The Daily Background

In the face of mounting public pressure, the Israeli government has set up a panel to investigate the recent 34-day-war with Hezbollah. Polls have shown that a majority of the Israeli public think the war never should have happened, that their PM ought to resign, and that an investigation was needed. NYT reports:

The committee “will examine the political leadership and the security echelon regarding all aspects of the campaign in Lebanon,” Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told his cabinet at the beginning of its weekly session.

[…]
Many Israelis, including a large number of disgruntled reserve soldiers, have been demanding an inquiry since the fighting ended on Aug. 14. Mr. Olmert has faced some of the harshest criticism, and his popularity has plummeted.

Critics have also called for the resignations of Defense Minister Amir Peretz and the military’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz. Last week, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, who commanded the Israeli forces in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, submitted his resignation, the first senior figure to quit because of the war.

Hopefully this commission, which Cabinet-level rather than more independent, will answer some of the questions that many people have about the conflict, a month later. Of course, the best possible situation for an investigation would be a joint one with the United Nations (the UN has offered to provide resources and investigators, but unfortunately the Israeli government angrily refused).

Filed under: Middle East Crisis, Z-TDB Blog