A legendary former Israeli general praised Ehud Olmert’s conduct
of the Lebanon war. Retired Maj. Gen. Yisrael Tal, an armored corps
veteran famed for designing Israel’s Merkava tank, said in an interview
published Sunday that he disputed a commission of inquiry’s decision to
censure the prime minister’s handling of the July-August conflict with
Hezbollah.
“I have seen prime ministers conduct wars,” Tal told Yediot
Achronot. “I saw Levi Eshkol during the Six-Day War, Golda Meir during the
Yom Kippur War and Menachem Begin during the First Lebanon War. I saw
Olmert during the Second Lebanon War. I say that in comparison with the
previous prime ministers, Olmert has nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Tal
said that Olmert, whose approval ratings are in the single digits and who
has resisted mounting calls by the public to step down, demonstrated “a
steadfast spirit and iron will.”
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