An upcoming Israeli commission of inquiry report on the Lebanon war reportedly will criticize Ehud Olmert but not call for his resignation.
Israel’s Channel 10 television over the weekend quoted a leaked copy of the Winograd Commission report as saying that the prime minister exercised “misguided and rash judgment” in going to war after Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas killed eight soldiers and abducted two in a July 12 raid.
But the interim findings, due out Monday, stop short of calling for Olmert to step down, according to Channel 10. A similar critique is expected for Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who like Olmert has seen his popularity plummet amid Israeli perceptions that the 34-day war did not deliver victory and weakened the Jewish state’s regional standing.
Channel 10 quoted Olmert aides as saying in response to the leaked report that the prime minister did not intend to resign after the official publication.
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