Senior reserve officers, including some with the rank of major general, yesterday lambasted Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and called for his resignation in the wake of the investigations into the failures of the second Lebanon war.

Their views were shared by senior officers on active duty but the latter refused to make public statements on the subject. They intimated that Halutz should take responsibility and go home, and that Defense Minister Amir Peretz should intervene so the turmoil in the army can settle down.

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Among those who yesterday expressed the need for Halutz to retire were Avigdor (Yanush) Ben-Gal. He told Army Radio, "Halutz will come to the realization that he cannot rehabilitate the army after the failure... He didn't act like a commander but rather like the head of a board of directors. He does not have the essence of a military leader."

Strong criticism also came from the former head of Military Intelligence, Uri Saguy, who said, "I doubt whether the military leadership of today is capable of rehabilitating the army... Does Halutz really believe that after all is said and done he can continue to lead the army?"

Another major general said Halutz should have left the post three months ago and it would be a shame if he were to resign only after the committee of inquiry places responsibility on his shoulders. Former OC Northern Command Yossi Peled said, "I don't want to be his judge or his hangman. He must make a decision according to his own values," he said, adding that there was a total lack of trust now in the army.

Peretz said yesterday that he had asked Brigadier General Gal Hirsch not to resign immediately but only after a transition period with his successor. He said Hirsch agreed to this request, also made by Halutz.

"We must not tarnish IDF officers who give their all, and whose moral codes deserve all our backing and admiration," Peretz said, speaking at Labor's Knesset faction meeting yesterday. "There is a tendency to get carried away and harm IDF officers who have contributed to Israel when it comes to inquests and important issues," he said.

Hirsch yesterday held a meeting with senior officers in his division to explain the reasons for his resignation. He said that over the past few months he had felt that his basic values were being tainted.

In other commentary, MK Zahava Gal-On said yesterday, "Olmert, Peretz and Halutz should take Hirsch's cue and go home. The personal accountability for the war's botch-ups cannot stop with Gal Hirsch and must apply to those who enabled him to continue in a commanding post despite his failures in the soldiers' kidnapping."