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Retired judge Eliyahu Winograd, who presides over the Winograd Committee probing the Second Lebanon War. (Motti Kimche) Last update - 11:15 29/01/2008 IDF worried Lebanon war probe report will damage its image By Amos Harel and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: Israel, Second Lebanon War  Some senior Israel Defense Forces officers have expressed concern that the final Winograd Report, to be released Wednesday, will damage the IDF's image in the eyes of the public with its expected harsh criticism of the military's conduct during the Second Lebanon War. Members of the Winograd Committee, charged with investigating the failures of the military and the government during the war, said this week that the criticism would extend to many areas of the army's activities, and would present a very bleak picture of the IDF's ability during the war and the six years that preceded it. The General Staff has conducted a number of consultations on this issue over the past few days and senior officers are expected to stress in public appearances over the next few days that many of the flaws identified by the report have already been fixed and the lessons learned. Advertisement Former chief of staff Dan Halutz is expected to bear the brunt of the criticism for his performance during the war. Some of the officers who served under him are also expected to face criticism. Despite this, the final report will not contain sharp personal references to the performance of individual officers. This follows the committee's promise to the High Court to refrain from naming individuals after it refused to grant a hearing to people concerned that the committee's conclusions could harm their careers. The report is expected to be especially critical of the IDF's failure to stop the incessant firing of short-range Katyushas on Israeli towns throughout the duration of the war. It will also tackle the failed performance of civil and military authorities when tending to the civilian population who came under fire, and the neglect, in the years before the war, of the reservists' units and their training. Hesitant and failed performances on the part of IDF commanders will also feature in the report, as well as criticism of the relationship between the Northern Command and the General Staff. In its report on the quality of the fighting of the four divisions that took part in the war, the division commanded by Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, who later resigned, is said to have been the least bad of the four and that it stuck to its task and sought to advance. The committee identified a large improvement in the division's performance after its initial failure - the kidnapping of the two reservists that sparked off the war. Some flaws identified in the Winograd partial report have been fixed Many systemic problems cited in the Winograd Committee's partial report have indeed been fixed, Haaretz has found. But many others remain deeply rooted. The report, published nine months ago, slammed the cabinet's decision-making process. Ministers do not actually discuss issues, it said; they mainly make statements for media consumption. They often vote the party line rather than according to their conscience, and sometimes, they do not even understand the significance of their vote. The culture of leaks makes many officials reluctant to say anything of importance at cabinet sessions. Moreover, civilian agencies are often distanced from decision-making, which makes it hard for the government to stand up to the Israel Defense Forces. The report offered numerous suggestions for fixing these flaws, and a governmental task force later submitted additional recommendations. Since then, substantial progress has been made on combating leaks from cabinet sessions. In addition, the National Security Council has begun playing a more important role in decision-making, as the report recommended. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with former NSC chairman Ilan Mizrahi about every 10 days; Mizrahi participated in all sensitive government forums; and he received all the intelligence that Olmert did. The NSC was given responsibility for preparing the cabinet's security agenda; its staff was increased; and it was given its own situation room. Nevertheless, the NSC remains the IDF's "weak little sister," and many senior defense officials oppose strengthening it further. Moreover, it has not shed its negative image ¬ which is why, though Mizrahi left a month ago, a permanent replacement has yet to be found: Many suitable candidates are reluctant to take the job because they do not believe it will truly enable them to have an influence. The partial report also recommended strengthening the Foreign Ministry as a counterweight to the IDF. As a result, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni now attends all consultations between the prime and defense ministers and was even put in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians. Foreign Ministry officials attend more cabinet sessions, the ministry's staff has been increased, and it now receives even the most sensitive raw intelligence data. Nevertheless, like the NSC, the Foreign Ministry remains a distant second to the IDF in terms of both resources and ministerial attention. The partial report's greatest concern was the way government decisions are