Members of a forum of reserve brigade and battalion commanders on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his comments on captured Israel Defense Forces soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser.

During a meeting with high-school students in Nahariya on Monday, Olmert referred to the kidnapped soldiers simply as "two people."

In response to a student's question, Olmert added it would have been senseless to extend the Lebanon war and risk the lives of more soldiers in order to attempt rescuing Regev and Goldwasser, because "for them it would mean remaining in captivity a little longer."

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The officers said that Olmert's comments reflect "a severe moral failure."

In a letter addressed to Olmert and signed by seven of the forum's senior members, the officers link Olmert's comments to the controversy over the September 2000 death of Madhat Yusuf, the Border Policeman who bled to death in Nablus after the IDF decided to wait for aid from Palestinian security forces rather than attempt a rescue mission.

The author of the letter, Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Moshe Fisher, wrote that in the case of Madhat Yusuf that "values such as dedication to the mission, and camaraderie, were trampled."

The officers added that "the kidnapping in the north started with grandiose statements such as 'we will do everything to bring back the boys,' but since then only empty words remain. Sadly, the prime minister's message is clear, sharp and alienating. The IDF and Israel will weigh the number of dead versus the number of living in combat - and captured soldiers may be left to rot in the hands of the enemy forever."

Copies of the letter were also sent to Defense Minister Amir Peretz and IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.

Olmert met with the families of the two kidnapped soldiers Thursday - the first such meeting since his controversial comments.