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ANALYSIS / Olmert is too focused on the wrong Gilad
By Amos Harel
Tags: Israel news, Amos Gilad 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is, of course, permitted to decide not to use top defense official Amos Gilad as Israel's envoy in negotiations with Egypt. If the prime minister lost his faith in the state's representative on such delicate issues, maybe it is best that Gilad is replaced.

There is no question that Gilad, the director of the Defense Ministry political-security bureau, acted foolishly when he personally attacked Olmert's conduct in an on-the-record conversation with Ma'ariv reporter Ben Caspit.

The fact that the article was published on the same morning as the weekly cabinet meeting that was to focus on the cease-fire agreement with Hamas and the prisoner exchange deal for captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit, the issues Gilad has been negotiating with the Egyptians, certainly didn't contribute to Olmert's health.
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Gilad's claim that he did not expect the remarks to be quoted under his name can't be used in his defense. A man who once served as the IDF spokesman is expected to be experienced and careful enough make if very clear, in advance, that he does not wish to be quoted.

At the root of it, apparently, stands the deep-seated mutual hatred between Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Gilad himself, Barak's pointman in the Egyptian talks, angered Olmert by displaying an attitude that was viewed in Jerusalem as overly independent. But the Prime Minister's Office intensive interest in the Gilad affair, mere weeks before Olmert's term concludes, is very telling about the nature of Olmert himself.

The prime minister is now very troubled with the "legacy" that he will leave behind: how he will be remembered in the eyes of most Israelis. During recent days, his closest confidants such as his wife Aliza and Cabinet Secretary Ovad Yehezkel have been sent to represent him in the media, explaining his sins to the public. The prime minister has suffered a great injustice, they tell us. The bloodthirsty media and police chased him out of office on the basis of unsubstantiated charges. In a few months we will all long for the brilliant captain who brought impressive achievements in Lebanon and in Gaza and his reign was cut short just as Israel was one step away from peace deals with Syria and the Palestinians.

Olmert even went as far as to announce during the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that "there is a consensus among security experts that the results of the Second Lebanon War were good and that deterrence was achieved." (The deterrence was, in fact, achieved, especially in light of the aggression Israel displayed toward the Hezbollah, but the "good results" conclusion is debatable.)

The wild tongue lashing against Amos Gilad, starting with a whisper in reporters' ears and ending with bureaucratic persecution via the Civil Service Commissioner, reveals an entirely different side of Olemrt. Even now, so close to the final stretch, the prime minister prefers to waste his time on pointless disagreements. Olmert may think that he is irreplaceable, but there is no doubt regarding the damage he has caused to Israel-Egypt relations with this Gilad affair.

Senior officials in Cairo have not made any effort to hide their rage in recent days over Israel's conduct on the issues of a Gaza cease-fire and the captive soldier. Granted, the Shalit talks are being coordinated by Olmert's negotiator Ofer Dekel, but it would be very difficult to reach an agreement without the involvement of such an experienced mediator such as Gilad.

It appears that a long time will pass before Olmert will succeed in filling Gilad's shoes with a worthy successor - and the appointment may be rejected altogether by the time a new government takes power. In effect, the negotiations with Egypt are going into a deep freeze, with Gilad's dismissal only a finishing touch on the obstacle created last week by the cabinet, who decided to demand Shalit's release before opening the Gaza borders.

In his rage at Gilad, Olmert got his priorities a little mixed up. Wasn't Olmert supposed to focus all his energy on securing the release of Gilad Shalit before his term ends? It appears that he messing around too much with the wrong Gilad.

Related articles:
  • Ariel Zilber / Olmert, we will miss you
  • Olmert ousts Egypt mediator over 'unseemly criticism of a PM'
  • PMO lodges complaint against top defense official for criticizing Olmert on Shalit deal
  • Olmert reprimands top defense official over critical quotes to Maariv
  • A still, small, hesitant voice
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