Members of Israel’s Qadima party are considering ousting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from the party after the final report of the Winograd Commission is publicized in the summer.
The commission, which was appointed to report on the functioning of Israel’s political and military leadership during the war with Hizbullah last summer, is publicizing the first part of the report on Monday afternoon.
The report, according to media leaks, is very critical of Olmert, Defense Minister ‘Amir Peretz and former chief of General Staff Dan Halutz in the way they handled the first few days of the war.
For the time being, there are no intentions among Qadima members to take immediate steps against the prime minister. Qadima members are displaying public support for the premier, stressing that his decision to go to war was backed by the government and the Knesset.
But a senior unnamed member of the party told the Israeli daily Haaretz that the party would sooner or later ask Olmert to step down in order to avoid him dragging down the whole party with him.
The party does not want Olmert to be ousted at this point because early elections would be a huge financial drain on the country and Qadima is doing poorly in public opinion polls.
The source said he would likely be asked to step down after the final publication of the report, which is due this summer. The source said there was a potential majority among the party’s members in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, who would support this move.
According to media reports of the draft, the Winograd Commission criticizes Olmert’s decision to go to war with Hizbullah last July, and concludes he exercised hasty and faulty judgment. The report says he acted as a rubber stamp for war plans submitted by the Israeli army and refrained from seeking other options.
The draft says Halutz did not take Katyusha missile attacks on Israeli communities seriously and forced the cabinet to accept his decisions. It adds he did not present alternatives and silenced senior officers who suggested different options.
Since the end of the fighting, three top officers in the Israel Defense Forces have resigned, including Halutz himself, who resigned in January.
The criticism against Peretz will focus on his acceptance of the defense portfolio despite his lack of understanding and background in security matters and his failure to overcome this lack of experience during the war.
The report could potentially force Olmert and Peretz to resign from office or precipitate early elections.
Last summer’s war was seen in Israel as a strategic disaster. The Israeli death toll included 119 soldiers and 44 civilians.