MK Eitam: Peretz, Halutz must resign immediately
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee members slam defense minister, chief of staff; ‘soldiers have lost faith in you,’ Eitam tells Peretz
Knesset Member Effie Eitam (National Union-NRP) slammed Defense Minister Amir Peretz during a Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee meeting, saying, “You and the chief of staff (Dan Halutz) must resign immediately. You are preventing the IDF’s rehabilitation. The soldiers have lost faith in you because of the second Lebanon war and your inability to deal with the Qassam fire.”
A sharp confrontation broke out during the meeting between MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) and Peretz after the former demanded the military launch a large scale defensive operation in Gaza, saying that the current level of activity was like "treating a dead man with cupping glass."
Peretz responded that there was no easy solution for the Qassam problem and that the critical onslaught (of defense operations) should stop.
'Peretz, Olmert traumatized'
MK Zvi Hendel of the National Union-NRP party called for Halutz’s immediate dismissal. “If we want to rehabilitate the IDF, the first thing to do is show the chief of staff the way out,” he said.
Following the meeting Likud MK Silvan Shalom said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Peretz are refusing to reach a decision on a military operation (against the Qassams) because of their “trauma from the war.”
Peretz, for his part, said he did not intend to elaborate on the IDF’s operational plans, adding that, “The army was instructed to act in accordance with the effectiveness of its operations.”
He told committee members that he made no promises to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his conversation with him. "I told Abu-Mazen (Abbas) that when he has any practical suggestions for stopping the Qassam rocket attacks, we will consider them," said Peretz.
