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Eliyahu Winograd presenting the war probe panel's findings in Jerusalem on Monday. (Reuters)
Last update - 00:15 01/05/2007
Lebanon war probe accuses Olmert of 'severe failure,' blasts Halutz, Peretz
By Yossi Verter, Mazal Mualem and Nir Hasson, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies

The partial report by a government-appointed committee probing the Second Lebanon War on Monday accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of "severe failure" in exercising judgment, responsibility and caution during the outset of the war.

The report, officially released at a 5 P.M. press conference in Jerusalem on Monday, says Olmert acted hastily in leading the country to war last July 12, without having a comprehensive plan.

The prime minister, the report said, "bears supreme and comprehensive responsibility for the decisions of 'his' government and the operations of the army."
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But Cabinet Secretary Israel Maimon said after the report was released that the prime minister is not considering resignation.

Olmert also came under criticism for rushed actions at the outset of the war, and for failing to consult with either military or non-military experts.

"The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one," the report said. "He made his decision without systematic consultation with others, especially outside the IDF, despite not having experience in external-political and military affairs."

Olmert was also censured for failing to "adapt his plans once it became clear that the assumptions and expectations of Israel's actions were not realistic and were not materializing."

"All of these," the report said, "add up to a serious failure in exercising judgment, responsibility and prudence."

The findings level heavy criticism at Defense Minister Amir Peretz for being unaware of the state of the Israel Defense Forces, even though he should have been.

Peretz "did not have knowledge or experience in military, political or governmental matters. He also did not have good knowledge of the basic principles of using military force to achieve political goals."

Despite these deficiencies, the report states, "he made his decisions during this period without systemic consultations with experienced political and professional experts, including outside the security establishment."

In fact, the panel found, "his serving as minister of defense during the war impaired Israel's ability to respond well to its challenges."

Dan Halutz, who was IDF chief of staff at the time, was criticized for entering the war "unprepared," and for failing to inform the cabinet of the true state of the IDF ahead of the ground operation.

According to the findings, the army and its chief of staff "were not prepared for the event of the abduction despite recurring alerts."

The panel also found that Halutz had failed to "present to the political leaders the internal debates within the IDF concerning the fit between the stated goals and the authorized modes of actions."

The head of the committee, retired judge Eliyahu Winograd, in reading the conclusions of the inquiry, said that the outcome of the war would have been better had Olmert, Halutz and Peretz acted differently.

Winograd said that Halutz displayed a lack of professionalism and of judgment. The former army chief bears more blame, he said, knowing that Olmert and Peretz were inexperienced in military matters. He added that Halutz also reacted impulsively to the kidnapping of the two reserve soldiers by Hezbollah, which sparked the war.

He said that, despite a lack of experience, Olmert did not request help, or question the plan put to him. Peretz also came under similar criticism, for not inspecting the war plan with sufficient care.

In fact, said Winograd, some of the war's objectives were unattainable and the leadership lacked creativity.

"Some of the declared goals of the war were not clear and could not be achieved, and in part were not achievable by the authorized modes of military action," the report said.

The committee also leveled criticism at the entire government, saying that the cabinet voted to go to war without understanding the implications of such a decision.

According to the report, "the government did not consider the whole range of options, including that of continuing the policy of 'containment', or combining political and diplomatic moves with military strikes below the 'escalation level', or military preparations without immediate military action - so as to maintain for Israel the full range of responses to the abduction."

The panel is considering adding personal recommendations in its final report, which is due out in the summer.