made and the government's organizational culture. Here, too, there seems to have been some improvement: For instance, September's air strike on an alleged Syrian nuclear facility truly appears to have been carefully planned and considered. In contrast, the cabinet's decision-making on Gaza seems to have replicated many of the same ills that characterized its decisions on Lebanon. The main problem seems to be the ministers themselves. "The mechanisms that have been established can help in making decisions," said one source involved in implementing the report's recommendations. "But in the end, the hands are raised by human beings - and they, it seems, have not yet internalized the full extent of the required change. It is a matter of [changing] the organizational culture - and that doesn't happen overnight." For full coverage of the Winograd report, log on to Haaretz.com on Wednesday Related articles: The main findings of the Winograd partial report on the Second Lebanon War Lebanon war probe accuses Olmert of 'severe failure,' blasts Halutz, Peretz ANALYSIS: Winograd report to expose system failures, nothing personal Bookmark to del.icio.us   Pride of Shas Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct. In bad taste Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival.   1.   The ultimate flaw, is at the top. Olmert. 02:21  |  bat yam 29/01/08   2.   YOU CANNOT DAMAGE AN ALREADY TARNISHED IMAGE 03:10  |  NEED SOME BRASSO 29/01/08   3.   Leftwing press trying to save Olmert 03:33  |  yosef 29/01/08   4.   What Ilike about this Report 04:08  |  Doc Holliday 29/01/08   5.   The IDF`s Image Cannot Get Any Worse 04:14  |  Schlomo Joe 29/01/08   6.   Honor? Who? Where? Not in `hud`s office 04:23  |  Gideon Reader 29/01/08   7.   Too Late - Just Worry About the Present Threats 04:24  |  Tod Zuckerman 29/01/08   8.   #2 04:48  |  jjvanka 29/01/08   9.   How about these failures? 05:01  |  ASA 29/01/08   10.   Olmert needs to go IDF needs Strength 05:18  |  Logic 29/01/08   11.   Nasrallah Would Have Nixed LEB 2 If He Was Truly A Prophet 06:36  |  Lavi 29/01/08   12.   WHAT ELSE AGAINST THE IDF? 07:51  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 29/01/08   13.   Olmert still needs to go 07:55  |  Gili 29/01/08   14.   PM Olmert bears FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF WAR FAILURE? 08:26  |  The Archives 29/01/08   15.   get in and fix it 08:43  |  Moshe 29/01/08   16.   fear of damaging their careers? pathetic 09:09  |  donnie 29/01/08   17.   Image is all Israel has 09:28  |  Steve 29/01/08   18.   Right Way 09:35  |  kaisie 29/01/08   19.   Couldn`t get any worse 09:58  |  Chanalau, Tova 29/01/08   20.   LOL! Reality bites 10:48  |  Clickfool 29/01/08   21.   When IDF Turns Into Pharaoh Taskmaster, David Shield Image is Dam 11:27  |  Joseph . E 29/01/08   22.   The IDF actions in Lebanon damaged its image 11:30  |  Natallie Durson 29/01/08   23.   Should have thought about that before bombing civilians 11:31  |  Lars Hansen 29/01/08   24.   Lars Hansen from CPH : Danish soldiers are child killers accordin 12:56  |  Absolute Sweden 29/01/08   25.   #23; Lars Hansen, tell us what you really think 13:01  |  Doc Holliday 29/01/08   26.   #4 Doc 14:45  |  reflections of self 29/01/08   27.   my post on so-called Second Lebanon War 15:16  |  bozhidar balkas 29/01/08   28.   doc 15:27  |  sean 29/01/08   29.   Everybody knows - its OLMERT not the IDF..... 16:39  |  Dolly 29/01/08   30.   Doc... the delusionist 16:47  |  we have eyes 29/01/08   31.   #22 18:49  |  Oleg 29/01/08   32.   SURGE for Gaza and Lebanon 20:17  |  DE FR 29/01/08   33.   Rather like the SS claiming the holocaust tarnished its image 23:59  |  David 29/01/08

Today Online Obama: Opponents trying to weaken my support among Jews Responses: 292 In final State of the Union, Bush calls for democratic Palestine Responses: 126 Abbas: Gaza border row shows Hamas disregard for Palestinian needs Responses: 107 Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct Responses: 48 Amir Oren: Hamas has made a mockery of Olmert, Barak Responses: 46 Rosner's Domain Obama, the first Jewish president (What To Read) Lieberman: Why McCain's the man for Israel-lovers New Guest: Diaspora Jews need to be heard on Jerusalem. Two days before the Florida primary, Rudy seeks solace in football McCain using support for Israel to court Jews - and Christians More Headlines 02:35 Winograd panel shocked by IDF performance in war 20:27 PM: South is at war and many Israelis don't feel it 22:54 European Jewish leader: World Jews should have say in Israeli politics 23:54 Peres urges world youth to fight anti-Semitism using Facebook 01:02 Hezbollah official threatens to kidnap additional IDF soldiers 01:08 UN envoy: Women in Gaza feel coerced to cover their heads 01:45 Olmert mulls putting up fence on border with Egypt 23:44 Libya rescinds bid for UN condemnation of Israeli blockade on Gaza 22:07 Air and sea ports suffer as stormy weather sweeps across Israel 20:18 Shas MK: Gays are causing Israeli society to self-destruct 21:22 Local Jewish group protests 'Holocaust float' at Rio Carnival 20:35 Despite few public events, Germany remembers Hitler's rise to power 20:50 T.A. mayor to PM: Help treat African refugees before crisis erupts Previous Editions Select Day 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 18 jan 17 jan 16 jan

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