Testimonies of wartime leadership released Thursday
Lawmakers brace for release of testimonies given by Olmert, Peretz, Halutz to Winograd Committee explaining their wartime conduct. Opposition leaders hope move may be final nail in government's coffin
After a long and drawn out process of High Court petitions, rejections and appeals, the testimonies of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz regarding their conduct before and during the Second Lebanon War will be released on Thursday morning to the general public.
The testimonies, as given before the Winograd Committee which for the past seven months has been investigating the failings of Israel's leadership during the war, are expected to cause significant political turmoil - especially in the wake of the release of the committee's harsh interim report last week harsh.
Officials involved with the committee's work said early this week that the testimonies are apt to strengthen the position of those within the political system and the general public seeking Olmert's resignation.
The testimonies will shed light on the decision making process through the eyes of the three most important figures in the political and military echelons, including possible reservations preceding the decision to go to war and the management of the campaign in Lebanon.
The driving force behind the demand to release the testimonies is Meretz faction chairwoman, MK Zahava Gal-On. "The protocols will reveal whether the politicians who managed the war took responsibility for their actions or tried to roll that responsibility for their failures and failings on to other people," said Gal-On on Wednesday night.
"The Winograd report was thorough and scathing, but it did not bring the prime minister to resign. It may be that the disclosure of the conflicting testimonies given by the captains of the war and the public's uproar over them will give that final 'push' needed to oust Olmert. Tomorrow we will see that it was not in vain that Olmert tried to conceal his testimony," she said.
'Rabin took hours before he sent soldiers into battle'
MK Danny Yatom, a contender in the Labor primaries against Peretz, also expressed his hopes that the public will rally against the wartime leadership once privy to the decisions made behind closed doors.
"The release of these testimonies may show the public an additional aspect of the war they weren't aware of. I'm talking about a lack of knowledge, a lack of responsibility, a lack of leadership and much confusion," said Yatom.
"I have been on both sides of the divide. I remember late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin when I was his military secretary. Him, 'Mr. Security,' he would have such difficulties with the decision to send troops into battle. He would take a very long time before he decided to send them – not because he was hesitant, but because of the weight of the responsibility.
"Here the government decided to go to war within two hours after a rushed and incomprehensive meeting. The testimonies will show the truly sad state the prime minister, defense minister and chief of staff were in. I estimate that Olmert and Peretz tried to beautify things in their testimonies, to shake off the responsibility and paint a picture of innocence."
MK Zvi Hendler (National Union - NRP) said he is convinced that the brief spat between Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni following the interim report showed that there are existing cracks within Kadima that may widen with the release of the testimonies. "A schism like that, created following the release of the testimonies, may prove the catalyst to dismantle the government," he said.
Meanwhile Kadima MKs tried to calm the anticipation for juicy details that would implicate Olmert. "The opposition's upheaval is unnecessary. We must wait patiently for the testimonies. Either way – it would be fitting of the opposition not to try to score political points from the protocols as they tried to do after the
release of the interim report.
"We must also note that due to censorhip laws the testimonials have been edited and some things may have been taken out of context. We need to read and understand the testimonies in their proper context," said one Kadima MK.
