-Caveat Lector-
Begin forwarded message:
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: January 16, 2007 9:07:44 PM PST
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Condi Rice Gives Israel Green Light to Strike Iran /
Shakeup in Israeli Military
Israel Today, January 15, 2007
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/default.aspx?tabid=178&nid=11121
Rice does not oppose operations against Iran
On a visit to the Middle East, US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice said she does not oppose Israeli military operations against
Iran.
“Well, I think that even talk of such just shows how very serious
it would be to have Iran continue its programs unabated,” Rice said.
In an interview with Israel’s Channel 10, Rice said the US will
continue to help its allies in the region who feel threatened by
Iran. “But I think that there is still plenty of room for diplomacy
here,” she said.
Rice insisted that Israel refrain from speaking with Syria.
“My understanding is that there have been very little signs of
Syria having anything positive to say. Syria is, after all, engaged
in trying to undermine the government of Lebanon,” said Rice.
“Syria is, of course, continuing to play a negative role in the
Palestinian conflict. But there's just no indication that the
Syrian government has anything but disruptive plans right now.”
In response to the question of Olmert’s political weakness and
ability to make definitive decisions she said, “in the interest of
Israeli politics, this is for Israel to decide.”
--------------------------
Israeli Head Of Military Quits
After War Critique
Leadership in Conflict With Hezbollah Faulted
"We must never reach a situation in which people hesitate to tie
their fate and future with the Israel Defense Forces ...
"There is a danger that the threats Israel faces will become more
substantial."
By Scott Wilson
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, January 17, 2007; Page A10
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/16/
AR2007011601663.html
JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 -- Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, head of the Israel
Defense Forces, resigned abruptly Tuesday after one of his
predecessors presented findings of an internal review that sharply
criticized the military's leadership during the war with Hezbollah
last summer.
Since the end of the 33-day war, Halutz has come under heavy
pressure from senior reserve officers to step down. The war failed
to achieve the stated goals of freeing two Israeli soldiers
captured by the Lebanese Shiite militia in July and stopping
Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israeli cities.
But Halutz insisted as recently as two weeks ago that he would
remain in his post unless called on to resign by the Winograd
Commission, an inquiry panel established by Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert to examine the performance of the military and political
leadership during the war.
The commission's interim report was due in coming weeks. Olmert,
who has also been severely criticized for his management of the
war, reportedly expressed regret over Halutz's decision to resign
after trying to persuade him to change his mind.
"It is the nature of people not to be overjoyed serving in a system
that is not appreciated and not protected by those it represents,"
Halutz wrote in his letter of resignation, according to a
translation published online by the newspaper Haaretz.
"We must promise never to reach a situation in which people of
quality would hesitate to tie their fate and future with" the
Israel Defense Forces, he wrote. "Neither good education nor a
strong economy would help us then, and there is a danger that the
threats the state of Israel faces will become more substantial."
Halutz was appointed the first air force officer to lead Israel's
military in July 2005 by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Among his first duties was to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli
settlements and military installations from the Gaza Strip, an
operation praised for its speed and precision. But it won him few
supporters among hawkish lawmakers and reserve officers, some of
whom opposed the withdrawal on strategic and ideological grounds.
Sharon's decision to appoint Halutz reflected the shifting
priorities within the military from infantry to air power. Most
Israelis serve in the military because of mandatory service
requirements, making the chief of staff position one of the most
highly esteemed and scrutinized in the country.
Born in 1948 in the Israeli town of Hagor to a Jewish family of
Iranian descent, Halutz joined the air force in 1966. He flew F-4
Phantoms during the war of attrition in the Sinai between the 1967
and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars and was credited with shooting down
three combat aircraft in the 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict, known in
Israel as the Yom Kippur War.
The sharp public criticism of his leadership during the most recent
Lebanon war, much of it from senior reserve officers, has focused
on Halutz's heavy reliance on air power against an entrenched
guerrilla force often fighting from residential areas.
Hezbollah fired about 4,000 short- and medium-range rockets into
Israel, including more than 100 on the last day of fighting. The
Israeli military said 117 soldiers died in combat during the
fighting. In addition, 41 Israeli civilians were killed, most of
them by rocket fire.
Halutz also came under public pressure when it was revealed that in
the first hours of the war he took the time to phone his
stockbroker with instructions to sell portions of his portfolio,
fearing a decline in value because of the conflict.
Earlier Tuesday, Dan Shomron, a retired lieutenant general who led
Israel's military from 1987 to 1991, told the Israeli parliament's
defense and foreign affairs committee that the summer war in
Lebanon was "run without any goal."
"The prime minister instructed the army to halt the rocket fire on
Israel, but the army failed to translate it into a military
objective," Shomron told the committee, although he did not call on
Halutz to step down.
Halutz is the third general to resign as a result of the war
against Hezbollah, whose performance against Israel's modern
military has strengthened its position within Lebanon's fractious
political system and drawn praise across the Arab world.
Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of the Northern Command, resigned in
September. Halutz accepted the resignation two months later of
Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch, an esteemed younger officer who led the
Galilee Division, the unit responsible for the Israel-Lebanon
border. Hirsch called on Halutz to resign at the same time.
In his resignation letter, Halutz expressed "great pride" in his
career and said he had "fulfilled my obligations."
Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, the deputy chief of staff, will at least
temporarily replace Halutz.
Ashkenazi leads race to succeed Halutz
Yaakov Katz, THE JERUSALEM POST Jan. 17, 2007
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz's surprise decision to
resign Tuesday night opened a tight race over which general would
succeed him and become Israel's 19th chief of staff.
The frontrunner among potential successors is Maj.- Gen. (res.)
Gabi Ashkenazi, currently director general of the Defense Ministry
and the former deputy chief of staff. Ashkenazi lost out to Halutz
in the race for the top job in the summer of 2005.
Another leading candidate is Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky, the current
deputy chief of staff. Perceived as a capable infantry officer,
Kaplinsky rose through the ranks of the Golani Brigade, which he
eventually commanded.
As Halutz's deputy, Kaplinsky is an obvious choice although his
active participation in the war - he was appointed Halutz's
"representative" in the Northern Command - has tainted him and may
have ruined his chances at getting the appointment.
If Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz are
looking to clean the stables in the IDF with a new chief of staff,
they might prefer to bring back into service a former general,
someone like Ashkenazi, who did not play an active role during the
war against Hizbullah.
As a former Golani Brigade commander and head of the Northern
Command, Ashkenazi has a great deal of experience and time in
Lebanon under his belt, certainly an advantage for the next chief
of staff who will need to continue dealing with the fragile
situation along Israel's northern border.
"Ashkenazi was not a general during the war and has a lot of
experience in the North," said one defense official. "He could be
the ideal candidate if Halutz steps down."
Another potential candidate for the top job is OC Ground Forces
Command Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz, who has been named as next in line
to become deputy chief of staff alongside Kaplinsky. Gantz is a
well-respected officer and has served as commander of the Northern
Command and of the Judea and Samaria Division.
Both Kaplinsky and Ashkenazi, if chosen, would be the first officer
from the Golani Brigade to become chief of staff.
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