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      1.   oust 03:33  |  DOV KORET 30/04/07
      2.   Kind of comic, really 04:23  |  Colin Wright 30/04/07
      3.   Time for Benjamin Netanyahu to take over 06:43  |  Shepherd 30/04/07
      4.   THROW THE BUMS OUT! And begin their trials! 07:22  |  ami 30/04/07
      5.   2% APPROVAL, STILL CAPABLE TO THREAT 08:47  |  indrajaya 30/04/07
      6.   Who will replace him, really? 09:53  |  Yonatan 30/04/07
      7.   Olmert will be replaced by Livni so who is worse? 10:22  |  zionist forever 30/04/07
      8.   Olmert will be replaced by Livni so who is worse? 10:22  |  zionist forever 30/04/07
      9.   Regressing democracy 11:24  |  Christian Levanon 30/04/07
      10.   THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I AGREE WITH COLIN WRIGHT 12:42  |  Meir Weinstein 30/04/07
      11.   the failing of israel 13:01  |  VIPER 30/04/07
      12.   Time to change PM 15:10  |  Joe 30/04/07
      13.   Before all you naysayers... 15:14  |  Shmuel 30/04/07
      14.   Door is open for Netanyahu 15:57  |  Ryan 30/04/07
      15.   Peres PM, Barak DM and Neytanyaho FM and Paz-Pines President 16:07  |  r 30/04/07
      16.   #9 Christian Levanon 16:14  |  Yonatan 30/04/07
      17.   The Second Lebanon War 16:16  |  Dagma 30/04/07
      18.   Shaul Mofaz the answer to defence 16:20  |  Beastrad 30/04/07
      19.   should fight the report like the war 16:25  |  Paul Freedman 30/04/07
      20.   democratic choice 17:01  |  eddie 30/04/07
      21.   Omert`s ouster will snowball into Bush`s impeachment 17:16  |  Joe 30/04/07
      22.   Apologize to the Soldier`s Families 17:30  |  Yoram 30/04/07
      23.   RESIGN...AND BE GONE! 17:36  |  bat yam 30/04/07
      24.   "unaware of the state of the Israel Defense Forces" 17:41  |  common sense 30/04/07
      25.   INCREDIBLE FAILURE 17:42  |  Brant 30/04/07
      26.   I am scared for Israel`s future 17:42  |  peter mochama 30/04/07
      27.   Now Just A Minute 17:43  |  Expert 30/04/07
      28.   Nasarallah predicted Winograd 17:43  |  Andrew Kogan 30/04/07
      29.   #18 Beastad 17:46  |  Yonatan 30/04/07
      30.   Congrats Israel! 17:49  |  W 30/04/07
      31.   Democracy at work 17:53  |  Nathaniel 30/04/07
      32.   Shameful 17:53  |  Leo Scheiner 30/04/07
      33.   Yair Lapid for Prime Minister 17:57  |  noel 30/04/07
      34.   #22 Apologize 17:58  |  Omran 30/04/07
      35.   Olmert`s biggest mistake 17:58  |  Citizen 30/04/07
      36.   Proved again - Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East 17:59  |  Israeli 30/04/07
      37.   Olmert, leave with Bishara, don`t return! 18:04  |  Avraham 30/04/07
      38.   hassan nasrallah toooo good 18:08  |  as i told u 30/04/07
      39.   Answer the following questions 18:14  |  Wissam 30/04/07
      40.   Conclusion 18:23  |  observer 30/04/07
      41.   The 3 Stooges 18:26  |  Gary A. MD 30/04/07
      42.   WISSAM: ONE ANSWER 18:35  |  Brant 30/04/07
      43.   result of war 18:36  |  gooli 30/04/07
      44.   Winograd Report demands Olmert resignation 18:42  |  Ray 30/04/07
      45.   No war is fought like the previous wars 18:46  |  Vogel 30/04/07
      46.   All Things Considered 18:53  |  MichaelF 30/04/07
      47.   to Wissam#39 18:54  |  Ilya 30/04/07
      48.   Nasrallah Warned them 19:03  |  Garba Maigoro 30/04/07
      49.   When we will see something like this on the Arab side 19:05  |  El-birawi 30/04/07
      50.   severe failure in exercising judgment - same goes for population 19:05  |  Ronen 30/04/07
      51.   Rushto War 19:07  |  Mary 30/04/07
      52.   The report and the public discussion about it is a very good 19:07  |  Anat 30/04/07
