Israeli army 'faces defeat' in war against Palestinians

ISRAEL'S leading military historian has a bleak message for the country's generals: the army is winning the battle against Palestinian armed groups, but the final result can only be defeat - and perhaps civil war at home.
Martin van Creveld, professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, believes that the might of the Israeli army is proving to be "99 per cent irrelevant" in the battle now in its 17th month.
More important, he believes, will be the morale of the Israeli army, which is showing signs of strain at the burden of keeping millions of Palestinians under control to prevent terrorists entering Israel.
Already 280 Israeli reserve officers and NCOs have signed a petition refusing to serve in the occupied territories on grounds of conscience, and the first two "refuseniks" were jailed for 28 days on Monday. They are sergeants in the paratroops and the armoured corps.