_a.jpg "Reproduction: Ahiya Raved")
Intelligence officer in kidnapping area to be promoted
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz approves promotion of officer responsible for area in which Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were kidnapped. Military officer: It would have been advisable to wait with appointment, both in his favor and in IDF's favor
The appointment was approved by IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, in the midst of an inquiry which has yet to be completed and which raised difficult questions. The officer's conduct was looked into during the inquiry.
The appointment was carried out in spite of the fact that the IDF promised to complete its investigation of the kidnapping incident and then draw lessons and implement them in the field. The chief of staff even said that the inquiry would deal with all ranks, including himself.
But surprisingly, it appears that the IDF rushes to promote officers who may be on the list of officers which were involved in the failures connected to the kidnapping incident and the events that took place that day.
Ynet has learned that the intelligence officer of the Galilee Division will be promoted to a new role – the intelligence officer of the Southern Command – in the coming days, and will be elevated. The decision on Lieutenant Colonel A.'s promotion was decided in the past few days, despite the fact that the IDF inquiry into the matter still continues.
Such a sensitive and significant appointment of an intelligence officer entails the army chief's approval.
Only this week, a senior IDF officer said that additional officers have joined the inquiry team headed by Brigadier General Avi Asheknazi in a bid to obtain a situation report on the kidnapping incident which occurred in the area which Lieutenant Colonel A. is responsible for.
The senior officer stressed that there was great significance in investigating the kidnapping issue, including the battles in which eight soldiers were killed that day, and therefore it has been decided that an expanded team will investigate the issue and draw conclusions.
Among the officers who will required to provide answers is also Brigadier General Yossi Baidetz, currently the head of research at the intelligence department, who served as the Northern Command's intelligence officer until several months ago.
The decision to promote Lieutenant Colonel A., of all people, to such a senior role caused a lot of surprise even inside the army. Military sources noted that although Lieutenant Colonel A. was a leading officer in his field, his appointment to such a senior role at the present timing was irritating.
"The appointment could have maybe been frozen, at least until the end of the inquiry into the kidnapping issue, if not later than that. The chief of staff, who promised a complete and thorough investigation, is also involved in the appointment, at least in approving it, and this looks very bad from the outside," an officer at the Northern Command told Ynet.
The decision to immediately promote Lieutenant Colonel A. at the Southern Command was made after the current intelligence officer was forced to leave his job due to personal reasons, and the intelligence department was forced to find a replacement in a short period of time. Lieutenant Colonel A., who served in a senior role in the Southern Command in the past, was eventually chosen.
IDF source: Appointment should have waited
A military source said that "the kidnapping incident in itself and what happened afterwards was one of the battles with the toughest outcome for the IDF in the past few years. We have to do everything so that such a thing does not happen in the future, and for a complete and obvious inquiry must be carried out, with the intelligence issue being an inseparable part of it, if not the key part."
"Even the question of the explosive device, which hit the tank that was chasing the terrorists as a result of the explosion which killed four soldiers, is an intelligence question. Even if A. had nothing to do with it, it would have been advisable to wait with the appointment for a while, both in his favor and in the IDF's favor, and definitely in the favor of the soldiers kidnapped and killed that day," the source added.
Sources in the IDF told Ynet in response: "Lieutenant Colonel A. served for six years and four months in his current rank. Following all the required tests and after presenting all the considerations to the decision makers, the outstanding officer was chosen as the most suitable for the role of the Southern Command's intelligence officer.
"The IDF is in the midst of inquiries in the different units and area, while continuing with its work and the appointment routine as needed. The officer's appointment will not harm the manner of conducting inquiries which will be fully completed."
Another officer in the same division moved to a different role, but in this case the appointment was finalized before the war. About two weeks ago, the commander of the western brigade of the division was replaced after leaving for a mission in Washington. The decision was made several months ago, before the kidnapping and war incidents, and does not constitute a promotion.
Military sources noted that the affair of Colonel Lieutenant A., who was promoted to a prestigious role, was entirely different.
