Goldstone's slippery slope / A defense attorney for every officer?

The key figure is Gabi Ashkenazi. The chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces is steadfast in his opposition to the establishment of an committee of inquiry that would probe the findings of the Goldstone report.

At a time when Attorney General Menachem Mazuz and Intelligence and Atomic Energy Minister Dan Meridor support the idea, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to even confuse himself by making a series of contradictory statements during the weekend, Ashkenazi is adamant.

If it was only up to him, no committee would be established that will hear the testimony of officers who were in command during Operation Cast Lead.

What if a committee is imposed on him? Ashkenazi, who embarked on a three day visit to Germany yesterday has not said, but those close to him will not be surprised if the possibility a committee might be set up would result in him threatening to step down.

The army has a position to fall back on: if the political pressure continues, the chief of staff may agree to the appointment of an examination committee. This would be a defensive move on the part of Israel in response to claims against it in the international arena.

According to this proposal, a committee of legal experts will go through the internal probes carried out by the IDF and will talk with the officers who prepared them.

But Ashkenazi's line in the sand is questioning commanders. Even if the IDF agrees to an examination committee, there are concerns that this will only be the beginning of a slippery slope.

An agreement to an examination will result in findings, which may lead to a commission of inquiry, and to the appointment of a defense attorney for every general officer - which is seen as a dangerous precedent ahead of future operations.

Ashkenazi also considers the appointment of a commission of inquiry as an expression of no-confidence in the army commanders, and painting the internal probes as false.

Israel is gradually absorbing the damage of the Goldstone report crisis. This is the first time that an official body of the United Nations has accused Israel of a policy of intentional killing of civilians, and of 36 counts of war crimes.

The report may lead a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court at The Hague to argue that there is alleged evidence and initiate an investigation against senior Israeli figures. This may lead to similar legal measures in other countries in Europe. There is no need for hundreds of warrants against IDF officers in order to go into a tailspin. One or two will do.