Back when I was a soldier, one of the most important values they felt was a prerequisite for becoming an IDF officer was honesty. Honesty to one's self and to others. The IDF is built on trust and loyalty, and certainly the ability to honestly evaluate a situation.

When honesty doesn't exist, trust and loyalty soon follow suit.

The IDF lied to its soldiers.

During the destruction of the Federman farm the army gave troops orders to keep the area clear of Jewish civilians as they were going to be capturing a terrorist.

They lied specifically to their religious soldiers as they suspected they wouldn't follow the order if they knew they were going to be destroying a Jewish home. I hope they were right.

But now, all this means is that the IDF no longer has credibility in the eyes of its soldiers. They will now always question their orders. They will assume they are false. They will not trust their commanders again.

Once again, the IDF shoots itself in the foot as it lets itself be used as a political pawn in Barak's pre-election campaign.