The commission led by retired judge Eliyahu Winograd blamed Peretz as
well as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz
for the failure to defeat Hizbullah in the 34-day war in mid-2006. The
five-member panel said the three demonstrated inexperience, poor judgement
and irresponsibility.
"Had any of them acted better, the decisions in the relevant period and
the ways they were made, as well as the outcome of the war, would have been
significantly better," the 232-page report released on Monday said.
The interim report highlighted Peretz's inexperience as defense minister
and said he appeared uninterested in the military's plans. Peretz, appointed
defense minister by Olmert in March 2006, did not ask for or examine
military operational plans or determine that Israel was ready for war, the
commission said.
"His lack of experience and knowledge prevented him from challenging in
a competent way both the Israel Defense Forces, over which he was in charge,
and the prime minister," the report said. "In all these ways, the defense
minister failed in fulfilling his functions. Therefore, his serving as
defense minister during the war impaired Israel's ability to respond well to
its challenges."
Halutz was also severely criticized for his conduct during the war. The
commission said Halutz responded "impulsively" to the Hizbullah abduction of
three Israeli soldiers along the border with Lebanon on July 12. A day
later, Halutz ordered air strikes against suspected Hizbullah targets in
Lebanon.
The panel determined that Halutz, the first air force commander to head
Israel's military, failed to properly brief the government on the Hizbullah
threat and Israel's inadequate combat readiness. The chief of staff,
appointed by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2005 to withdraw from the
Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, did not present military assessments and
plans to help Olmert and his ministers formulate a response to the Hizbullah
abduction.
"Among other things, the CoS did not alert the political echelon to the
serious shortcomings in the preparedness and the fitness of the armed forces
for an extensive ground operation, if that became necessary," the report
said. "In addition, he did not clarify that the military assessments and
analyses of the arena were that a military strike against Hizbullah will
with a high probability make such a move necessary."
The report said Halutz exploited the lack of military experience and
knowledge by both Olmert and Peretz. The commission said the chief of staff
persuaded the two ministers that the military was prepared for war.
Hours after the report was issued, Olmert and Peretz said they would not
resign. Halutz quit in February 2007 and has since been studying at Harvard
University in the United States.
"The chief of staff failed in his duties as commander in chief of the
army and as a critical part of the political-military leadership, and
exhibited flaws in professionalism, responsibility and
judgment," the report said.