Olmert: We weren't as prepared as we should have been
PM says that two commissions of inquiry will investigate second Lebanon war: One will focus on military's role, the other will probe political echelon's performance. 'Responsibility for decision to go to war is mine,' Olmert says
The second, headed by former Chief of the Mossad Nahum Admoni, and containing former Maj. Gen Yedidia Ya’ari, Professors of Law Ruth Gabison and Yehzkel Dror, will investigate the political echelon. The state comptroller is investigating the situation concurrently, with a focus on the home front.
Olmert referred to the topic of a state commission of inquiry regarding the management of the Lebanon war: “In recent days, I seriously considered this issue, consulted with many people. It’s an apparently simple solution, picking a judge to head a state commission of inquiry. An impartial external party.”
“But this is not what the nation needs. It’s clear to all of us that, for a long time, the upper echelons of the political and defense establishment, including the IDF commanders, will be completely paralyzed. What we need is a professional, topical process to glean lessons,” he said.
War's accomplishments
"The responsibility for the decision to go to war, to respond with military might, not to be silent about harm to our soldiers, our civilians and our sovereignty, as well as the responsibility for the outcome of this war – is mine," the PM said in his speech.
“In the latest conflict, the Israeli home front was the enemy’s primary target, and deliberately so. Hizbullah’s goal was to prove his spider webs theory, to hurt the home front, to kill, to terrorize from the intention to create panic and a public outcry that would paralyze IDF activities,” Olmert said
The PM referred to what were in his eyes the accomplishments of the war: The anticipated deployment of the peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, Resolution 1701 – "one of Israel's greatest achievements in the international arena" – pushing Hizbullah away from the border, and more.
Olmert also commented on Nasrallah's "speech of regret," delivered on Monday, which he said proved how badly Hizbullah was beaten. The PM also quoted US President George W. Bush, who said that the world will soon realize that it was the Shiite group that was defeated in the war.
''We'll bring kidnapped soldiers home'
"We achieved all this because we did not hesitate to use force, and because we knew when to stop… Does this mean that all is good? No. We suffered losses, even if the enemy sustained more. We failed in stopping the Katyushas, we didn't have a solution for the rocket fire... And most importantly: We failed in bringing the sons back home," Olmert said.
“The Israeli government, and myself in it, will do all we can to find them and return them," he added.
“I Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel, promise you that they will return home. Maybe not as quickly as we’d like, but they will return home,” he said.
"It's true that not everything functioned the way it should have, we weren't as prepared as we should have been, and we didn’t always achieve what we aimed for… there were failures, and even if the if the overall outcome is positive, we must not turn a blind eye to the failures, we must not cover up or return to normalcy. There isn’t time, we need to act quickly," the PM declared.
"It is my duty as prime minister to check everything in order to draw conclusions and correct what needs to be corrected," he added.
