Lebanon war probe sparks cries for Israeli PM's resignation

[Miss Chybil]

Source: CNN

JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert faced strident calls for his resignation in the wake of harsh findings of an official inquiry into his leadership during last summer's costly but inconclusive war in Lebanon.

The commission's first report was to be released later Monday, but government officials confirmed an earlier TV report that the findings would be strongly critical of Olmert and his defense minister, Amir Peretz.

That was enough to trigger calls for Olmert's resignation from coalition partners as well as opponents.

Olmert and Peretz, who took office with limited security experience less than two months before the war, had already lost much of their public support because of the conflict, launched when Hezbollah guerrillas captured two soldiers and killed three others in a cross-border raid on July 12, 2006.

more...

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/04/29/israel.olmert.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

[Miss Chybil]

1. Update: ynet.com article: Olmert, Peretz receive war report

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3393826,00.html


Prime minister, defense minister meet with Judge Eliyahu Winograd, receive copy of interim report hour before press conference is held; prime minister will hold meeting with Kadima ministers after Winograd's press conference; leaked sections of report slam Olmert for 'hasty' and 'passive' wartime leadership

Yaakov Lappin Latest Update: 04.30.07, 16:55 / Israel News

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are currently meeting with retired Judge Eliyahu Winograd, chairman of the commission appointed to investigate the handling of the Second Lebanon War, to receive the commission's findings.

Olmert's decision-making process during the Second Lebanon War has been described as a "substantial failure" by the Winograd Commission's partial report, Channel 1 reported. The quote from the report, taken from its 'Conclusions' section, read: "We've been told that other prime ministers acted like this in the past – but that is not a sufficient explanation."

On receiving the report, Olmert told the commission members, "You have done serious work, and I thank you on behalf of the government. I know it hasn’t been easy for you in recent months. This is hard, and sometimes ungrateful, work."

"We will study the report and act immediately… so that we can implement the lessons, fix the failures, and make sure that in any future scenario of the State of Israel, the failures you have indicted are corrected," he pledged.

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[bemildred]

2. Reminds me of the 9/11 "investigation" somehow. nt

[Up2Late]

3. Looks like a few apologies are in order here to all of us who said last Summers war this was wrong.

This is only the first of the reports, reporting on the first few days of the war, more to come later this month, I think.

Here's 2 reports from NPR: <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9924495>

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9923880>

Israeli Report Criticizes Olmert for Lebanon Action

Listen to this story... (at link)
by Eric Westervelt

All Things Considered, April 30, 2007 · A report issued Monday cites "severe failures" in the way Israel's leaders handled last summer's war in Lebanon against the Hezbollah guerrillas.

The preliminary report from the government-appointed Winograd Commission sharply criticizes Israel's senior war-time leaders, dealing yet another blow to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Severe public criticism of his handling of the war combined with a string of corruption allegations have sent Olmert's public approval rating plummeting to historic lows.

The strongly worded report says the prime minister rushed into a full-blown war with Hezbollah after the militant Shiite group attacked a military patrol in a deadly cross-border raid, capturing two Israeli soldiers on July 12.

The report says Olmert failed to adequately assess the Israel Defense Forces' war-readiness, did not have a clear exit strategy, did not consider alternatives to a full-scale conflict and outlined unattainable goals. "All of these add up to a serious failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and caution," said former judge and committee leader Eliyahu Winograd.

(more at link) <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9924495>

Analysis

Critique of Olmert Pushes His Tenure to Brink

Listen to this story...(at link)

All Things Considered, April 30, 2007 · An Israeli review panel has delivered a political blow to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, criticizing him along with Defense Minister Amir Peretz for "a severe failure in judgment, responsibility and caution" in undertaking Israel's war in Lebanon last July.

The panel, which was appointed by Prime Minister Olmert, was chaired by retired judge Eliyahu Winograd.

David Makovsky, director of the Project on the Middle East Peace Process at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, tells NPR's Robert Siegel that with Olmert's approval numbers already hovering in the single digits, the report makes the "lame duck" prime minister look like "a dead duck." But, he says, the findings will also likely make Israel healthier as a democracy.

Mokovsky, a former executive editor of The Jerusalem Post, was a diplomatic correspondent for Israel's leading daily Haaretz.
(audio at link below)

<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9923880>

[Name removed]

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[Miss Chybil]

6. What gets me - all politics aside - is how the people, those of us

who just want to get through our days, raise our families, make a nice home, are so much at the mercy of the politicians - whoever they may be. I hate being potential collateral damage for anybody.

[LeftishBrit]

5. I hope he's gone soon!

He is a right-wing, idiotic, incompetent, walking disaster; and that war was a tragedy.

At least it looks like his country is finally taking care of him, though a bit too late for all the people who died. I wish someone would have done the same for Blair long ago - and Bush of course!

ETA: Anyone on either side, who is too ready to equate 'Israel' with its current government, should note that the criticisms are coming from an *Israeli* commission.