Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, answering a question by Knesset Member Ran Cohen, revealed that IDF officers will meet with Lebanese officers and UN members Tuesday afternoon, and "if the necessary coordinations are made, IDF soldiers will leave south Lebanon by the eve of the new year."
Halutz told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that he would submit an initial report on the internal army investigation into the war in Lebanon by October.
“Hizbullah is upholding the ceasefire in the north,” he told the committee, adding that the terror group’s members are not carrying arms or wearing uniforms.
| Harsh Criticism |
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| MK Hendel: Halutz should go home / Ilan Marciano |
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'It bothers me Halutz is wearing IDF uniform,' Knesset Member says of chief of staff, 'he neutered the army and incited it to a destructive program' |
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As to the situation in the Gaza Strip, the chief of staff said, “The IDF continues to operate against terror strongholds with an emphasis on the danger of weapons smuggling through tunnels. According to intelligence reports, terror elements are constantly attempting to smuggle weapons, including advanced antitank missiles.”
Halutz faced criticism for the army's poor performance in the war against Hizbullah during
the second round of talks with reserve generals held in the Defense Ministry compound in Tel Aviv on Friday.
Maj.-Gen. Avigdor Ben-Gal (res.), former northern command chief, called on Halutz to resign, saying he committed numerous mistakes during 34-days of fighting. Ben-Gal went as far as suggesting that an air force officer is unfit to lead the army. Halutz was the air force chief before being promoted to the IDF's top seat.
Halutz replied to Ben-Gal that "a sheep shepherd doesn't have to be a sheep," hinting that he who is responsible for the herd doesn't have to be part of it.
"At the exception of three generals who spoke with me during the war … there rest refused to do so. I have been in the system for years and I've never witnessed such a verbal onslaught. There were those who went far and exaggerated, but I too had criticism against my commander during the Yom Kipur War," he said.
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