Miri Regev
צילום: דובר צה"ל
Former IDF spokesperson: Halutz was wrong to cancel briefings
IDF spokesperson during Second Lebanon War, Miri Regev, describes chief of staff’s decision to cancel press briefings during conflict as ‘serious lapse in judgment’
The IDF spokesperson during the Second Lebanon War, Miri Regev, described the chief of staff’s decision to cancel press briefings during the conflict as a ‘serious lapse in judgment’. Regev also described the IDF’s ultimate decision to allow reporters into the war zone as being ‘too little too late’.
In her testimony to the Winograd Commission, published on Monday, Regev noted that former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, had a “lapse in judgment” when he decided to halt all daily press briefings during the Second Lebanon War. “I think that we (the IDF) made a serious mistake,” Regev testified.
Regev noted that the press briefings were stopped 10 days into the Lebanon conflict, even though 70% of the Israeli public regularly tuned in to watch them. “It was a tribal campfire of sorts, people eagerly waited for these briefings,” said Regev. “It gave us (the IDF) half-an-hour to make our case in lieu of the typical commentary and analysis.”
When asked why the briefings were canceled, Regev stated: “Criticism and more criticism. Just as you (the commission) are influenced by public outcry, so are they (the IDF).” As to whether senior IDF commanders revealed sensitive military information during press briefings, Regev responded: “I am not sure, they might have.”
The former IDF spokesperson also maintained that the army should have allowed reporters into the Lebanese war zone far earlier in the conflict. “They ought to have documented the army’s triumphs, and strengthened the public’s sense of solidarity with the soldiers”, noted Regev.
“We (the IDF) should have allowed the press into Lebanon from day one instead of waiting for nearly three weeks and only showing the public pictures of missiles and rockets,” explained Regev. “When a reporter hugs a soldier, embraces him, and shows support for our fighting men and women, only good can come out of it.”
“The army sometimes tends to be very tight-lipped when it comes to the press,” Regev testified, “and this is mainly out of fear of criticism. The IDF has forgotten, however, that up until the press fiasco in Lebanon, reporters were very supportive of and lenient towards the army and its troops.”
