State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss Tuesday put public officials on notice that his investigation into the handling of the home front during the summer Lebanon war will be "very incisive, and is liable to anger many people."

Testifying before the Knesset State Control Committee, Lindenstrauss also took Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to task for failing to respond to a series of questions over the government's performance in meeting the needs of the wartime home front.

	Advertisement

The panel had originally summoned the comptroller to present interim findings of his investigation into the performance of the government and the military.

According to Lindenstrauss, Olmert declined to testify in person, asking instead for a series of written questions, which the comptroller sent him. Every other cabinet minister, IDF officer, and senior government official who was invited to testify, testified fully and on time, he added.

Figuratively addressing the prime minister, Lindenstrauss said "You're 'inside' the subject, you are acquainted with the subject, you've read it, you prepared yourself for the Winograd Committee, and you could have also replied to the questionnaire.

"I regret to tell you, members of the Knesset, that to this day, as I appear before you, we have yet to receive the answers to the questionnaire that we expected. During that same period, the prime minister appeared before the Winograd Committee, and I do not see any excuse or reason why the material for the questionnaire that should be sent to the Comptroller should be delayed."

Showdown defused
Earlier in the day, in the midst of an unprecendented legal wrangle, Lindenstrauss, bowing to the view of Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, promised to refrain from presenting preliminary findings from his investigation in his testimony before the Knesset committee.

The step defused a possible showdown in the High Court, which was to have ruled on a petition, submitted by the IDF, to bar Lindenstrauss from releasing the findings to the committee.

Earlier, Mazuz, who opposed Lindenstrauss' original intention to present the findings, declined to represent the comptroller in the High Court.

Had the court ruled on the petition, and rejected it, the IDF Home Front command was expected to tell the panel later that there were numerous errors in Lindenstrauss's findings.

Issues to be covered in Comptroller probe
Lindenstrauss told the committee that his probe would examine the following issues: