Israel’s government watchdog accused Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of
faulty cooperation with a probe into the Lebanon war. State Comptroller
Micha Lindenstrauss told a Knesset hearing Tuesday that investigators had
encountered “difficulties” in getting answers from Olmert on civil defense functioning
during the July-August conflict.
Israel was hit by some 4,000 Hezbollah rockets during the war, and northern residents who
took refuge in bomb shelters complained of poor conditions and government
foot-dragging in compensating them for damage. Olmert has denied
wrongdoing and said he needs more time to study the history of Israel’s
civil defense planning.
