Politicians and the media still are trying to digest the report from Channel 2 television yesterday that the Winograd Commission will delay by four months the release of its full report on last summer’s war against Hizbullah terrorists in Lebanon.

Media reports Thursday said the content of the Commission’s interim report this month will be severely limited, addressing only systemic issues and completely excluding conclusions of individual responsibility for the failures it found.  

However, a source described as “familiar with the details of the…discussions” told IDF Radio Friday morning that despite reports to the contrary, the report may contain specific charges against individuals.

The timing of the four-month delay is suspect as well. Defense Minister Amir Peretz is facing an uphill battle to retain chairmanship of his Labor Party in primaries less than three months from now.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the five-member Commission last Thursday that he had prepared plans for the war in March 2006, four months before it broke out, according to the Haaretz daily newspaper.

A country preparing for war does not cut security budgets, meaningfully decrease training on the ground and lower reserve call-ups. Olmert's testimony… has no real basis.

Likud Party Knesset Member Yuval Shteinitz said he doesn't believe Olmert: "As head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, I was never shown documents, statements or intentions by the political echelon to prepare for war and neither were the subcommittees," he insisted, echoing the reported testimony of former National Security Council Chief Giora Eiland and another senior military official.

"A country preparing for war does not cut security budgets, meaningfully decrease training on the ground and lower reserve call-ups. Olmert's testimony… has no real basis," Shteinitz pointed out.

National Union-National Religious Party Knesset Member Aryeh Eldad added that "even if we assume Olmert isn't lying, his situation is a thousand times worse after this statement. If this was the plan he approved without checking if the Home Front was ready for implementation and the IDF was capable of carrying it out – he should be tried for criminal negligence."

If no warnings are issued to individuals that a probe could damage them, it is not possible to prosecute those who are found responsible for the failures.

When the Commission was first established by the government, a Cabinet statement affirmed that the administration would abide by the Commission's recommendations.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz noted at the time, however, that the Commission has no authority to compel the resignation of the prime minister who appointed the investigative body.

Lindenstrauss Report to be Delayed As Well

The publication of the full Lindenstrauss Report, which investigated management of the Home Front during the war, will also be delayed by four months.

State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrass presented a limited version of his Committee’s interim findings to the Knesset State Control Committee earlier this week, but naming no names and assigning no blame to individuals.

OC Home Front Command Major-General Yitzhak Gershon petitioned the High Court of Justice a day before Lindenstrauss appeared before the Knesset committee, asking the judges to postpone the release of the interim report. Olmert also demanded that Lindenstrauss delay publication of his interim report; both complained they had not had a chance to respond to the findings.   

Lindenstrauss informed the Knesset members and the viewers of the nationally-broadcast session - that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had taken some 10 weeks to begin responding to the Comptroller's questions on the matter. He added that this was the reason the full report will only be published four months from now.

"We first turned to the Prime Minister's Office on August 22, 2006," Lindenstrauss said. "[Only –ed.] a full two months later, on October 25, did we receive some material from the Prime Minister's Office. We asked again, and we received the rest only on November 6 and on December 4" - more than three months late. "This, despite the law that states that such material must be given over 'immediately,'" Lindenstrauss clarified. "As a result, our work was delayed."

"Afterwards, on Dec. 25, I asked the Prime Minister for a meeting, as we had with other ministers. However, he asked, on Jan. 7, that we send him written questions instead. On Jan. 31, we sent him a questionnaire of 12 questions, including 7 having to do with the Home Front. We have still not yet received a response."  

Lindenstrauss said that the amount of material that has been received is tremendous - several volumes' worth, adding that the full report would be submitted after all the responses of those under review have been received.

He also warned that the criticism would be sharp "and could anger many people."