Peretz's opportunity

Such a ruling, in response to the petition filed by the Ometz Association and the Movement for Quality Government, will require irregular legal intervention that deviates from the norms of political authority.

The obvious limitations posed on the High Court of Justice to rule over an issue that politicians are obliged to rule over is what makes the court's demand on the government so crucial, namely, to explain within five days why it would not establish a state commission of inquiry.

Power to deal with lofty issues at hand

This is an act of protest: The High Court of Justice has made it quite clear what it thinks of the Winograd Committee and what it thinks of it serving as an inappropriate substitute for a full state commission of inquiry.

The court has a very negative opinion. In fact, the High Court of Justice – while aware of its limited authority – is attempting to make the cabinet realize the error of its ways and is calling on it to immediately set up a state commission of inquiry that would have the power to deal with the lofty issues at hand.

What are the chances that the powers that be in the Olmert administration would in fact opt to take advantage of the window of opportunity that has been opened for them by the High Court? Will they take the cue? The chances are naught.

Had the prime minister wanted to establish a real legal investigative body that would be credible in the public eye, he could have done so long ago without having to wait for the High Court's questions. On the contrary, he would like to draw a thick line through what happened in Lebanon during the summer and to be rid of it once and for all.

Labor's anemic qualities

But Olmert's cabinet comprises a party called the Labor Party, for those who may have forgotten, which can easily be done considering its anemic qualities. Labor received some 16 percent of the electoral vote; however, its achievements at the coalition table were meager to begin with.

In wake of the war, Labor lost what remained of its vitality. Its spinal cord weakened and bent, and its political prowess was drained from its body. Its hair and face turned white with age.

And behold, a miracle occurred, the High Court's demand has enabled the Labor Party to wake up from its state of limbo, to rise to its feet and to embark on a new beginning in its unhappy marriage to the Kadima party. It is being given the chance to return to the political center stage and to fulfill its promises to its electorate.

For this to happen, all that's required is for Labor party leader Amir Peretz to a make a bold decision, resign from the post of Defense Minister and take up a social post. Whatever his initial authorities will entail, Amir's authorities will eventually grow thanks to his forceful nature.

Peretz is of the opinion that he should cling on to the Defense Ministry at all costs so as not to justify his critics and not to be depicted as one who has voluntarily, and in his opinion without due cause, taken the collective guilt of the war upon himself.

He is also wary of his status within his own party ranks. But he is wrong. An initiative on his part to take up a social portfolio would not be perceived by the public as a weakness but rather as a rare demonstration of credibility, leadership and a willingness to pay the cost – a non existent trait in Israeli politics.

The criticism embodied in the High Court of Justice's demand, which will soon be expressed in harsh words and create far reaching repercussions, provided Peretz the opportunity to initiate a change in the government without having to resign.

He and the entire Labor party would gain some breathing space and an opportunity for work and influence, which has been lacking until now. Free from the bonds of the Defense Ministry, the Labor party could serve as a catalyst to revive the national agenda, to implement a change of direction in social policies, change the approach to peace proposals and to the establish a state commission of inquiry.

The world is now Peret'z oyster, and the moral question is no less important than the political question: Prior to the elections the Labor Party leader spoke often of the moral road map required for Israeli society. Where is it now? Forgotten in the trunk of his armored car? Peretz would do well to pull it out, straighten out the creases, light up its face and guide himself accordingly.