The Winograd Commission agreed to release a timetable for the publication of the testimony of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, in response to a ruling Sunday by the Supreme Court.
The state attorney representing the Commission in the proceeding agreed to present the Court with a timetable for the testimony of the three officials on Sunday evening, after Court President Dorit Beinish and two other judges put her feet to the fire on the matter. Upon receiving the timetable, the Court will publish its final decision regarding the timing of publication, as well as the presentation of a timetable for publication of the testimony of the rest of the witnesses who appeared before the Commission.
"We want a timetable," Beinish said in Sunday's session. She claimed the committee had executed a "very strange" about-face on the question of secrecy after Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres' testimony was published, causing him embarrassment. "You simply changed your mind because one of the witnesses didn't like something," she said.
Attorney Osnat Mendel, who represented the Winograd Commission, denied this and said that the partial publication of testimony had created false impressions. Peres' published testimony seemed to show that he opposed going to war only in hindsight. However, secret material showed he was against it from the outset, she explained.
Judge Beinish reportedly grew impatient and angry at times, and Judge Ayala Procaccia joined her in putting pressure on the attorney and claiming the Commission was dragging its feet on the implementation of the ruling to make the testimony public. "Timing is important." Procaccia said, "Publication of the protocols is part of the transparency that was denied." Justice Eliezer Rivlin joined in and said the Commission's behavior made him "very embarrassed" and that it was failing to stand up to its own commitments.
Attorney Mendel insisted that "the Commission's members put a lot of time into preparing the partial report. Publishing snippets of information could create a completely distorted picture and the only thing it addresses is 'the public's right to know.'"
In the end, Mendel gave in and the Commission will announce a timetable for publication of testimony on Sunday evening. Sources in the Comission, however, were quoted in the press as saying that despite Beinish's harsh tone, "We got what we wanted." As with the Second Lebanon War which the Commission is investigating, it seems this session ended with both sides claiming victory.
The petition to publish the censored transcripts of the testimonies of the Prime Minister, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz was submitted by MK Zehava Gal-On (Meretz).
Following Gal-On’s petition, the government told the court it would publish the testimonies before the Passover holiday. The court accepted the decision, but the Winograd Commission then submitted a request that the transcripts only be published after the publication of the interim report and disobeyed the agreed-upon order to release the transcripts before the holiday.
Former Justice Eliyahu Winograd, who heads the committee, wrote to the court: "If the court accepts the [Gal-On] petition, it would mean that it empties the committee's ability to decide for itself the priorities of its work of all meaning.”
Justice Rivlin made a rare comment to the press, reportedly saying that the violation of the court order "bordered on contempt of court.”
The state attorney representing the Commission in the proceeding agreed to present the Court with a timetable for the testimony of the three officials on Sunday evening, after Court President Dorit Beinish and two other judges put her feet to the fire on the matter. Upon receiving the timetable, the Court will publish its final decision regarding the timing of publication, as well as the presentation of a timetable for publication of the testimony of the rest of the witnesses who appeared before the Commission.
"We want a timetable," Beinish said in Sunday's session. She claimed the committee had executed a "very strange" about-face on the question of secrecy after Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres' testimony was published, causing him embarrassment. "You simply changed your mind because one of the witnesses didn't like something," she said.
Attorney Osnat Mendel, who represented the Winograd Commission, denied this and said that the partial publication of testimony had created false impressions. Peres' published testimony seemed to show that he opposed going to war only in hindsight. However, secret material showed he was against it from the outset, she explained.
Judge Beinish reportedly grew impatient and angry at times, and Judge Ayala Procaccia joined her in putting pressure on the attorney and claiming the Commission was dragging its feet on the implementation of the ruling to make the testimony public. "Timing is important." Procaccia said, "Publication of the protocols is part of the transparency that was denied." Justice Eliezer Rivlin joined in and said the Commission's behavior made him "very embarrassed" and that it was failing to stand up to its own commitments.
Attorney Mendel insisted that "the Commission's members put a lot of time into preparing the partial report. Publishing snippets of information could create a completely distorted picture and the only thing it addresses is 'the public's right to know.'"
In the end, Mendel gave in and the Commission will announce a timetable for publication of testimony on Sunday evening. Sources in the Comission, however, were quoted in the press as saying that despite Beinish's harsh tone, "We got what we wanted." As with the Second Lebanon War which the Commission is investigating, it seems this session ended with both sides claiming victory.
The petition to publish the censored transcripts of the testimonies of the Prime Minister, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz was submitted by MK Zehava Gal-On (Meretz).
Following Gal-On’s petition, the government told the court it would publish the testimonies before the Passover holiday. The court accepted the decision, but the Winograd Commission then submitted a request that the transcripts only be published after the publication of the interim report and disobeyed the agreed-upon order to release the transcripts before the holiday.
Former Justice Eliyahu Winograd, who heads the committee, wrote to the court: "If the court accepts the [Gal-On] petition, it would mean that it empties the committee's ability to decide for itself the priorities of its work of all meaning.”
Justice Rivlin made a rare comment to the press, reportedly saying that the violation of the court order "bordered on contempt of court.”