      53.   lebanon war 19:08  |  gooli 30/04/07
      54.   PM Olmert 19:12  |  P. Joseph Raju, 30/04/07
      55.   The face of Shame: Olmert!!!!!! 19:13  |  Sunny Barkats 30/04/07
      56.   Lebanon War 19:20  |  Pacific Mist 30/04/07
      57.   #13 W, #36 Israeli: Number of comissions doesn`t make a democracy 19:23  |  Ronen 30/04/07
      58.   What About Responsibility For The War Crimes? 19:23  |  chet 30/04/07
      59.   #10 on the problems facing you Jews in the Galut 19:27  |  Ari ben Yisrael 30/04/07
      60.   The war probe. 19:33  |  David Nigel Braham 30/04/07
      61.   #36, Israeli: In democracies a commission result is respected 19:34  |  Karl 30/04/07
      62.   Livni has to go, too 19:35  |  Jonathan S 30/04/07
      63.   Duh! Olmert too busy doing comb overs to keep eye on the ball! 19:37  |  Toronto`s Finest 30/04/07
      64.   And when is Lebanon releasing it`s report? 19:40  |  John 30/04/07
      65.   sur nassrallah is the winner 19:41  |  katy 30/04/07
      66.   To # 58 (war crimes) 19:47  |  Gooli 30/04/07
      67.   Report exposes failures 19:54  |  Brod 30/04/07
      68.   To El-Birawi 20:04  |  Lubnani Yehudi 30/04/07
      69.   George W. Bush says he stands 100% by Olmert 20:04  |  George 30/04/07
      70.   No Intention of Resigning 20:11  |  Miransky 30/04/07
      71.   What a script!! 20:13  |  Blogowitz 30/04/07
      72.   To John, In Israel, you talk, in Lebanon we DO 20:18  |  Lubnani Yehudi 30/04/07
      73.   To # 68 20:19  |  Gooli 30/04/07
      74.   #26 -- I`m concerned too 20:20  |  Mike Allen 30/04/07
      75.   A view from the outside 20:20  |  Philipp 30/04/07
      76.   In any western country 20:27  |  Danite 30/04/07
      77.   Shut the up Winograd. Olmert is right 20:32  |  Tamir Gaza 30/04/07
      78.   Olmert,please go 20:35  |  luis 30/04/07
      79.   Olmert - I have no intention of resigning. The ultimate chutzpah! 20:35  |  bat yam 30/04/07
      80.   Will this pass the censorship? 20:38  |  Lars Hansen 30/04/07
      81.   hey Gooli of N.Y. before hurrying to conclusion 20:40  |  George 30/04/07
      82.   # 69 .Bush stands with Olmert. in the all time losers league! 20:40  |  Toronto`s Finest 30/04/07
      83.   olmert, Peretz, Livni, and democracy 20:42  |  Yosef 30/04/07
      84.   Why was the Israeli army so poorly prepared? 20:42  |  David Burst 30/04/07
      85.   # 72.L.H. I loved your post. VERY witty, and true. Thanks! 20:46  |  Toronto`s Finest 30/04/07
      86.   this pathetic little man 20:51  |  chaim 30/04/07
      87.   Winograd says they were out of their depth 21:00  |  Nick 30/04/07
      88.   Why were these findings so unexpected? 21:03  |  N/A 30/04/07
      89.   Without Having A Comprehensive Plan 21:06  |  bob graham 30/04/07
      90.   settle down everyone 21:06  |  stu 30/04/07
      91.   ground forces not air 21:07  |  roberta 30/04/07
      92.   down with nations 21:09  |  Todd 30/04/07
      93.   No one tried to stop the missiles 21:12  |  Efox 30/04/07
      94.   The truth is that the IDF was no match for the Hizbollah 21:12  |  Dorish 30/04/07
      95.   re: Gooli 21:13  |  Efox 30/04/07
      96.   The public cried for war, now they are crying 21:19  |  Walter 30/04/07
      97.   #42 (Brant) 21:25  |  Wissam 30/04/07
      98.   Complete Division of Israeli Society 21:25  |  David 30/04/07
      99.   Indonesians should worry about their own disasterous country#5 21:29  |  effie 30/04/07
      100.   conflicting views of left and right 21:30  |  Igor D. 30/04/07
      101.   There is no limit to Olmert`s hutzpah 21:31  |  Shelley Goldman 30/04/07
      102.   Winograd: Sharon in a coma would do a better job than Olmert etal 21:31  |  r 30/04/07
      103.   #47 (Ilya) 21:34  |  Wissam 30/04/07
