Olmert Dodges a Political Bullet
Jaunuary 31, 2008
The Winograd Commission finally released its long awaited report on the handling of the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006. It's clear to most political observers that Israeli Prime Minister dodged a political bullet because of two main reasons. First, the Commission agreed months ago not to put any personal blame on any political or military leader. They kept their promise. Second, the Commission exonerated Olmert for his decision to push ahead with a last minute ground offensive. During that offensive more than thirty Israeli soldiers lost their lives. Many accused Olmert of going ahead with the offensive for purely political reasons. Here in Israel - where the loss of any soldier is felt personally across the nation that kind of decision would come close to an unpardonable sin.
While Olmert's government may survive the report, he still has suffered considerable political damage from both sides of the political spectrum. For example, the left-leaning Ha'Aretz concluded in its editorial today: "The abstract of the final Winograd report points to a prime minister who lacks the ability to conduct a country at war."
Meanwhile, the right-leaning Jerusalem Post said, "After the interim report, this newspaper concluded that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert needed to take personal responsibility for these failures and resign. We see nothing in the final report - including its partial exoneration of some of the most egregious public charges - that would change this conclusion, and much that would reinforce it."
Most aggrieved after the war were the soldiers who fought in it. Michael Oren, the best-selling author of "Power, Faith and Fantasy" wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal this week called "Israel's Lebanon Disaster." He served on the front lines of the war. Even though written before the release of the report, it eloquently expresses the sentiment of many Israelis on both the left and right about Mr. Olmert's decision not to resign regardless of what the report concluded.
"Israel lacks a constitution but is bound by an unwritten social contract. Israelis defend their country with their lives and their leaders' pledge not to send them to war heedlessly. Prime Ministers Golda Meir and Menachem Begin resigned in the aftermath of disappointing wars, though both were exonerated of incompetence. By ignoring these precedents, Mr. Olmert, whose culpability began before the war, when he appointed a defense minister devoid of military experience, threatens to break the contract. Israelis will think twice before following his orders -- and perhaps those of future prime ministers -- into battle. The cohesiveness that enabled Israel to survive 60 years of conflict will unwind.
Thousands of Israelis are calling for Mr. Olmert's resignation. Rightists convinced that the prime minister cannot safeguard the country's security have joined with leftists who understand that leaders who fail at war will never succeed at peacemaking. All are united by a willingness to shoulder the burden of Israel's defense. This was the commitment that united us that last night in Lebanon, as we took up the stretchers bearing the remains of somebody's son, somebody's husband, and brought them home for burial."
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