Members of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ruling coalition
joined opposition lawmakers Sunday in calling for the Israeli
leader and his defense minister to resign after parts of a
government report criticizing their handling of last year's war in
Lebanon were leaked to local media.
Officials close to the investigation confirmed TV reports that
the panel concluded Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz made
hasty and ill-judged decisions at the outset of the war. The report
found these errors were compounded by their lack of experience and
unfamiliarity with defense issues, the officials said.
Olmert's office declined comment until official publication of
the report today, but aides said he was confident he would weather
the storm and that he had no intention of quitting.
Olmert made no mention of the report in his opening statement at
the weekly Cabinet meeting. Peretz also did not comment.
Olmert appointed the commission last year to stave off calls for
a full-scale judicial inquiry into the government's performance
during the war, which began when Hezbollah guerrillas captured two
Israeli soldiers in a July 12 cross-border raid.
Although the five-member commission, headed by a retired judge,
has no authority to order resignations, a harsh report could be the
final blow to Olmert's grasp on power. Heavy public criticism of
the war, along with a string of corruption investigations, have
sent his approval rating into free fall.
Opposition lawmakers from the small right-wing National Union
party said Sunday they planned to submit bills to dissolve
parliament and force early elections. But Olmert - whose
government's standing has already been weakened by various
corruption cases - could be buoyed by coalition partners who might
prefer to keep the unpopular prime minister in power rather than
face a disgruntled electorate.
Olmert has been widely criticized for failing to achieve his
goals of returning the soldiers or destroying Hezbollah, which
fired nearly 4,000 of rockets into northern Israel. Soldiers
returning from the battlefield also have complained of poor
training, conflicting orders and shortages of ammunition and
food.
The interim report will analyze the first days of the fighting,
when the war's objectives were formulated, and the six years
between Israel's May 2000 pullout from southern Lebanon and the
outbreak of the conflict.
According to the people familiar with the investigation, the
panel concluded that Olmert failed to sufficiently question the
army's battle plans, publicly stated his war aims without ensuring
they were attainable and failed to demand a clear exit strategy.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending release of
the report.
But after sections of the report reached the Israeli media, a
growing number of critics, including members of the ruling
coalition, called on Olmert to step down.
Even members of his Kadima Party only gave lukewarm support for
their leader.
"Members of Kadima all understand the need first and foremost to
preserve the party," lawmaker Yoel Hasson told Army Radio. "I
really think the prime minister will win the support of
Kadima."
In addition to its criticism of Olmert and Peretz, the interim
report will say Halutz did not provide political leaders with a
sufficient range of military options, played down the Hezbollah
rocket threat and silenced dissenting opinions within the army
command, Israeli media reported.
(China Daily via agencies April 30, 2007)