      104.   Yallah ,Olmert,has been sized up, measured, weighted, grilled 21:35  |  Joseph E . 30/04/07
      105.   Uh....How Is This a Tough Call? 21:39  |  Benjamin 30/04/07
      106.   Olmert the non-statesman 21:39  |  Tosefta 30/04/07
      107.   Huh? 21:40  |  Jackson 30/04/07
      108.   Huh? 21:44  |  Jackson 30/04/07
      109.   WISSAM: My Reply 21:46  |  Brant 30/04/07
      110.   #42: now hold on, sailor.... 21:53  |  neutral-man 30/04/07
      111.   Should Mr Olmert Go? 21:57  |  Bader S Abu-Ghosh 30/04/07
      112.   #47: warped rationalizaqtion 21:58  |  neutral-man 30/04/07
      113.   golani 22:01  |  idf 30/04/07
      114.   Prudence???????? 22:01  |  Ronnie Wolman 30/04/07
      115.   YET AGAIN, ISRAEL CREATES WORLDWIDE ANTI-ISRAEL HEADLINES 22:05  |  Steve Holden 30/04/07
      116.   Lubnani Yehudi 22:05  |  Marco 30/04/07
      117.   as a palestinian, should olmert go? 22:08  |  neutral-man 30/04/07
      118.   Have you no shame? 22:09  |  Lila 30/04/07
      119.   103: you dont make sense, man! 22:21  |  neutral-man 30/04/07
      120.   Israel - political dungheap 22:26  |  Clickfool 30/04/07
      121.   Here`s why the Olmert regime is finished -- 22:31  |  Dr. L. Brnd 30/04/07
      122.   To all brainwashed Nasrallah admirers 22:32  |  Bob 30/04/07
      123.   Winograd sounds like Nasrallah 22:35  |  Anthony 30/04/07
      124.   Tamir Gaza 22:42  |  Lebanon 30/04/07
      125.   #98 David, such a conclusion is ill-advised. 22:49  |  Shuki 30/04/07
      126.   calls for resignations 22:54  |  dore 30/04/07
      127.   Olmert`s response is typically Israeli 22:56  |  Tim 30/04/07
      128.   # 102 Wissam. Lebanon needs an Ataturk, not Nasrallah! 22:58  |  Toronto`s Finest 30/04/07
      129.   Mene, mene thekel ufarsin 23:00  |  sh 30/04/07
      130.   Wissam - why do you read Israeli media? 23:02  |  almagor 30/04/07
      131.   To # 16 Yonathan 23:07  |  christa 30/04/07
      132.   To # 36 Israeli 23:11  |  christa 30/04/07
      133.   THE DIVINE VICTORY 23:12  |  fadi 30/04/07
      134.   IDF has not adapted 23:17  |  christa 30/04/07
      135.   THROW THE BUMS OUT 23:19  |  Bob Graham 30/04/07
      136.   Winograde say we are ruled by fools headed by Peretz ect.. 23:19  |  Joseph E . 30/04/07
      137.   To John from Wilmingdon 23:21  |  christa 30/04/07
      138.   no where to go but down 23:30  |  survivor 30/04/07
      139.   Olmert the sad clown 23:35  |  Chaim Gorenstein 30/04/07
      140.   If this is not terrorism , wthais? 23:38  |  hate bush 30/04/07
      141.   The Lebanon war proves Palestinian Intifada 23:43  |  Joe 30/04/07
      142.   Meretz against Olmert huh?...weird 23:46  |  RA 30/04/07
      143.   Lebanon War Lessons 23:50  |  Martin Philip 30/04/07
      144.   # 12 Joe. I AGREE WITH YOU.BUT! 23:54  |  Kath` 30/04/07
      145.   ALL PM`s have been military failures 23:54  |  Gilad 30/04/07
      146.   # 72 wow... That may be a problem 00:06  |  John 01/05/07
      147.   Are there any Olmert backers out there ?? 00:08  |  Avrum 01/05/07
      148.   The Solution 00:15  |  Donald Trump 01/05/07
      149.   Olmert of `severe failure 00:19  |  Ralph 01/05/07
      150.   # 50 Ronen. PLEASE SPARE US FROM THE LIKES OF GIDEON LEVY... 00:20  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      151.   Hizbollah, an important lesson for you 00:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/05/07
      152.   Wissam..do not confuse this 00:30  |  Moses 01/05/07
      153.   # 105 Tosefta. AGREED WITH MOST OF YOUR POINTS,.EXCEPT,LIVNI..... 00:38  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      154.   Winning a war in the ME is NO more guaranteed. 00:44  |  Becky 01/05/07
