Olmert. True solutions
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Lindenstrauss. Superficial
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Olmert: State Comptroller's report – superficial
Prime Minister's Office criticizes report as 'spotted with tempestuous remarks reflecting personal opinions regarding key officials, PM'
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office
accused State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss' report on home front readiness during the Second Lebanon War
of being superficial and media-oriented.
In the office's opening statement, the report is slammed as being "superficial and reflective of Lindenstrauss' personal opinions regarding key officials and the prime minister… the report is spotted with many tempestuous remarks, which for some reason were not included in the initial version given to the Prime Minister's Office."
The State Comptroller's report regarding the preparedness and the functioning of the home front during last summer's war was released Wednesday, prompting the Prime Minister's Office to say that "the comptroller chose, as usual, to go after the attractive targets in order to get public attention and media headlines."
War Report
State comptroller's report on last summer's war points to government's and army's failure in protecting civilian population, says years of budget cuts dealt a blow to local authority's preparedness for emergencies
As for the content of the report, Olmert's response stated that "the decision-making process regarding whether or not Israel should go to war, gave great consideration to the question of a possible attack on the home front and the measures needed to be taken in order to be ready for such an attack.
"Proper directives were issued, as the government minutes would indicate. Despite the report's claims that home front tenability was not addressed in the government's meetings and that crucial decisions were made callously, the minutes can prove that the government addressed the issue.
"The prime minister and his director-general acted in accordance with the data brought before them and the situation assessments made by the relevant professional authorities.
"The decisions made regarding the home front during the war were indicative of the various authorities' desire to produce the best available solutions at the time.
"After the war the prime minister initiated moves aimed at strengthening the home front for both the short and long-terms.
"The defense ministry was ordered to research the most drastic situations that may inflict the home front and the measures needed to address them while maintaining as much 'normal living' as possible.
"These moves were made in an attempt to provide true solutions for the deficiencies which were discovered during the war and mentioned in the preliminary report."
Olmert's office criticized Lindenstruass further, saying "the report must reflect an in-depth, serious, comprehensive and objective investigation, which takes into consideration that while at war, and given the nature of combat – which included rockets and missiles – the State could not ensure the safety of every citizen in every structure in every sector exposed to such artillery.
"When taking into consideration the cost of long-term investment in creating such fortifications, versus the potential damage for sectors exposed to missiles, it is imperative that the balance found between to two would allow for other needs, such as weapons costs, the need for maintaining sufficient supplies for troops and so on."
