The present government was formed less than 100 days ago and its quality is already reflected in the aggregate of actions taken by the new Minister of Defense Amir Peretz.
This gentleman who came to the Defense Ministry with a civilian agenda, calling for a drastic cut in the defense budget for the benefit of education and health has shed his civilian skin in absolutely record time. He is now calling for an increase in the defense budget, and he has become an enthusiastic supporter of pinpoint (and unfortunately not so pinpoint) assassinations.
If the Defense Minister does not straighten out and change direction, and quickly, his triumphant entry into the Defense Ministry, to the sound of trumpets, will end with a whimper. His true test will be his willingness to defend human rights in the occupied territories, in opposition to those who tend to show contempt for them and to ignore them.