      155.   Peretz must resign immediately 00:51  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/05/07
      156.   # 110 Toronto`s Finest. ATATURK... 01:01  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      157.   OLMERT WON"T RESIGN? 01:03  |  the digger 01/05/07
      158.   #127 Kath 01:12  |  Joe 01/05/07
      159.   This war was a creation of the Israeli right 01:13  |  Mark Lincoln 01/05/07
      160.   Shuki, I was wrong, Israel not so divided 01:15  |  David 01/05/07
      161.   Has Everyone Forgotten War Prep Began In March? 01:17  |  chet 01/05/07
      162.   Lebanon: almost Israel`s Iraq 01:34  |  P. Spreter 01/05/07
      163.   #59 We got the problematic Jews of the galut right here 01:35  |  Brandeis 01/05/07
      164.   WHO SAIS WE LOST!!!!!!!!???????? 01:40  |  Andre 01/05/07
      165.   #127 Kath 01:41  |  Joe 01/05/07
      166.   # 102 WHY ARE YOU ALL HERE?THIS IS ISRAEL`S BUSINESS 01:50  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      167.   Joe 02:01  |  Connie 01/05/07
      168.   r/report 02:08  |  sholem singer 01/05/07
      169.   # 138 Ramallah Joe. I DID NOT ADDRESS MY POST TO YOU.. 02:21  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      170.   Who`s the hot blond in the picture in the cover? 02:39  |  :) 01/05/07
      171.   #145 chet, I suspect you`ll find... 02:50  |  Johnboy 01/05/07
      172.   #58 What About RESponsibility 02:57  |  TObia 01/05/07
      173.   # 141 chet.Have we Forgotten War Preparations.,etc,etc?? 02:57  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      174.   # 139 Cipora Julianna Kohn.Yes,Peretz must resign immediately. 03:02  |  Kath` 01/05/07
      175.   #49, El-Birawi 03:06  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/05/07
      176.   Olmert`s failure 03:07  |  Prof . Watson 01/05/07
      177.   #143- Lincoln Gets It Wrong, Of Course 03:12  |  Yoram 01/05/07
      178.   Who can be Prime Minister now (Kathy #137) 03:14  |  Tosefta 01/05/07
      179.   #125 03:15  |  Moshe 01/05/07
      180.   This is a Joke 03:28  |  Abe 01/05/07
      181.   THiS DOES NOT MEAN 04:06  |  TOBIA 01/05/07
      182.   Who can be Prime Minister now (Kathy #137) 04:38  |  Tosefta 01/05/07
      183.   Nice Disconnect, Winograd - Read Ilan Berman 04:42  |  PB 01/05/07
      184.   viper 04:52  |  FLOWER 01/05/07
      185.   #156, Kath* 05:06  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/05/07
      186.   Who created the Lebanon war (Mark Lincoln #143) 05:07  |  Tosefta 01/05/07
      187.   #144 `Kath.Ataturk`s success was that he prevailed against the... 05:09  |  Toronto`s Finest 01/05/07
      188.   #152 Andre. You lost nothing you are in New York. 05:13  |  Toronto`s Finest 01/05/07
      189.   hall of Same - people who have not resigned (yet) this week 05:17  |  dana 01/05/07
      190.   severe failure 05:46  |  samuel 01/05/07
      191.   Israel`s matter 06:26  |  Gordon 01/05/07
      192.   #165 Yoram falls into the classic Israeli trap 06:55  |  Johnboy 01/05/07
      193.   the strangest arguments 06:58  |  rose 01/05/07
      194.   #189, dana 07:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/05/07
      195.   # 99,EFFIE 07:42  |  indrajaya 01/05/07
      196.   WAR of MORONS 01:21  |  Khalil 02/05/07
      197.   Join the Crowd Olmertz, et al 07:40  |  warmapril 02/05/07
      198.   Khalil is RIGHT! 08:07  |  warmapril 02/05/07
      199.   Winograds objectivity 10:35  |  marco 02/05/07
      200.   Israel True Terrorists For Launching Attacks On Lebanon 05:05  |  Shlomo Amir 03/05/07
      201.   So ersatz israel lost the war 13:29  |  David King 15/01/08
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