Thousands Of Israelis Demand War Inquiry
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - At least 30,000 Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square Saturday evening to demand a full state commission of inquiry into the government's handling of the recent war with Hezbollah and the rocket-battered home front. The event was organized by the Movement for Quality Government and several groups of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reservists who took part in the fighting. Demonstrating under the banner "State Inquiry Commission Now!", the participants accused the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of mismanaging the war effort and failing to adequately care for the country's northern regions, which absorbed some 4,000 Hezbollah missile attacks. Eliad Shraga, chairman of the Movement for Quality Government, told the protestors, "We saw on the home front how...the government of Israel refused to declare a national emergency, abandoning the residents of the North. And we saw on the war front how the political echelon made decisions without a decision-making process and without setting realistic goals." Olmert has refused to order a full state commission of inquiry, preferring instead several smaller internal government investigations. Olmert's probes, unlike a state commission of inquiry, will not have the authority to summon witnesses or dismiss any officials found guilty of negligence or wrongdoing. State Comptroller Mic |
