Last update - 00:00 14/09/2006
Peretz, Adam meet over GOC Northern Command's resignation
Defense Minister Amir Peretz met in Tel Aviv on Thursday with GOC Northern Command Udi Adam, who announced his intended resignation Wednesday.
According to a statement released by the Defense Ministry, Adam informed Peretz that he wants to resign when the last Israel Defense Forces soldier returns from Lebanon, and asked the defense minister to find a replacement for him as soon as possible.
Adam's resignation is not expected to undermine IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's determination to hold onto his position. The move also is not expected to snowball, and drag many other officers to step down, according to senior General Staff officers.
However, a number of generals in the reserves are expected to publicly call on Halutz to step down during a meeting with him Friday. In a similar meeting a couple of weeks ago, several generals criticized the IDF leadership's conduct during the war, but refrained from openly calling on Halutz to resign.
The General Staff sources maintain that the reasons for Adam's resignation are very specific, and stem from the blow his stature suffered during the Lebanon war when Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky was sent to the Northern Command as Halutz's representative.
Adam meet with Halutz Thursday to discuss his resignation. According to Israel Radio, Adam reiterated that his mind is made up to resign.
While lower-ranking officers and officers at Northern Command headquarters may resign because they are likely to feel their chances for advancement have been stymied by Adam's resignation, the phenomenon is likely to be very limited, General Staff sources said.
Adam's resignation on Wednesday morning shocked those at the General Staff, who read about it in the daily Maariv. Halutz did not receive a formal letter from Adam until later that morning, and he responded by accepting his resignation.
The two have agreed that a replacement will be assigned in a few days to ensure a smooth transition at the command.
Chief of operations at the General Staff, Major General Gadi Eisenkot, is the most likely candidate to take over as GOC Northern Command.
The poor relationship between Adam and Halutz emerged during the Lebanon war, when the chief of staff appointed Kaplinsky to oversee operations in the Northern Command. Even though it was not formally stated, Kaplinsky's wartime appointment was in essence equivalent to the removal of Adam from running the war.
During the war, Adam was severely criticized at the General Staff over his handling of the fighting.
At the time, Adam sought to downplay the impact of the decision to appoint Kaplinsky to the Northern Command as Halutz's "representative."
"If the chief of staff thinks he needs to be here and command, and he cannot be here physically all the time, and sends his deputy, that is fine. I do not consider this a dismissal or anything like it," Adam said at the time. Adam said "relations between us (he and Halutz) are fine. Tensions exist all the time. In every war there is tension between the ranks."
He had also defended the performance of his command by pointing out that "in every move that the command recommended and was approved, the mission that was set was achieved."
Adam's resignation has sent shudders through the IDF leadership, because it is considered the first likely break from the standard line taken by the country's leadership regarding the war and its results.
So far Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Halutz have held a common line, arguing that the IDF beat Hezbollah "on points," and claiming that the gravity of any failings does not require any resignations.
Adam had told the press recently that when he retires from service, he will make his views public, and this is causing a great deal of unease among the IDF's upper ranks, because his resignation is viewed as the first rupture among the generals.
A source close to Adam described him as "inexperienced at flinging mud. Major General Adam is a simple, honest man, who goes by the book. He feels that a political struggle is being carried out at his expense, and this has made it very difficult for him."
MK Ami Ayalon, former head of the Shin Bet, commended Adam on his decision to resign in view of the prevailing norms of not assuming responsibility. Ayalon also said that Defense Minister Amir Peretz should giver up his post for a social welfare-related portfolio.
Transportation Minister and former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz said that "Adam is one of the best field officers of the IDF." He also said that he was not aware of poor relations between Adam and Halutz.