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Preparations being made for the release of the Winograd report at Jerusalem's International Conference Center. (Jini) Last update - 15:09 30/01/2008 Winograd panel 'shocked' by IDF performance in war By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff Tags: Israel, Lebanon, Winograd  "Complete shock." That is how friends of retired generals Menachem Einan and Chaim Nadel, two members of the Winograd war probe commission, described the generals' reaction to the Israel Defense Forces' performance during the Second Lebanon War. The 500-page Winograd report, which reviews the conduct of the army and government in the years leading up to the July 12 - August 14 2006 war with Hezbollah guerrillas, and their performance during the conflict itself, was scheduled to be released to the public at 6 P.M. Wednesday evening. Einan, who was charged with drafting the section of the final report that deals with army's handling of the war, was appalled to discover how badly the ground forces had deteriorated. His conclusions were expected to deal harshly with every level of the army, from the chief of staff to units in the field. Advertisement But while the report's harsh conclusions about the army have been widely anticipated, its conclusions about the government, and especially Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, remain a mystery that will be solved only with the document's official publication. A few leaks indicate that Olmert will get off more lightly than he did in the committee's partial report last April. But given the vigorous campaign it has been waging, the Prime Minister's Office is evidently taking no chances - especially since leaks from the partial report seemed to indicate that Olmert would get off lightly in that as well. The report's hundreds of pages will probably supply both supporters and detractors of the premier with quotes to support their views. But it is also possible that committee chair Eliyahu Winograd will borrow a leaf from Vardi Zeiler, head of another recent inquiry committee, and use Wednesday night's press conference to make harsher statements than can be found in the report. The report's conclusions about the IDF are not expected to spark much controversy - both because most of those who were senior officers during the war have already resigned, and because the committee is unlikely to leave much room for doubt. Indeed, Nadel was so upset over the army's functioning that in private conversations recently, he reportedly wondered whether it is possible to believe the army's claim that it has learned the war's lessons and corrected the problems. Current senior IDF officers are very worried that the report will further undermine the army's public image. Though the committee promised the High Court of Justice that its report would not include any personal criticism, two major generals are nevertheless awaiting the document tensely: GOC Northern Command Gadi Eizenkot, who was head of the Operations Directorate during the war, and Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin. The military section of the report is likely to address several main issues. The first will be the army's single greatest failure during the war - its failure to halt the short-range rocket fire on northern Israel. In contrast, the IDF was relatively successful in taking out Hezbollah's medium- and long-range rockets. Hesitancy and fear The failure is attributable to hesitancy at every level of command, from the government down to brigade commanders, and to fear of heavy losses among the troops. In their questions to witnesses, committee members attacked both the delay in launching a major ground operation and the belated call-up of the reserves. The army will be particularly interested in finding out who the panel holds mainly responsible for these failures - the General Staff or Northern Command. The committee is expected to be particularly critical of the years-long neglect of training, of both regular troops and reservists, and the shortfalls in stocks and equipment. On this issue, fingers will also be pointed at Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was chief of staff and then defense minister during the eight years preceding the war, and Moshe Ya'alon, who followed Mofaz as chief of staff. A related topic is the Home Front Command's failures in helping beleaguered northern residents cope with the rocket attacks. But since the state comptroller has already written a lengthy report on this issue, the Winograd Committee is expected to treat it cursorily. The committee also promised to devote part of the report to the missile attack on the navy ship Hanit. The report is unlikely to go into the details of the various land battles, but it is expected to be harshly critical of the army's normative failures: the many cases in which units did not stick to their assigned missions or avoided contact with the enemy. Assignment list The report is also expected to criticize the government's weak supervision of the army and its flawed decision-making process - particularly the cabinet meeting on August 9, at which the major ground operation was approved. It may also discuss the possibility that Israel missed opportunities to end the war earlier. In its partial report, the committee gave the government a list of assignments to improve its decision-making process. But few of its recommendations have been implemented. Though Olmert, with much fanfare, appointed a high-level task force to deal with making the requisite changes, most of the task force's recommendations have been buried. That may well be the fate of the final report's recommendations, too. A key issue that the report will certainly address was the government's decision to launch the final ground operation, even though the UN Security Council had already adopted Resolution 1701, which stipulated that the cease-fire would start 60 hours later. In recent weeks, Haaretz has published various documents and testimonies that cast serious doubts on Olmert's explanations for this move. But leaks from the committee seem to indicate that it takes a more favorable view of Olmert's role in this matter. In contrast, it