There was quite a bit of commotion in the lead-up to the appointment of a committee to examine the repercussions of the botched military operation inside the Gaza Strip on Nov. 11 in which an elite IDF officer was killed and another was wounded.
Immediately after the operation, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot decided to appoint an outside official to look into the incident. Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon was the obvious choice, not only because he is currently "available" and, despite not being made deputy chief of staff, willing to help, but mainly due to his past experience as the commander of Sayeret Matkal and the head of both the operational division of the Intelligence Unit and the Operations Directorate.
The path to the appointment would be a long one due to concerns that Alon would like to see heads roll. Concerns were raised that people would be more worried about emerging from the investigation unscathed than getting at the truth. That is why it was decided Alon would not head the investigative committee but rather the investigative team, ensuring he would stay out of the investigation into the event and instead rely on the findings of the unit's own investigations to reach systemic conclusions.
The incident was too complex to be easily defined. The investigation will raise piercing questions, some of which will be pointed at commanders, some of them in senior positions. There are structural and functional decisions that quite simply cannot be resolved through an internal investigation and will require a broader response.
Alon's appointment, then, is not the end of the road, but the beginning of the journey. He is too senior and too experienced an IDF official, and more importantly, understands the consequences all too well to prevent a thorough investigation and reach the necessary conclusions. The path may be long, and it may be painful, but it is necessary.
Naturally, any incident like this botched operation is seen as an epic failure to those closely involved. Sometimes that really is the case. But Alon's committee needs to turn this incident into an opportunity by reaching the necessary conclusions. If there is one thing the reality in the Middle East shows us on a daily basis, it is that the IDF and the other security agencies must continue to act with initiative, creativity and daring to maintain superiority over the enemy. One failed operation cannot be allowed to change that.
