Prime Minister Olmert
Photo: Yotam Frum
Barak: Will he resign?
Photo: AP
Winograd protestors to battle Olmert as well as snow
Dissidents eagerly await publication of Winograd report on war's failures on Wednesday; snow expected in Jerusalem. Majority of protestors to demonstrate outside Ehud Barak’s Tel-Aviv home
On Sunday, three days before the eagerly anticipated publication of the Winograd Commission Report,
many protest groups are already preparing their post-Winograd “battle plans”. In the works is a demonstration vigil outside Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s Tel-Aviv
home, as well as a possible mass-rally in Tel-Aviv’s Rabin square Saturday night.
One thing no one can control, however, is the weather. Wickedly bitter temperatures and snow forecasted for Jerusalem Wednesday may very well put a damper in many protest organizers’ plans.
Winograd battle
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The moment Judge Eliyahu Winograd finishes reading the commission’s conclusions; IDF reservists and bereaved families of the Second Lebanon War are expected to step up their protest efforts calling for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation.
Defense Minister Barak’s Tel-Aviv home is also likely to be the paramount site of numerous protest vigils, held by groups of bereaved parents, as well as IDF reservists.
Protestors will call on Labor Party chairman Barak to stay true to his word and resign from the government post-Winograd, effectively toppling the Olmert government. They are expected to hold an all-night vigil near the defense minister’s home, whereupon they will read the entire Winograd report cover to cover.
Government dissidents are also planning to hold a similar protest vigil in Jerusalem, outside the prime minister’s residence, though their plans might be hampered by the weather in Jerusalem, which might prove equally turbulent to the political atmosphere.
Stormy weather, political and otherwise
The weather in Jerusalem is forecasted to be extremely cold Wednesday night, with temperatures plunging below O degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit). Heavy snow is also forecasted for the capital Tuesday evening into Wednesday.“We are not going to hold a mass protest on Wednesday in any case,” said Tomer Bohanda, an IDF reservist and protest organizer, Sunday. “We are worried that people won’t come out because of the inclement weather, which would make it appear as if our cause has no real backing,” he said.
Bereaved parents have vowed to protest all night outside Ehud Barak’s Tel-Aviv home Wednesday and “not return home after the Wingorad report is published,” With that, they stated that if the weather proves especially torturous, they might choose to hold their vigil at another time.
Dissidents are also expected to hold a mass rally in Tel-Aviv’s Rabin Square Sunday night, calling for the prime minister and defense minister’s resignation.
A similar rally, attended by over 100 thousand demonstrators, was held after the Wingorad Commission released its interim report.
Organizers believe that they can draw a similar amount of protestors to Rabin Square this time as well, and will decide whether or not to hold this rally depending on the defense minister’s actions post Wingorad.
