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Ehud Olmert and Labor Party leader Amir Peretz (AP File Photo)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners April 27, 2006 |
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Can Israel afford to hand its nuclear briefcase to a man who spent much of his brief and unremarkable military service fixing tanks?
The country is embroiled in a heated debate over whether Labor Party leader Amir Peretz - picked as Israel's next defense minister - has the credentials for one of the nation's most high-stress jobs, including dealing with an Iranian nuclear threat, possible anarchy in the Palestinian areas and the dismantling of Jewish settlements.
Leading the critics Wednesday was Matan Vilnai, an ex-general in Peretz' own party, who said: "At the moment he (Peretz) doesn't have the skills for this job. He will learn within a year or two."
However, others said a civilian is what Israel needs right now. "Israel's entire policy to this day has been based on military thinking, the use of force," said Reuven Pedatzur, a defense analyst for the Haaretz daily. "I hope he (Peretz) will see the picture not just from the military point of view."
Peretz, a former union boss, had built his political career on social issues, campaigning for raising the minimum wage and introducing universal pensions. The post he really wanted was that of finance minister, but Israel's incoming prime minister, Ehud Olmert, balked and offered him the next most prestigious portfolio - defense.
On Wednesday, Olmert acknowledged Peretz would be appointed defense minister. "I have faith in his judgment and in his sense of responsibility," Olmert said.
Coalition talks between Olmert's Kadima Party and Labor are close to completion, and barring a last-minute upheaval, Peretz will be sworn in as Israel's 16th Defense Minister as early as next week.
Despite his lack of military pedigree, Peretz has a reputation as a take-charge manager and can be expected to stand tough against any opposition. And his dovish political views could serve as something of an antidote to Israel's rapidly deteriorating relationship with the Palestinians.
Peretz won't be the first civilian to serve in the post, but previous civilian defense ministers such as Shimon Peres and Moshe Arens had strong ties to the military establishment. Most of Israel's defense ministers have been legendary war heroes and generals, such as Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Ezer Weizman, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Barak and outgoing Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.
Peretz's military career pales in comparison.
He played a supporting role as an ordnance officer in a paratroopers' brigade during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. In 1974, he was critically injured when a military vehicle rolled over on him, crushing his leg. Peretz was hospitalized for nearly two years and underwent dozens of operations to save his leg. He still walks with a limp and is recognized as a disabled army veteran.
He now faces a crash course as the country's military secrets will be revealed to him for the first time.
Analysts say there is little time for on-the-job training, and Peretz will definitely have a steep learning curve. A newspaper caricature this week mockingly showed Mofaz handing the nuclear briefcase to a sweating, anxious Peretz and saying: "Try to use this as little as possible."
Ex-general Danny Rothschild said the defense minister doesn't have to be a military man. "The job of the defense minister is to oversee the army, to give the army direction and make sure it is doing what it is instructed to do," said Rothschild, president of the Council for Peace and Security, a group of top retired army officers.
Still, promoting a military novice has its risks. Some have speculated that the generals may try to imprint their positions more firmly on an inexperienced boss. "Peretz as defense minister comes from the lowest point in our history as far as understanding the defense establishment," Vilnai told the Maariv daily.
Uzi Dayan, who served as deputy chief of staff and national security adviser, dismissed claims that Peretz's dovish views could weaken the military's stance against the Palestinians. Dayan said the policy toward the Palestinians was unlikely to change, since there was already a consensus that, with the militant Islamic Hamas in power, Israel did not have a partner for dialogue and was moving toward unilateral steps.
Pedatzur said Israel is still behind much of the world in questioning the appointment of a civilian to the job of defense minister.
"In all the democratic countries in the world, there are no generals as defense ministers," said Pedatzur. "In France, they have a woman as defense minister. We are still far away from having a woman in the job. At least we should have a civilian."
Olmert signs first coalition agreement with Pensioners' Party
Olmert reached his first coalition agreement on Wednesday, bringing him a step closer to the parliamentary majority he would need for his plan to draw Israel's final borders by 2010.
Olmert's centrist Kadima Party signed a deal with the Pensioners' Party, which won seven seats in the 120-member parliament, the surprise of the March election. Olmert is setting up the coalition as Israel's new government.
Kadima won the vote but does not have enough power to rule alone. Olmert is hoping to form a coalition with both dovish and hawkish parties, a partnership that would grant him a strong parliamentary majority that would keep him afloat until he raises the contentious issue of evacuating settlements in Judea and Samaria.
The Pensioners' Party, which represents the interests of the elderly, was granted two ministerial posts, including a new portfolio, minister of pensioner issues, said Rafi Eitan, the head of the party.
"I will run an independent department that will, over time, become a ministry that will deal with pensioner issues," Eitan told Israel Channel 2 TV.
AP contributed to this report.
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