At handover ceremony, outgoing chief of staff blasts "Israeli" `culture of beheading`

Source: Haaretz, 15-2-2007
By Amos Harel
At an official ceremony yesterday in Jerusalem (Al-Quds) Gabi Ashkenazi took over the position of chief of staff from outgoing Lt. General Dan Halutz. The atmosphere of the ceremony, held at the Prime Minister`s Office, was partly marred by the bitter criticism that Halutz did not hesitate to direct at the political leadership, his colleagues on the General Staff, the media and "Israeli" society in general.
In his resignation, Halutz was the most senior figure to date to pay the price for "Israel`s" failures in the second Lebanon war, on which the government decided to embark during a rushed meeting on the night of July 12, 2006.
The scathing remarks of the outgoing COS were heard by his partners in the failures, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense (War) Minister Amir Peretz, who sat stone-faced on the podium. The price that they may have to pay, if at all, will become clearer in about a month, when the much anticipated interim report of the Winograd Committee assigned to investigate the war is due.
The speech Halutz made during the ceremony was still partly cushioned. It was a general indictment, somewhat enigmatic, with no specific references. But when Halutz called for a "national investigation" of the war and spoke with nostalgia for former prime minister Ariel Sharon, and offered thanks to Olmert? For his support? (in other words, not to Peretz?), he left little to the imagination regarding his views of the current leadership.
Halutz began his address with a quotation from a verse by Nathan Yonatan, about a "Land that devours its inhabitants," and it was all downhill from there.
He admitted that in the war, "mistakes were made, including ones by me," but stressed that "responsibility is not guilt. The culture of beheading [scapegoats] is a destructive one. If we want for good people to continue and tether their lives to the "Israeli" Army, we must be more patient and tolerant with their mistakes, especially when these are reasonable."
He warned against "people who pretend to be right all the time, those who assume credit for successes that have never been examined," and expressed his pride in the extensive in-house probes that were carried out in the army following the war, which he described as thorough and genuine.
In calling for a "national investigation," Halutz stressed the need for an examination of the "culture of dialogue, exaggeration, leaks and of the simplistic approach that is based on short memory."
"I did the best I could for my country," Halutz said summarizing 40 years of service in the regular army and in the reserves.
"Comradery is not mere poetry for me," Halutz said. "It was and still is a worthwhile value. Was this the way others saw it? In Hebrew only the vowels are what differentiates between the word for friendship and evil.
"I have nothing in my heart against any particular man. I have never passed responsibility onto the shoulders of others," he added.
When he finished, the crowd stood and applauded for some time.
This is not how Halutz expected to end his tenure as the 18th chief of staff of the "Israeli" Army. When he was appointed by Sharon, less than two years ago, many believed? (And he was one of them?) that this was only a stepping stone along the path to higher things. Now, although his friends say that Halutz will turn to the business world, they are not willing to guarantee that in the future he will not return to public service, or even take part in politics.
Whether the incoming COS, Lt. General Gabi Ashkenazi, was surprised by the turn of events, he seems to have recovered. His return to the "Israeli" Army yesterday was fairly natural, as if he had simply put on a suit in place of a uniform for the past 18 months.
Great emphasis was made of his being the first chief emerging from the Golani Brigade, and some of the Golani elders came to witness the event.
In a very official tone, Ashkenazi told the crowd that he felt like the person who leads prayers during Yom Kippur services. "I am excited and aware of the significance of the moment and enormity of the responsibility," he said.
The negative atmosphere surrounding the resignation of Halutz did not affect Peretz, who seemed yesterday to glow with satisfaction, both at the ceremony in Jerusalem (Al-Quds) (Al-Quds) and the one at the Defense (War) Ministry in Tel Aviv that followed.
After all, how many politicians have the opportunity to appoint a chief of staff? It may even turn out that this appointment will have been Peretz` most successful act during his tenure at the Defense (War) Ministry.
There were also the embarrassing moments: Peretz labored long to attach the ranks of Lt. General to Ashkenazi`s tunic. Halutz was quick to point out to his successor in a short note he scribbled and which was aired on Channel 2 News: "Watch out! They [Peretz and Olmert] put your ranks on backward."
At the end of the ceremonies, during the first meeting of the General Staff with him at the helm, Ashkenazi spoke of the need for calm, stable and responsible activity. He presented the general focus of his plans: restoration of faith in the "Israeli" Army, both on the part of the public and among junior officers; restoring operational readiness; enhancing and broadening training that incorporates the lessons from the war; completing operational planning on possible scenarios in a number of fronts.
As far as he is concerned, Ashkenazi is in no rush to shock the system or replace individuals at the top. He has many serious tasks and little time to catch up.
Surrounding him is a rather bland crew. "Gabi has no bench players," a senior officer said yesterday. "Assuming one of the GOC commanders steps down now, who will he appoint? Another guy from the air force?"