PMO files complaint against top defense official

The Prime Minister's Office lodged a formal complaint yesterday with Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander, demanding disciplinary action against Amos Gilad, head of the Defense Ministry's political-security branch, for comments he made in an interview last week about Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

PMO Director General Ra'anan Dinur, who filed the complaint, wrote that the remarks published in Maariv constitute inappropriate criticism by a senior government official against an incumbent prime minister and his office.

Gilad criticized Olmert's handling of the ongoing negotiations with Egypt, in particular conditioning a cease-fire with Hamas on the release of captive Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit.

Dinur wrote that after the interview's publication, Gilad admitted to Olmert that he had in fact been the official quoted. Gilad's remarks, Dinur wrote, "seem to represent a disciplinary violation, as they direct inappropriate criticism against the prime minister, including leaks from private discussions and the disclosure of Israeli positions in the sensitive negotiations with Egypt."

Dinur called the remarks "embarrassing and significantly harmful," saying that they "reflect behavior unsuited to Gilad's position as a prime ministerial envoy."

The letter of complaint, which was also sent to Defense Minister Ehud Barak, stated, "Gilad's statements as expressed in the letter are particularly serious, and seem to harm Israel's foreign relations and the prime minister's status.

"In light of this, I ask you to immediately order a disciplinary investigation against Amos Gilad, and, inasmuch as disciplinary violations are found, to take binding measures," it said.