Winograd to court: War report won't include personal findings
Panel accuses military defense of 'crossing all boundaries' by petitioning court over terms of final report.
By Haaretz Service Tags: Second Lebanon War Winograd report Israel defenseThe Winograd Committee investigating the Second Lebanon War on Sunday lambasted the military defense team for appealing the terms of the panel's final report and insisted that it would not succumb to pressure to publish individual findings.
"The defense team has crossed all boundaries of good taste," the panel said in its response to the High Court of Justice regarding the defense team's appeal.
The military defense had petitioned the court over the investigative committee's decision to publish the report without sending letters of warning to the individual parties mentioned in the findings.
In its petition, the defense team asked the court to force the investigative committee to meet its obligation to give the individuals mentioned in the report a chance to respond to the findings against them.
The committee contends that if the final report only has general and systematic recommendations, and not personal ones, there is no reason to send out warning letters that would delay the release of the report.
The panel accused the defense team on Sunday of "missing the purpose for which the committee was formed" by demanding that the findings of the report be specific, rather than general.
The Winograd Committee announced earlier this month that it planned to publish its final report by the end of the year. Justice Eliyahu Winograd, who heads the government-appointed committee, said the decision to publish so soon would impact the content and recommendations included in the report.
In his letter of declaration, Winograd said the committee found utmost importance in the need to publish the report as quickly as possible.
"An important aspect of the committee's work - which was emphasized in its letter of appointment - is the need to finish quickly so that the report can serve as groundwork for mending the failures that were revealed in the war," wrote Winograd. "The committee has decided to make this need its top priority and aspires to publish the final report by the end of 2007."
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The war terminated after 33 days in August 2006. War was never declared. War was not even given a name. No state of emergency was called. We in the north were home to an incoming 4000 short range Katyousha Rockets. Life in the north was paralysed. The committee general findings with no individual responsibilities sends a very strong message -business as normal -carry on as before -no one is to blame . NO ONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ------- RAILWAYS -ROADS -CRIME -EDUCATION -CORRUPTION- NEPOTISM -PEKIIN -PRISON SOCIAL AFFAIRS.SDEROT. Why the committee? I am sure the IDF will revamp its own mess. Jordan.
The Winograds were appointed to sum up the 2nd Leb War and deliver a report. They were not required to come up with a judicial verdict. It is the responsibility of the government to learn the contents of the report, in order to better define what went wrong during the 2nd Leb War. All these extra demands for personal letters and so forth are delay tactics.
Justice Eliyahu Winograd is nothing more then a sham pulled over the Israeli citizens. If this report had any teeth in it then by now New Elections would have been held, and votes of no confidence taken against Olmert,Livni,Kadima and Labor. Considering that Olmert is still in power says one thing this report stinks. The Israeli people should be very very mad at Olmert and Kadima. The report is worth nothing.