers, President Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen held talks with top government officials in both countries. At the same time, they also held special meetings with enemy commanders "“ the Taliban "“ in the presence of the journalists. These meetings were attended, among others, by a senior Taliban fighter who spent years in the Guantanamo detention camp.
The Americans' objective was not to make clear the policy which the world's greatest power intends to adopt. They traveled all the way from Washington first and foremost to seek the advice of the "moderates among their enemies"� in respect to the complex situation created in the wake of eight years of war. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said there, for example, that it took the US too long to recognize the damage caused by searches at houses and by bombings; he pledged to consider ways to minimize the suffering of the civilian population.
Holbrooke, a veteran senior diplomat known for his toughness, virtually begged religious leaders for advice on how to reconcile with the radical and cruel Taliban, which serves as the patron of al-Qaeda terrorists. The names of the participants in the meetings were kept secret lest they be hurt later, yet based on credible sources the "philosophy"� of the Guantanamo detainee is much more radical than that of Hamas in Gaza.
See MoreNo longer refugeesNation of citations
Lessons from Afghanistan
Israel must pay attention to US willingness to engage in dialogue with enemies
Efraim Halevy Published: 04.14.09, 12:14 / Israel Opinion
At this time, a special American team is completing an extraordinary journey in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Accompanied by a group of journalists from America's leading newspapers, President Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen held talks with top government officials in both countries. At the same time, they also held special meetings with enemy commanders "“ the Taliban "“ in the presence of the journalists. These meetings were attended, among others, by a senior Taliban fighter who spent years in the Guantanamo detention camp.
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