Last update - 00:00 05/09/2007
Winograd panel's final report may be delayed until spring
By Amos Harel, Yuval Yoaz and Yuval Azoulay
The final report by the Winograd Committee on the performance of decision-makers in the Second Lebanon War may be delayed until the spring, legal sources told Haaretz on Tuesday, following the panel's announcement that it intends to warn officials who may be harmed by its findings.
The sources based their assessments on the committee announcing that it had informed the High Court of Justice that it will allow those it intends to single out for criticism to plead their case in a hearing, after reviewing the relevant material against them.
The number of people in question could be as many as 15, including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, former defense minister Amir Peretz, and former chief-of-staff Dan Halutz. The aforementioned were harshly criticized in the committee's interim report, which was released in April. The announcement delivered by the committee's attorney, Zvi Agmon, was made in response to two petitions filed by the Israel Defense Forces' legal defense department and former MK Avraham Poraz on the right of response extended to individuals who could be adversely affected by the panel's final report.
The additional proceedings could mean a further delay in issuing the final report, which was expected to be released in October. Sources close to the committee said they hoped the report could be released in December, but jurists involved with the panel's work claimed the estimate was too optimistic.
According to the jurists, the announcement means the public should not expect the final report before January, with some estimating that it will not be released until March. The committee, however, said that the additional proceedings do not necessarily mean a delay in the final report's date of release.
The extension could also have far-reaching political consequences, and may offer additional stability for Olmert's cabinet. Defense Minister and Labor Chairman Ehud Barak pledged to pull Labor out the coalition should the final report name Olmert as responsible for the failures that occurred during the war. Should he do so, Olmert's Kadima would have little choice but to declare an early election.
The Winograd panel's attorney added that the committee could not promise that those warned would be allowed to cross-examine witnesses. Agmon said the committee will decide on whether to grant that right pending the specific circumstances of each individual case.
The committee told the court last week that it did not yet know which individuals stand to be affected by its final report, or to what extent, but reiterated its commitment to send warning letters to those individuals, and to enable them to argue their case before the final version of the report is completed.
In its statement last week, the committee emphasized the need to balance "the rights of the potentially injured parties with the need to publish the final report as soon as possible."