The watchdog Ometz organization called on State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss Monday to publish his report on the government’s management of the Home Front during last summer’s war.



Ometz head, Professor and Attorney Michael Corinaldi declared Monday that it is clear that the probe by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss has revealed enough deficiencies and damage to merit a probe by an independent state commission of inquiry.



Corinaldi called on Lindenstrauss to exercise his authority under the law, in light of the fact that, nine months after the war’s end, a formal report has yet to be submitted.



Lindenstrauss completed the draft of his investigation into the government’s mismanagement of Home Front affairs during the war more than a month ago, but was blocked by the High Court of Justice from sharing the specific details of the probe with the Knesset State Control Committee. The final report was being held up by weeks-long delays in the responses of those who were named in the probe and Lindenstrauss explained that as a result, the full report would only be published in June.



The State Comptroller had already warned in early March, however, that the report might prove to be upsetting to government officials. Lindenstrauss bluntly called the assessment of the government’s management of non-IDF affairs during the war “very incisive and liable to anger many people.”



Depending on the findings in Lindenstrauss’ report, the Knesset committee will have the authority to recommend an independent state commission of inquiry be convened by the President of the Supreme Court. Such an investigative body would have the authority to subpoena testimony and, if the evidence merits, dismiss government officials – including the Prime Minister.



Corinaldi said Monday that it is clear the probe has thus far revealed deficiencies and damage that would merit an investigation independent of government control. He also cited numerous delays and lack of transparency in the activities of the Winograd Commission, tasked with investigating the government’s activities during the war.



The struggle over publication of the testimonies of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz reaches back weeks ago.



The Supreme Court originally ordered the Commission to release the testimony transcripts by the start of the Passover holiday, despite vehement protests by the three star witnesses.



The Commission managed to evade the issue until after the holiday, but was forced to comply with a court order on Sunday to submit a timetable for presenting the testimonies to the public. On Sunday evening, the Commission responded to the Court directive by saying it would release the testimonies in June, two weeks after it submitted its interim report on the findings of the probe. The Court decided late Monday to delay ruling on the specific timing of the release of testimonies.



Meretz Knesset Member Zahava Gal-On had petitioned the Supreme Court for a second time earlier in the day to force the Commission to submit a specific, detailed timetable for publishing the testimonies of the three star witnesses. The left-wing legislator had filed a petition weeks ago, demanding the Court force the Commission to release the testimonies to the public immediately.Members of the Commission have threatened to quit if they are forced to release the transcripts before the release of the interim report.



Gal-On charged the Commission with losing its moral power by refusing to release the testimonies prior to publication of its interim report. “If the public sees a report made up of conclusions alone, without any other information by which it can form an evaluation, the report would lose all moral value as the public would be unable to judge it,” she argued.



The first testimonies to be published, whenever that will be, are to be those of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz. The Commission has already released the transcript of testimony by Vice Premier Shimon Peres, which caused a political uproar due to his declaration that he would not have gone to war.