Last update - 00:00 05/10/2006
IDF ground forces chief ousted for remarks on Olmert, Halutz
By Amos Harel and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz on Wednesday discharged the head of the IDF's ground forces over remarks he made calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Halutz.
Halutz told Major General Iftach Ron-Tal in a letter that he was being relieved of regular duty, a month before he was to retire, due to remarks he had made on the disengagement from Gaza and for the comments he had made against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The chief of staff sent the letter after trying to reach Ron-Tal since the morning without success. The lieutenant general also failed to respond to a summons to Halutz's office at 6:00 P.M.
Ron-Tal had called on Olmert and Halutz to resign from their positions. The IDF Spokesperson's Office issued an official censure of the lieutenant general's remarks on Wednesday morning.
In an interview with a Kfar Habad journal and in various radio interviews, Ron-Tal said the IDF's extensive involvement with the disengagement from Gaza diminished its capability to fight the Lebanon war.
Ron-Tal described the war as a failure, and called on Halutz and his senior officers "to take responsibility and resign."
The major general also leveled criticism at Halut'z statement that the campaign resulted in a "victory on points," saying he does not recognize such an achievement.
He said the IDF did not determine the nature of the campaign, and that all those who managed it should be held to account.
In an interview with Israel Radio, Ron-Tal said the decision to impose the disengagement on the army was "a big mistake, for which we're still paying the price."
According to Ron-Tal, the task of the disengagement harmed the army's training and its readiness for the Lebanon war.
Ron-Tal: I know when to leave in peace
Ron-Tal told Haaretz that the IDF Spokesperson's version of his exchange of letters with Halutz on Wednesday was inaccurate. According to Ron-Tal said he returned home at 9:30 P.M. and only then discovered the letter requesting him to report to the chief of staff at 6 P.M.
Ron-Tal added he didn't even see a subsequent letter from Halutz ordering his release from the IDF.
Ron-Tal expressed doubt as to whether Halutz even has the legal authority to dismiss him. He said, however, that he had decided regardless to resign due to the tempest that resulted from his comments.
In a letter to the chief of staff, Ron-Tal said he views his 33 years of service in the IDF as a great privilege and wrote, "as opposed to others we both know, I know when the time comes to depart in peace."
Likud contacts Ron-Tal
Likud sources said Ron-Tal met last week with Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu at a Tel Aviv hotel in a meeting brokered by Netanyahu aide Uzi Arad.
The sources said Ron-Tal was likely to join the Likud after his release.
Netanyahu's office confirmed that the meeting took place, but said the topics of discussion included only security issues, not political ones.
Netanyahu has recently worked to recruit "well-known security people" to the Likud in an effort to rejuvenate the party and strengthen it with people from military and security backgrounds.
Netanyahu has made contacts in the past with former chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon who spoke out in recent weeks against the disengagement and the war, and called on the prime minister and defense minister to resign.