Birthday greetings from Hillel Halkin:

Were I prophetically to know that Israel would perish within the next 20 or 30 or 50 years, as many of its bon ton critics are now prognosticating, it would not make the slightest difference to me in terms of my own decisions. I would still feel happy that I chose to live here; would go on living here; would want my children to live here; would want them to raise my grandchildren here — until the last possible moment. Isn’t that the way we want to live our own personal lives, too: Until the last possible moment?

Happy — and proud. Because for all its shortcomings and mistakes, Israel is and will always be one of the most glorious historical adventures in the history of mankind. A 3,000-year-old people, the victim of the greatest act of mass murder ever committed on this planet, has the indomitable will to reconstitute itself in its ancient homeland, to revive its ancient language, to assert its right to live, to create new life, to nourish it and maintain it in defiance of all odds — there’s never been anything else like it before and never will be again.

I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to be part of it. I would have felt envious had I been anywhere else.

Eff you.

The IDF is an army that thinks. The Iranians go with what worked in the past. Like I keep telling you: The IDF is going to be fighting the next war, while Hamas and Hezbullah are fighting the last one. From an interview with Ehud Barak:

So how do we deal with the military buildup in Gaza?

“We’ve already been inside Gaza, and while we were there Qassams were fired and the armament was ongoing. We might have to go back into Gaza – we have to be ready for that. We’re not thrilled about it, but if and when we decide to do it, the operation won’t resemble the Second Lebanon War.

“Israel is the strongest nation in the Middle East, but we have to apply our strength wisely. War is no picnic. Wars should be prevented and if you can’t prevent them you have to put them off. If war is forced on us, we have to be able to win it quickly, unequivocally, on enemy soil and without any damage to the home front.”

That sounds like harsh criticism of the last war.

“It is. And if you ask me what we’ve been doing since the last war, the answer is we have learned quite a few lessons during the war… we’re pushing a perennial program headed by the chief of staff and a new chain of command was named of officers who understand post-war realities.

“But the real answer is in training. Training, training and more training in a scope I can’t ever recall before. We are short NIS 2 billion (approx $581.81 million) every year and we intend to fight to get them back.”

And should war break out, is the military ready?

“We are more ready than ever before, even if we have to face a combined front. Then again the other side has discovered that our home front is vulnerable – which takes us back to my original premise – wars should be prevented.”

Syria, Hamas, and Hezbullah have built up their store of Iranian rockets and missiles, and are aiming them at Israeli cities and towns. Hamas:

An Israeli study says that Hamas, the militant group that now controls Gaza, is engaged in the broadest and most significant military buildup in its history with help from Syria and Iran, restructuring itself more hierarchically and using more and more powerful weapons, especially longer-range rockets against Israel’s southern communities.

The study, by an independent research group with close ties to the Israeli military establishment, says that while the buildup will take some years to complete, it is in an intensive phase that has already led to better infiltration into Israel and a rise in the breadth and precision of rocket fire.

Hezbullah:

Almost two years after its war with Israel, Hezbollah has rearmed and is stronger than before the conflict, according to Israeli and Western officials and the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim group itself.

But assessments diverge on the source of Hezbollah’s arms. Western and Israeli officials accuse Iran and Syria of smuggling thousands of short-range rockets as well as missiles that can strike deep into Israel and other weaponry into Lebanon in violation of a U.N. arms embargo. Smuggling routes have included a rail line through Turkey, the officials say.

All this has been going on right under the noses of UNIFIL. All of it. UNIFIL constantly denies that Hezbullah is doing anything under their noses, and yet, the arms buildup occurs.

Barak again:

“When we left Lebanon in 2000, they had 6,000, maybe 7,000 rockets, but we had six quiet years. When the war broke out in 2006, they had 14,000 rockets, some ranging to Hadera. Now they have 40,000 rockets that can reach your house, here (the Defense Ministry’s Tel Aviv HQ) and Dimona; so we have to stop thinking that freeing Barghouti and striking Hamas will result in a truce. We have to focus on the things we can change and help any positive factor in the area.”

And finally, words for Israel’s 60th birthday:

“I say again – Israel in the strongest nation in the Middle East, surely within 1000 miles… there is no power out there that could destroy the State of Israel, but that doesn’t meet we can stop being vigilant.”