Last update - 00:00 05/07/2007
Eitan to Winograd: IDF didn't present explicit plans for war
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Pensioner Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan told the Winograd Committee investigating the Second Lebanon War that the Israel Defense Forces did not present the state with explicit plans during the war.
According to testimony released on Thursday, Eitan said that the IDF had too much impact in the decision-making process and "did not get the goods." The minister maintained that the reason that a "special" state was called on the home front and not an emergency state was out of concern it would cause a blow to the economy.
Eitan also said that during the first days of the war, he visited the IDF northern command base with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and other senior officers, and found himself grilling the officers in order to get clear answers regarding the army's plans, the price of human loss, and its ultimate goals. The minister, flying back from the visit with Olmert in an IAF helicopter, told the prime minister, "Ehud, this is an IDF I don't recognize. You're responsible, the responsibility lies with you, but remember, I'll always stand behind you."
The Pensioner Affairs minister said that the Major General Benny Ganz was the one briefing the prime minister and defense minister most of the time at the northern command, with Major General Udi Adam briefing a bit as well. Eitan maintained that IDF Chief of Staff "was silent most of the time," as was Peretz.
Eitan said that in the cabinet meeting on July 27, 2006, he told Olmert that "we are not able to make decisions based on the information we're receiving? I'm unable to get to the heart of the issue from the information I'm receiving, even though it alone is interesting."
In his testimony, he said he held a meeting on July 21 with municipal heads from towns along the northern border, where they demanded the government declare a state of emergency. Eitan said that former Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson opposed the move, and ordered a "special" state to be called instead.
"Later on, I understand the reason," Eitan said. "The reason is that in terms of money, and the National Economy Emergency System, and anyone else, a special state declared by the defense minister meets the needs- if a state of emergency is declared, there is a risk that the financial status of Israel in the world will decrease. So a special state is better than a state of emergency."