Interim report to conlcude PM was led by army; Halutz neglected Katyusha threat.
By JPOST.COM STAFFhalutz peretz 298 idf(photo credit: IDF)
During last summer's Second Lebanon War Prime Minister Ehud Olmert acted in a "hasty" manner, according to the Winograd Committee interim report to be presented on Monday and which was reported by Channel 10 Friday night.
Furthermore, according to the Channel 10 summary of the report, Olmert's decision-making was faulty, Defense Minister Amir Peretz lacked military knowledge and experience and then Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz forced his decisions on the government.
Despite the harsh nature of the long-awaited report, the Winograd Committee nevertheless reportedly refrains from calling on Olmert and Peretz to resign.
The lessons of 1948
In regard to Olmert's "hasty" and "faulty" decision-making process, the report also concludes that the prime minister was led by the army. Olmert, says the report, did not ask the IDF for alternatives and did not ask the questions expected of him. In addition, Olmert was unable to create a political horizon conducive to ending the conflict.
Halutz was especially singled out by the Committee, which reportedly states that he did not treat Hizbullah's Katyusha [rocket] threat seriously. He not only forced his views on the government, but also silenced opposing views from within the general staff.
According to Channel 10, Peretz's lack of military and security experience were highlighted in the report. With that, the defense minister did not attempt to force his lack of military knowledge on the decision-making process.
Finally, the Committee reportedly concluded that the idea of a defense minister with a civilian background was not, at its core, wrong.
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