Israel Matzav

The smell of blood

With politicians both left and right calling for Ehud K. Olmert and Amir Comrade Peretz to follow IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz's example and resign, a new threat to the government arose today as the Supreme Court issued a show cause order to open the Winograd Commission hearings to the public "unless there was a genuine risk that the move would severely harm state security." Supreme Court Justice Edmond Levy - who issued the order - Levy added that he was inclined to fully and immediately approve the petition, "but out of concern that it will cause a severe disruption to the work of the committee, I am avoiding doing so."

The petition was submitted on January 9 by Meretz-Yahad MK Zahava Gal-On who wrote that the public was entitled to receive comprehensive and detailed information about the mistakes and failures that occurred during the fighting.

The government has five days to respond.

It should be obvious to all of you by now that the risk here is not to Israel's national security but to the existence of Ehud K. Olmert's government. If the public finds out what really happened this past summer, the odds are quite high that it would take to the streets and demand that the government resign and new elections be held. Current polls indicate that the Likud would receive twenty-nine seats, while Ehud K. Olmert's Kadima Achora party would receive no more than twelve seats in the Knesset if new elections were held. While Olmert may be done anyway because of the corruption charges against him, his party is determined to avoid new elections.

The extent to which Olmert and Kadima Achora are being treated with contempt by other politicians has to be heard or seen to be believed. These quotes are from the Jerusalem Post:

According to several legislators, Halutz's successor should be chosen by the Knesset, not by the defense minister in coordination with the prime minister.

Indeed, MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) said the defense minister and the prime minister should be excluded from the post-Halutz rebuilding process, and that Halutz's replacement should be chosen by a panel of experts appointed by the Knesset. "Olmert's and Peretz's understanding of national security is close to nil, and their input on the selection of the next chief of General Staff, at this point, would likely be based on political calculations," he said.

MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) suggested that rather than rushing to appoint a new chief of General Staff, a temporary emergency government should be formed and elections called, in order to replace the current government's "entire failed system."

To see the rest of the nastiness, read the whole thing.

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posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:15 AM