Will Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be forced to resign next month when the Winograd Enquiry makes public its interim findings on the recent war with Hezbollah? Kol Israel, the publicly run radio network today reported that the commission has decided to issue ‘personal conclusion’ about role of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and the retired IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.
The radio report said the findings would focus on the decision to go to war against Hezbollah after the guerrillas crossed into Israel killed eight IDF soldiers and abducted two others. At the same time, Hezbollah launched a heavy Katyusha barrage against northern Israel.
The decision to launch a major strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon was taken within hours by the cabinet. Olmert, Peretz and Halutz have been lambasted by public opinion for recommending what many view as a reckless decision without proper preparation for going to war. The Prime Minister has tried to fend off this criticism by saying that a decision was taken four months before the war to launch such a counter – attack in the event of a Hezbollah provocation. In light of what most Israelis view as a failure to win the war, opinion polls show that only a few per cent of Israelis think Olmert is fit to be prime minister. The same applies to Defense Minister Amir Peretz. IDF Chief of Staff Halutz was forced to resign by public pressure because of his failure to halt the Katyusha rocketing of Israeli towns and villages. One hundred and sixty- eight soldiers and civilians were killed in the thirty three days of war which many Israeli experts feel was the worst handled in the state’s history.
Facing immense public pressure to appoint an official state commission of enquiry, with legal powers to fire both political leaders and military officers, Olmert opted for the watered down investigation chaired by Judge Winograd. This enquiry has no legal powers to fire anyone but if it levels severe criticism at Olmert and Peretz, then they might also be pressured to resign by public opinion.
