Last update - 00:00 29/01/2008
Day before Lebanon report, it's business as usual at the PMO
By Barak Ravid and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
The Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday attempted to present an air of "business as usual" - and even apathy - as the Winograd Committee investigating the Second Lebanon War geared up to release its final report on Wednesday.
Associates of the prime minister stressed that even though discussions in recent days have raised a variety of possible responses to the comments likely to appear in the report, there is still no clear estimation of the line the committee will choose to take.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's schedule for Wednesday appears set almost like any other day. He will open the day with a debate in the political-security cabinet on "Israel's defense outlook," a topic prepared by a team headed by former Justice Minister Dan Meridor.
After the debate, Olmert will review a report prepared by the Ya'ari Commission regarding the economic Wisconsin Plan and will then hold a series of other meetings.
At 5 P.M., members of the Winograd Commission will arrive at the prime minister's residence to present their final report to Olmert and to Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Olmert and his associates will then have a chance to read the report before the media offensive.
Olmert and his staff are making enormous efforts to broadcast to the public the news that the problems highlighted in the interim Winograd report have been fixed, the government is fully active in all areas and that the prime minister is a responsible captain of the ship of state who consults frequently and attends many discussions.
Members of the committee, which is investigating the failures of both the military and the government during the war, said this week that the criticism would extend to many areas of the army's activities, and would present a very bleak picture of the IDF's ability during the war and the six years that preceded it.
Reservists to protests outside Barak's home
Israel Defense Forces reservists who hope to use the Winograd Report as a lever to dislodge Olmert from office plan to set up a protest tent Wednesday evening opposite Labor Party Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's house in Tel Aviv.
The main activity at the protest tent, starting at 6 P.M., will be a reading of the full text of the report, which will be broadcast over loudspeakers.
"We want to help him [Barak]," said Yakir Segev, one of the protest leaders, with mock innocence. "He said he'll make his decision on whether to remain in the government or quit it only after he reads the whole report. We'll stand in front of his house and take turns reading it."
Segev said that Barak's decision will determine the focus of the struggle thereafter: If he decides to keep Labor in the government, or delays making a decision, the protest tent will become a permanent fixture. The reservists are also considering a mass protest rally in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square on Saturday night, or alternatively, a mass rally opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem on Monday.
The reservists' protest forum also announced on Tuesday that it has received another letter from some 50 company commanders in the reserves urging Olmert to resign. About 10 days ago, a different group of 50 company commanders sent a letter directly to Olmert demanding his resignation. That letter generated a public storm over the reservists' use of their army ranks for political activity.
For full coverage of the Winograd report, log on to Haaretz.com on Wednesday.
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