Last update - 00:00 04/03/2007
Gal-On petitions court on releasing Winograd probe protocols
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On on Sunday petitioned the High Court of Justice for the second time demanding the public release of the protocols of the testimonies given to the Winograd commission of inquiry into the second Lebanon war.
In the petition, Gal-On called for the publication of the testimonies of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz. She also asked for the committee's predicted timetable for the release of the protocols.
"The Winograd Committee is mocking the court's decision to order the publication of the testimonies, and the right of the public to know, as one month on, the committee has not released the protocols as ordered by the High Court," said Gal-On.
The High Court rejected Gal-On's previous petition to open the commission's sessions to the public, and to publish the transcripts of testimonies.
The justices wrote in their ruling that the committee must "put the principle of public hearings first."
The justices also maintained that, "it is presumed that [the committee] will release the sections of the testimonies that are non-classified at a reasonable date, and before the final report is handed to the government."