Peretz with Ashkenazi
Photo: Haim Horenstein
Peretz with Barak
Photo: Dudi Vaknin
Peretz: Barak owes Ashkenazi his success
Former defense minister slams his successor for harming relations between himself, IDF chief
Former Defense Minister Amir Peretz criticized Wednesday his successor, Ehud Barak, for his announcement of
the end of the IDF chief of staff's term.
"We must do everything possible in order to prevent a witch hunt following the decision about (Gabi) Ashkenazi," Peretz, who appointed Ashkenazi after his predecessor resigned following the Second Lebanon War,
told Ynet.
Response
Following stormy responses to Barak's decision not to extend chief of staff's tenure for fifth year, defense minister's office expresses esteem for Ashkenazi. Netanyahu party to decision, adds his praise
"We are talking about a chief of staff to whom Israel owes a large debt, and especially the current defense minister should have been happy to get such an army chief because he largely determined Barak's ability as a defense minister to succeed at his job."
Peretz expressed support for the decision to allot four-year terms to chiefs of staff, describing the move as "democratic" as it prevents the decision of whether to extend the term another year from resting solely on the defense minister's shoulders.
He added that his criticism of Barak did not stem from a publicly-recognized rivalry between the two. "The last thing I want is for a political tone to be attributed to me," he said. "But nine months of occupation with this dramatic appointment is too long a time. It's very clear it could have been done differently.
"There is no doubt that when a process occurs in this manner, creating a deterioration of relations between the defense minister and the chief of staff and tension among IDF brass who see themselves as nominees, it could delay very important procedures. The way in which the announcement was given could cause damage."
However Peretz said he does not support the extension of Ashkenazi's term for a fifth year. "A change in the decision made in my time, on the setting of a four-year term, should only be made in extreme circumstances," he said.
"But in Ashkenazi's case, without a doubt, I got the impression that he himself sees this decision as the right one. When we made the decision he was there."