is expected to be harshly critical of the IDF, both for having promised to achieve unrealistic goals and then for ceasing to pursue them long before the cease-fire took effect. The committee's reportedly lenient view of Olmert could be due to its witness list. It did not summon a key witness, Ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman, nor did it hear from several senior Foreign Ministry officials involved in the negotiations over Resolution 1701. And since it did not interview any foreigners, it also did not hear from the American and French ambassadors to the UN, John Bolton and Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, who were the resolutions' chief negotiators. Both have publicly refuted Olmert's version of events, but that fact is unlikely to appear in the Winograd Report. Related articles: Winograd partial report on the Second Lebanon War PM works to pre-empt Labor revolt ahead of Winograd report IDF worried Lebanon war probe report will damage its image Reservists urging PM ouster drop focus on last 60 hours of Lebanon war Reserves drafted for 'Operation Winograd' Bookmark to del.icio.us   Painful lessons The IDF has already learnt lessons of the Second Lebanon War. Brothers in guilt 'We are all guilty; is an effective summary of the final Winograd report.   1.   The cost of political Generals and Occupation 02:56  |  Mark Lincoln 30/01/08   2.   Why no sane response to the qassams? 03:02  |  Mark Lincoln 30/01/08   3.   Management sets the tone where I come from 03:09  |  Avi 30/01/08   4.   Warcriminals didn`t kill enough Lebanese? 04:30  |  trd 30/01/08   5.   Israel & The IDF Will Only Learn & Grow From This Introspection 04:33  |  Lavi 30/01/08   6.   Avi - and from that 04:51  |  Mark Lincoln 30/01/08   7.   Waiting for the other shoe to drop 04:59  |  Mark Lincoln 30/01/08   8.   No real surprise here.... 05:08  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   9.   To #1: cut the BS 05:19  |  Frank 30/01/08   10.   Wow. Such Failure by The IDF... Is this why Israel LOST the war? 05:20  |  POP 30/01/08   11.   The Real Test 05:20  |  Doc Holliday 30/01/08   12.   #4 turd 05:43  |  * BEN JABO 30/01/08   13.   # 6 Lincoln - I will tell you what the problem was 05:47  |  * BEN JABO 30/01/08   14.   #10 POP - you are really boring!! 05:50  |  * BEN JABO 30/01/08   15.   The shakeup still needs to include Olmert 06:29  |  Shepherd 30/01/08   16.   The shakeup still needs to include Olmert 06:29  |  Shepherd 30/01/08   17.   Israel attacked civilians while LOSING the "war" 06:40  |  POP 30/01/08   18.   Doc Holliday real test #11 06:50  |  Warren 30/01/08   19.   This what happens when you want peace 06:58  |  Dan 30/01/08   20.   chgodmk please 07:04  |  Danite 30/01/08   21.   Mofaz 07:28  |  Esther 30/01/08   22.   Free pass for leftist losers 07:37  |  Joe 30/01/08   23.   There are more shokes to come 07:43  |  Khalil Ishabib 30/01/08   24.   13# Ben Jabo. Your post is utter simplification. 07:50  |  Akram Zekaria 30/01/08   25.   Dan From Haifa ( #19) - Spot On 07:58  |  Tod Zuckerman 30/01/08   26.   This was the result 08:02  |  Khalil Ishabib 30/01/08   27.   Johnboy-#8-Your message is no real surprise either 08:05  |  Daniel Leopold 30/01/08   28.   Ben Jabo... 08:06  |  Silvienne 30/01/08   29.   #4, trd... 08:08  |  Silvienne 30/01/08   30.   2# Mark Lincoln. All the Whys you asked 08:12  |  Akram Zekaria 30/01/08   31.   Khalil: Your "Enshallahs" vs Israel`s "Be`esrat HaShems" 08:42  |  Lavi 30/01/08   32.   Lebonan - Diplomatic Victory 08:48  |  Reid 30/01/08   33.   # 22 tell us, joe 08:55  |  eric 30/01/08   34.   Hezbollah - Diplomatic Victory 2 08:57  |  Reid 30/01/08   35.   #27 Daniel Leopold; poster child for what is wrong with zionism 09:08  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   36.   Are we going to be STUCK with Olmert again.... 09:23  |  arrabella 30/01/08   37.   THE HIPOCRISY OF THE REPORT 09:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/01/08   38.   "those who are not devoted to the `idea` can`t be trusted" 09:37  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/01/08   39.   The IDF "don`t like it up `em" 09:42  |  Clickfool 30/01/08   40.   The Wizard of "o" 09:46  |  Mark 30/01/08   41.   It was not a war 09:55  |  Marilyn 30/01/08   42.   #32, 34, Reid, absolutely right 10:03  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/01/08   43.   Olmert yes or no 10:13  |  sh 30/01/08   44.   The IDF has to remain strong..cause.....last night, . 10:27  |  Stephen. 30/01/08   45.   Has Olmert got away with it AGAIN......? 10:29  |  Dagma 30/01/08   46.   #39 boris the clucking fool and the stouthearted british navy 10:33  |  v hardman 30/01/08   47.   Cipora. Did you felt sad when you wrote your post-35# 10:36  |  Akram Zekaria 30/01/08   48.   Re Cipora #37 10:41  |  Esther 30/01/08   49.   A NICE ONE 10:44  |  indrajaya 30/01/08   50.   To # 37 Cipora Julianna Kohn - Hypocrisy is Right! 11:03  |  Dagma 30/01/08   51.   Nobody wants to die in a bad war. 11:22  |  Michael 30/01/08   52.   JOHNBOY talks unsurprising rubbish,consistently. Read the report? 11:22  |  PETER SM 30/01/08   53.   Mark Lincoln #2 did YOU write this?? 11:23  |  S 30/01/08   54.   #47, Akram 11:29  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/01/08   55.   a reminder for the simple-minded left 11:31  |  Mark Katzman 30/01/08   56.   The Snowy Icing on Oldmert`s Cake 11:33  |  sptz 30/01/08   57.   #48, Esther 11:35  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 30/01/08   58.   #52 PETER SM throws down the gauntlet 11:49  |  Johnboy 30/01/08   59.   Ala inna hizballah houmou el ghaliboun 11:50  |  Ali 30/01/08   60.   Esther re Cipora 11:56  |  S 30/01/08   61.   To be explicit 12:30  |  sh 30/01/08   62.   For Cipora #57 12:46  |  Esther 30/01/08   63.   JOHNBOY Talks a page of evasions.Anything but facts 12:47  |  PETER SM 30/01/08   64.   CFOOL they do not drop their guns and surrender without a fight 12:53  |  PETER SM 30/01/08   65.   IHF?...IRF maybe...but defenately not IDF!!! 13:03  |  Wassim 30/01/08   66.   Shock?! IDF Trained 4 Evicting Israelis-Gaza 13:05  |  Raoul Isaac 30/01/08   67.   Keep spinning 13:05  |  Zev 30/01/08   68.