Peretz met with parents of nine soldiers who were killed during the Second Lebanon War to discuss internal investigations being carried out by army staff.
Peretz stated that he would "draw conclusions" if found responsible, after the grieving parents bluntly accused him of not taking responsibility for the mistakes at the top which led to the debacle in the north.
The Defense Minister also said he would quit if the interim report by the government-appointed Winograd Commission, due within the next few months, determines that he is responsible for the miscalculations and lack of good judgment that led to Israel’s losses in the war.
He added that a final report by the Commission will take some time.
The parents cited several other concerns. One involved their children’s gravestones, which have yet to be inscribed with the official name of the war, because no name yet exists. Peretz said the war would be officially named in the near future. He added they would also receive specific military reports about the circumstances in which their sons died – not within months, as originally stated, but within four weeks at the most.
After the meeting, Chaim, father of late First Sgt. Oz Tzemach, said, “We have already lost our children. We are now fighting for the families that are today walking around and do not know that they are potentially bereaved families.”
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz has refused to resign his post following one in-house army probe that cited numerous mistakes made by top IDF officials, but stopped short of directly blaming Halutz.
OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam and Division 91 Commander Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch have both resigned as a result of accusations by investigators holding them responsible for errors in judgment that led to the deaths of IDF soldiers.
Peretz stated that he would "draw conclusions" if found responsible, after the grieving parents bluntly accused him of not taking responsibility for the mistakes at the top which led to the debacle in the north.
The Defense Minister also said he would quit if the interim report by the government-appointed Winograd Commission, due within the next few months, determines that he is responsible for the miscalculations and lack of good judgment that led to Israel’s losses in the war.
He added that a final report by the Commission will take some time.
The parents cited several other concerns. One involved their children’s gravestones, which have yet to be inscribed with the official name of the war, because no name yet exists. Peretz said the war would be officially named in the near future. He added they would also receive specific military reports about the circumstances in which their sons died – not within months, as originally stated, but within four weeks at the most.
After the meeting, Chaim, father of late First Sgt. Oz Tzemach, said, “We have already lost our children. We are now fighting for the families that are today walking around and do not know that they are potentially bereaved families.”
IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz has refused to resign his post following one in-house army probe that cited numerous mistakes made by top IDF officials, but stopped short of directly blaming Halutz.
OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam and Division 91 Commander Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch have both resigned as a result of accusations by investigators holding them responsible for errors in judgment that led to the deaths of IDF soldiers.