RAMALLAH/JERUSALEM, 19 July 2007 — Israel’s latest inquiry into last year’s Lebanon war yesterday blasted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for “intolerable” failures in protecting civilians during the conflict, dealing yet another blow to the beleaguered premier. In a scathing report, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said Olmert, along with government and army top brass “failed severely in the decision-making process, their assessment and their treatment of the home front during the Lebanon war.” “The severe failures, unfortunately, reached intolerable levels,” it said.
Olmert’s office slammed the remarks as unfounded personal views by the government watchdog. Aside from Olmert, Lindenstrauss pointed the finger of blame at former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, former army chief Dan Halutz and home front commander Yitzhak Gershon.
“The leaders of the country invested most of their time in the war efforts, and not in treating the home front which was exposed to extensive attack from the outset of the war,” said the 582-page report, which Lindenstrauss presented to the speaker of parliament.
In Israel, both the government and army are responsible for providing services to civilians in time of war, from maintenance of public shelters, to rescue, medical and basic administrative services. During the 34-day war with Hezbollah, the resistance group fired over 4,000 rockets into northern Israel, forcing a million residents to flee, paralyzing the northern part of the country and catching the public shelters system unawares.
During and after the war, an avalanche of fierce criticism crashed on to Olmert and the government for the lack of state support to civilians during the war, from inadequate bomb shelters to non-existent support to those fleeing. Yesterday’s report comes two and a half months after interim findings by the Winograd government inquiry into the war, which blasted Olmert for “serious failure,” and Peretz and Halutz for failing in their duties.
The Winograd Commission is due to publish its final findings later this year, which are expected to further pile up the pressure on Olmert to resign over the conflict that many in Israel consider a failure. Halutz resigned from his post in January, while Peretz lost his after he was ousted as leader of the Labour party in June. But Olmert has resisted the pressure, arguing he had to first address the mistakes exposed during the war.
Olmert’s office was quick to counter the criticism in Lindenstrauss’ report, which was distributed to the media before its official release yesterday. In a briefing to reporters on Tuesday, the head of Olmert’s office, Raanan Dinur, conceded that the war revealed shortcomings, but insisted that the cabinet, which took office less than three months before it began on July 12, should not bear the brunt of blame.
“No one can argue that the prime minister could within two months fix all the shortcomings which the report reveals which require long years,” he told reporters.
