The Inquiries / Exposing the past for the future
Ze'ev Schiff, Ha'aretz, Wednesday, August 30,2006

Once the decision has been taken to investigate the war, everything must be
done to ensure that the inquiries that have been established do a thorough and courageous job.

The goal of these inquiries is not to chop off heads or to settle accounts between politicians, but to expose the truth and the shortcomings and, whenever necessary, to expose those responsible. Israel will no doubt have to share some the conclusions with friendly democracies, since the war was part of a developing global conflict and not merely a localized incident.

It was clear all along that not everyone would be satisfied with whatever type of inquiry it was decided to establish.

Now that the decision has been taken, it is vital for the inquiries to work quickly and that the collation of testimony does not interfere with the IDF's operational investigations. These, too, are needed to ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.

Dividing the probe into two inquiries, political and military, is not possible on every issue. One can separate the military-tactical issue from the political and strategic issue, but there is no way of avoiding overlap and duplication when it comes to discussing the major political-military issues or strategic intelligence. That is why an issue of such major significance as the relationship between the political and military leadership cannot be overlooked.

The issue of the readiness of the home front, which has been entrusted to State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, also has elements that are linked to decisions taken by the prime minister and defense minister.

As part of the work, the inquiries must address issues that include:
-The military advances made by Hezbollah in recent years, and Israel's response to this.
-The dialog between the militAry and political leadership with regards to threats to Israel since the establishment of the Olmert government and the appointment of Amir Peretz as defense minister.
-Whether Israel decided on July 12, after two soldiers were kidnapped and their comrades were killed, to launch a comprehensive military response against Hezbollah and Lebanon, up to and including all-out war.
-The level of IDF readiness for war with Hezbollah; the Northern Command's operational plans.
-Whether IDF's top officers knew about the state of the emergency supplies, which had been half depleted as a result of operation in the West Bank.