Last update - 00:00 12/09/2006
Dichter urges officers, politicians to resign over Lebanon war
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent
Public Security Minister Avi Dichter on Monday urged Israel Defense Forces and police commanders, as well as political leaders, to step down if they feel that the findings of the government-appointed inquiry committee into the Lebanon War will hurt them.
"A moment before the committee's doors are opened, I would like to address you as a fighter to fighters, as a commander to commanders, as a leader to leaders," he said. "To anyone who feels that if he calls out 'follow me,' no one will join him in the assault, anyone who thinks that his call to 'advance' will not be heeded, this is what I have to say: Do not be afraid. Put those better than you in your place. It is a matter that affects our children's future."
Dichter was speaking at the 6th International Conference of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, attended by nearly 1,000 security and counter terrorism officials, experts and researchers from some 30 countries.
During his address, Dichter also expressed his view that the September 11 attacks in the United States could have been avoided. He argued that had the airlines had air marshals on their aircraft, they would have been able to prevent the attacks. He also charged that the failure to have air marshals on the flights was due purely to the airlines' economic considerations.
"It was possible to prevent the attacks, irrespective of the extent of available intelligence," the former head of the Shin Bet security service asserted. "If one armed air marshal had been on each of the aircraft, I have no doubt that September 11 would have been just another ordinary date on the calendar or another day of glory in the history of the U.S."
Referring to Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Dichter said that he should be viewed as a new Adolf Hitler with nuclear weapons.
"My recommendation to various countries is to ask themselves: 'How would Europe and the entire world look if, God forbid, Hitler had also had nuclear capability?' Ahmadinejad must be evaluated on the basis of these parameters. This is how the threat that this country [Iran] and this leader poses should be seen," he said.
Brigadier General (reserves) Yossi Kuperwasser, former head of Military Intelligence's research division, also addressed the conference, saying: "There was quality intelligence during the war against Hezbollah, but the tactics used were improper."