Olmert: Kadima has many more years to govern

Two days before publication of report into failures of Second Lebanon War, prime minister tells his faction members, 'You can be calm.' Meanwhile, Defense Minister Barak promises 'to decide what to do according to what is best for the State of Israel'

Attila Somfalvi |Published: 01.28.08 , 15:25

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tried to conduct business as usual Monday, only two days before the publication of the Winograd Commission report into the mishandling of the Second Lebanon War.

"I have been asked many times what would happen this week," Olmert told his faction members during a Kadima meeting. "You can be calm, we have many more years to govern."

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The Labor faction meeting also focused on the Winograd report, which is expected to send the political arena into an uproar.

Labor Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who had promised in the past to demand that Olmert be replaced following the report's publication, told his faction members that he would make up his mind "after reading the report."

Barak added that his faction members should practice patience and let the next 48 hours pass by.

Earlier Monday, during a visit to the Israel Aerospace Industries plant near Ben-Gurion Airport, Barak said, "I can promise you one thing, and that is that I will make a decision according to what is best for the State of Israel."

Reserve officers: Leave IDF out of politics

On Sunday, a group of IDF reserve officers sent the prime minister and defense minister a letter 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 read.

"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."