Reserve officers tell Olmert to leave IDF out of politics
Eighty-five reservists send Prime Minister Olmert, Defense Minister Barak petition beseeching them to leave IDF outside of political realm. Effort to oust Olmert heats up with new slogan: '33 dead for the sake of spin'
A group of IDF reserve officers sent a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday evening in which they asked them to leave the IDF out of political discussions on the eve of the release of the final Winograd Commission report.
Eighty-five military men, including non-commissioned officers and officers as highly ranked as lieutenant colonels signed their names on the document.
"We believe that that the IDF should be left out of all political discussions as legitimate as they may be. The use of the uniform, whether on active duty or in the reserves, for the purpose of political protest in a democratic country is very dangerous and must be combated," the statement reads.
"We are all witnesses to the vast efforts being made to strengthen the army and upgrade its capabilities. This process should continue to be handled at the national level in a professional manner far away from any trace of political discussions of any sort."
According to the officers, "the public accepts democratic decisions made in Israel via the ballot box and the IDF is prohibited from getting involved in this domain, which contradicts the essence of a national army."
The reservists added that "this letter has no intention of expressing a particular political position."
Meanwhile, a campaign undertaken by reserve officers to oust Prime Minister Olmert is picking up steam. On Sunday night, group representatives met with National Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
On Monday, the group plans to commence a protest campaign entitled "Judgment Day" in expectation of the release of the Winograd Commission's final report.
The campaign will feature the slogan "33 soldiers for the sake of spin", in reference to the final decisions made in the Second Lebanon War.
The group's headquarters released a statement saying: "Before the report comes out we're trying to figure out: What happened there? What happened in the last battle? Why did they act after the agreement? Why didn't they listen to all who asked to stop, how much were politics involved in the decision and most importantly, after the goals of the final battle become clear, will someone dare to look at the bereaved families and the soldiers in the eyes and allow the person who sent us to this battle to remain in his position?"
Aviram Zino contributed to this report
