TEL AVIV — Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz was expected
to be the first high level casualty of the Hizbullah war with Lebanon.
Officials said the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was
preparing for the resignation of Halutz. They said Halutz's conduct during
the war as well as the military's failure in the ground war would seal the
fate of the general.
"Halutz will be thrown to the dogs," a government source familiar with
Halutz's role said.
[The military has reported the killing of Hizbullah Special Operations
Forces commander Sajed Dweir. A military statement said Dweir was killed in
southern Lebanon hours before the United Nations-arranged ceasefire went
into effect on Aug. 14.]
On Tuesday, parliamentarians called for Halutz's resignation after his
admission that he dissolved his $28,000 investment portfolio on the day war
erupted with Hizbullah. Halutz acknowledged a newspaper report that he left
his office to sell stocks three hours after the Hizbullah abduction of two
Israeli soldiers on July 12.
"I am a private person, too," Halutz, who denied seeking to capitalize
on the impending war, said. "This is my family business."
Knesset members said Halutz, who on Wednesday testified at the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, called for an investigation into his
behavior. They said his action reflected poor judgement and a breach of
trust.
"We expect that at critical hours the chief of staff would be spending
all his time and all his efforts only in running the war, and not in
managing his personal affairs of profits on the stock exchange," Knesset
member Zevulun Orlev, head of the National Religious Party, said.
Several members of the General Staff have quietly expressed support for
Halutz's dismissal. Others, such as Ground Forces Command chief Maj. Gen.
Benny Ganz and Manpower Division commander Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern, have
urged restraint.
"We will address all of the painful issues at the right time," Ganz
said.
At the same time, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Wednesday that
Ganz was regarded as a replacement for Halutz. The newspaper also cited
Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski and Defense Ministry
director-general Gabi Ashkenazi, a former deputy chief of staff.
So far, neither Olmert nor Defense Minister Amir Peretz has issued a
statement regarding Halutz. Olmert and Peretz have come under severe
criticism for their conduct of the war and the subsequent ceasefire
agreement.
Analysts said the Olmert government has sought to deflect pressure over
the failed war against Hizbullah. Members of the General Staff have
suggested that Olmert prevented the military from launching a massive ground
operation.
"The plan was ready days ago and before the recent [diplomatic] events,"
Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Udi Adam said. "The moment we got
permission we launched the operation."
Sources close to Halutz said the chief of staff was not expected to last
long in his post. They said the 58-year-old general faces another struggle
with cancer after beating the disease nearly a decade ago.
Halutz underwent three sets of medical tests during the war. The sources
said Halutz's cancer was believed to have returned.
"This is a man who is disgusted and exhausted," a source said of the
chief of staff.
