Lawmakers, reservists slam Barak for staying in government

Defense Minister Ehud Barak came under fire yesterday from the opposition as well as members of his own party, after announcing that he intends to remain in the government despite his campaign promise to resign in the wake of the Winograd Committee's final report on the Second Lebanon War.

"I am aware of the challenges Israel faces - Gaza, Hezbollah, Syria, Iran, and rehabilitating the army," Barak said. "The Winograd report was harsh, and it has implications and complicated conclusions regarding both individuals and ethical issues. I intend to address these conclusions when the time is right, and set a date for elections."

Barak said he had not forgotten his pledge during the primaries last year, but added that the "situation today is different ... I know I may pay a political price, but I am ready to do so. The faction is united on this issue."

Labor secretary general Eitan Cabel was disappointed with Barak's comments, and told Army Radio: "The Winograd findings are harsh ... This was an opportunity for the Labor Party and its leader to rectify the situation in the eyes of the public, which expects leadership, morality and ethics. I fear we may pay a very heavy price for this decision."

Labor's Young Guard was also critical of Barak: "We can't fool all the people all the time," said the faction's chair, Eran Hermoni. "The party is committing suicide. This is not the new political message that the young generation was expecting."

Meretz faction whip Zahava Gal-On also slammed Barak, saying he and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert "should be condemned on the stand of public disgrace. A reckless and irresponsible prime minister has a defense minister who, instead of demonstrating leadership and demanding the removal of Olmert, delivers a slap in the face to the soldiers, bereaved families and citizens who have lost their faith in democracy."

In a statement, the Likud said: "Barak is hiding from his commitment behind the excuse that what is best for the country is more important than what is best for him, and has lent a hand to a leadership that the Winograd Report, and the public, has judged to be a failure."

Kadima officials, however, welcomed Barak's move: "[This is] an expression of both national responsibility and a deep understanding of Israel's needs, which are a central part of implementing the Winograd Committee's [findings] with an emphasis on the training and preparedness of the army," said Immigrant Absorption Minister Ze'ev Boim.

According to a group of reservists who hoped that Olmert would resign after the Winograd Report, Barak's decision to stay in the government shows that "politics has conquered the country. We are witnesses here to an alliance of the failed, an alliance of the cynical and those who crave personal survival."

"Not only am I disappointed, I feel betrayed," said reservist Yakir Segev, in whose home Barak met with some of the reservists last week. "Now I feel that the politicians betrayed us twice: once during the war and once afterward."

The reservists and other groups including bereaved parents and the Tafnit movement decided to go through with their planned rally outside the Knesset today, while the plenum discusses the Winograd Report. Speakers will come from both sides of the political spectrum, and participants will include residents of the North, college students, Likud and Meretz activists, and young Laborites who want Barak to resign.