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IDF officers to avoid Amona inquiry
Parliamentary commission of inquiry into outpost evacuation loses growing number of witnesses after internal security minister declares he will appear instead of police officers, defense minister decides to testify instead of IDF officers
Mofaz made the decision after consulting throughout the day with legal advisers and with Attorney General Menachem Mazuz.
Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said in response to Mofaz's decision that "the timed attempt of Ministers Ezra and Mofaz to disrupt the inquiry commission's work are not free of political considerations."
"The question must be asked whether they interested in protecting the IDF and police elite, or someone else. The inquiry commission will fulfill its duty in a serious and respectable manner, and Ezra and Mofaz's appearance will not replace the appearance of the professional ranks of the IDF and the police in order to complete the picture," he added.
Halutz asks to testify first
Earlier, Mofaz was approached by IDF Chief of Staff Major-General Dan Halutz, who told him that should officers be summoned to appear before the committee, he would like to be the first IDF officer in the IDF to face the commission and explain the Amona evacuation from the army's point of view.
Internal Security Minister Gidoen Ezra was the one who initiated the trend of "not appearing before the committee," when he decided Tuesday afternoon to testify before the committee instead of police officers.
"No police officer will appear before the committee, only I will," he said.
"The political rank must not undermine a police officer or soldier under any circumstances," Ezra explained after notifying Steinitz that Major-General Israel Yitzhak, commander of the Judea and Samaria district, will not be answering his questions at the committee Wednesday.
"I expect the committee's chairman to back the security forces, police officers and soldiers, and not to lead to incitement by people such as (National Union MK) Uri Ariel," the minister added.
MK Ariel said in response that "in order to reach the truth and not provide excuses for Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, I am ready to not take part in the meetings of the Amona inquiry commission in which members of the security forces will testify."
Ariel said that he would not take part in the meetings on the condition that the defense minister and internal security minister promise that each officer, soldier or police officer summoned to the committee would indeed attend.
Steinitz also criticized Ezra's decision, saying that "Minister Ezra is in need of a democracy lesson."
"In any case, the inquiry commission does not plan on summoning the single soldier or police officer, whom Ezra is protecting with total devotion just before the elections, but rather the police commissioner and the district commander, in order to hear from them what were the orders they received from the political echelon, and to hear about the execution and the lessons, if there are any," Steinitz said.
"There is no doubt that the police elite will appear before the committee as Ezra personally promised me only two days ago, and this will be done in the most serious and respected manner, as is customary in civilized democracies," he added.
