Inquiry: IDF failed at Kerem Shalom outpost
Committee presents IDF chief with inquiry into attack at Kerem Shalom. Halutz: No doubt incident was operational failure because we can’t accept such an outcome. However, no disciplinary moves expected against chain of command
Despite the unequivocal assertion, the team concluded that preventative steps taken prior to the attack were reasonable and that no disciplinary moves should be made against the chain of command. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz accepted the committee’s recommendations Monday, but noted his intention to personally reproach certain officers involved. It appeared the reprimands would not disrupt the future military careers of those officers.
Team: Intelligence was sufficient
Regarding intelligence aspects, the investigative committee ruled that intelligence gathering was sufficient but found fault in the inter-departmental communication of the warnings within the army. The team found that there were no shortcomings in the army’s response to alerts of a tunnel attack. However, proper technological investments must be accelerated for the response system to be effective, they concluded.
Giora Eiland during briefing (Photo: Yaron Brenner)
The team points to a series of errors, mainly on the battalion level (71st Armored Battalion of the Southern Brigade) but also on higher levels of command – division, command and general staff. With that, the team determined that these gaps did not result in the difficult outcome.
Halutz: Outcome unacceptable
After being presented the report Monday IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said, “There is no doubt the incident was an operational failure because we cannot accept such an outcome in any confrontation between us and the enemy without defining it as a failure. It is a failure because in this encounter between us and the enemy, we lost Lieutenant Hanan Barak and Sergeant Pavel Slocker. Another soldier was wounded and Cpl. Gilad Shalit was kidnapped.”
Halutz noted that in the period preceding the attack, the units prepared to a reasonable degree, but there were deficiencies and errors in troop performance during the attack. “Although forces responded quickly, I see professional mishaps which caused the operational picture of the attack to be registered too slowly,” Halutz said. Regarding intelligence, the chief of staff emphasized that there had been specific warnings of the attack. He asked that the intelligence inquiry be completed with the Shin Bet (General Security Service) as well.
The operational failure stood out against the many successes of the Gaza Division, including foiling 61 attempts to infiltrate into Israel and thwarting bombs from being planted 54 times.
