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Benjamin Netanyahu speaking Thursday at a Knesset debate on the Winograd report. (photo: Knesset channel)
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| By israelinsider staff May 3, 2007 |
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Opposition leader and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu led a debate at Knesset on Thursday about the Winograd report's conclusions that Israel's leadership had failed during the Second Lebanon War. The Winograd Committee's interim report faults top government and military officials; namely, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, and former army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz for their management of the war.
In his remarks, Netanyahu slammed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his conduct during the war and called on him to resign. Netanyahu said that Israel's leaders had failed the people during the war.
"It is obvious that this government has lost all that was left of the public's trust," Netanyahu said, adding that elections should be held soon.
The Knesset plenum was half empty during the debate, and many MKs did not attend since Knesset is currently on recess. Especially obvious was Defense Minister Amir Peretz's absence, which he was criticized for at today's meeting.
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar said, "The defense minister's absence from the discussion is further evidence of an attitude of unaccountability towards the public and the Knesset."
According to Benjamin Netanyahu, "Those who failed at war cannot be those who correct the failures."
He added that the war had shown that "the unilateral approach does not work."
Polls taken in the wake of the Winograd report revealed that Netanyahu has massive public support. A Ynetnews poll revealed that almost one third of the Israeli public (29 percent) would elect him to be prime minister if new elections were held.
The Prime Minister's office had announced before the debate that Olmert would not be speaking. The Prime Minister did attend the meeting and was blasted by the opposition Tuesday for the decision not to speak.
Meretz MK Zahava Gal-On charged Olmert with being a coward and Likud MK Limor Livnat called Olmert's decision, "an acute cheapening of the highest institution of Israeli democracy."
Likud MK Yuval Steinitz said that Olmert had misunderstood the Winograd report. He said, "The prime minister and the government say to us, we made mistakes, give us a chance to correct them ... [but] the Winograd report focuses on something that is much more severe than mistakes and failures: the report states that the government and its head did not function and did not understand their roles or the strategic situation Israel has entered.
"This is not an error of judgment, this is a crucial misunderstanding," Steinitz said. |
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