Weekly Commentary: Experts Failed Netanyahu on Fire - Same As On Defense
Dr. Aaron Lerner 1 December 2016

It was Wednesday evening 23 November and the country was just coming to
grips with a series of fires - all attributed to carelessness and bad luck.

The experts assured Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that the situation was
well under control when they met at the command post set up near Zichron
Yaakov along with the head of police and senior firefighting officials.

Yes, no rain was expected for the coming days. And stronger winds were
forecast for Thursday and Friday.

But the experts were confident that everything was under control.

So when Netanyahu ordered to immediately contact world leaders to get them
to send over firefighting planes the experts and Minister of Public Security
Gilad Erdan chuckled.

The experts were right and wrong.

They were right that the problem of fires caused by carelessness was well
under control.

They were profoundly wrong for not entertaining the possibility that arson
would follow.

I'm not sharing this with you to show how Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
was head and shoulders over everyone else in the room.

He is.

Its to warn that this isn't an isolated incident.

Its typical.

We knew Hamas had tunnels but we were clueless what they would do with them.

Are we equally clueless today about what our enemies can or will do?

What's frustrating to me is that there are so many very bright people
serving in the IDF and in the reserves who could readily brainstorm as red
teams so that we wouldn't be clueless.

And we can't afford to be clueless.
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