Moshe Kaplinsky
Photo: Ofer Amram
Deputy chief of Staff: Halutz should stay on
Moshe Kaplinsky defends Halutz in wake of investment portfolio affair, says chief of staff did not know country was heading to war when he ordered bank to sell his shares
Vote of confidence: IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky has expressed his support for Army Chief Dan Halutz, slamming criticism leveled at him in the wake of reports he sold his investment portfolio at noon on July 12 – the day the war broke out.
"I feel that I too became a punching bag," Kaplinsky said in his first public statement on the affair, referring to the harsh criticism leveled at Halutz and calls for his resignation. "It's sad. There's no reason he shouldn't continue at his post."
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"I was with him from the first moment they reported the abduction (of the two IDF soldiers.) I went down to the command center three minutes after him and I saw how he managed affairs with professionalism and level-headedness," Kaplinsky said. "I saw the decisions he made, his mental and later physical investment…to say that he was dealing with other things looks to me like completely unrelated to reality."
"I know it may look bad," the deputy army chief said, referring to Halutz's order to sell his shares, but added: "We must remember that even at the general staff headquarters during (significant) incidents we have the time for some technical matters. So one moment you reply to a phone call, and another moment you arrange something else – it happens to each one of us."
Kaplinsky also rejected out of hand hints that the army chief sold his investment portfolio because he knew a war was about to break out that was sure to lead to a stock exchange collapse.
"At noon none of us knew we're going to war, I promise that," he said. "At that phase we were dealing with the question of how deep we'll attack Hizbullah targets…the picture cleared only late at night."
'I'm completely at peace with his decisions'
Turning his attention to nameless senior IDF officers who called for Halutz to resign, Kaplinsky said: "It's very easy to criticize, certainly when it's anonymous. Which senior officers are we talking about? If there's someone who thinks the chief of staff should resign, he should get up and say that."
"I saw his ability to take decisions during those difficult times," Kaplinsky added. "There were very difficult decisions and I’m not sure others would take them as quickly as he did."
The deputy chief of staff added that details to be released in the near future regarding the war will cast new light on the army chief's conduct.
"We'll present to the public the unprecedented things that were done here, and also the decisions the army chief made and took the responsibility for. Those were difficult, unprecedented decisions, " he said. "The chief of staff took those decisions professionally and with great determination, while understanding the small nuances and big issues of military realities…I'm completely at peace with his decisions."
Addressing the continued IDF presence in southern Lebanon, Kaplinsky said: "The International forces have not yet arrived at the area…most reserve forces have already left Lebanon."
"This is a message we wish to convey: we do not intend to keep even one reserve soldier for longer than needed. They came, did a wonderful job, and from here on the regular forces will carry most of the burden," Kaplinsky concluded."
