IDF Chief of Staff Halutz under investigation for prewar stock transaction

scarletwoman

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Tue Aug-15-06 06:14 PM
Original message

IDF Chief of Staff Halutz under investigation for prewar stock transaction

From Haaretz: Bank Leumi orders internal inquiry over leak of Halutz affair

<snip>

Senior sources in the IDF General Staff and field officers who took part in the war in Lebanon said on Tuesday that Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who went to his bank branch and sold an NIS 120,000 investment portfolio only three hours after two soldiers were abducted by Hezbollah on the northern border, cannot escape resignation.

The sources say there is a clear ethical flaw in the chief of staff's behavior during the hours when soldiers were killed in Lebanon and others were attempting to rescue wounded. Halutz should resign the moment the military completes its pullout from south Lebanon, they said.

<snip>

Several hours after the July 12 abduction, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert declared war on Hezbollah and Israeli warplanes began bombing targets deep inside Lebanon.

But as the country's political and military echelons met urgently to discuss the possible declaration of war, Halutz went at 12:00 P.M. to sell an investment portfolio, the Ma'ariv newspaper reported on Tuesday.

<snip>

...If it turns out that Halutz sold shares in marketing companies or banks, assuming they would be facing hard times during the war, then his actions may be subject to investigation.

(full article at link)

This is the man who directed Israel's war in Lebanon. You may remember him for his statement on July 12 -- the day that Hizbullah captured two IDF soldiers with idea of negotiating a prisoner exchange -- on Israel's channel 10 he declared, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years." (CNN: Israel authorizes 'severe' response to abductions )

20 years ago being, of course, 4 years into Israel's approx. 18-year long occupation of Lebanon, which began in 1982. Not to mention, 10 years into Lebanon's 15 year long civil war -- from which Lebanon had finally been recovering over the past 5-10 years. A great deal of the infrustructure that IAF bombing managed to destroy -- i.e. bridges, roadways, apartment buildings -- was newly constructed over the last 5 years, much of it Rafik Hariri's doing (you know, the ex-prime minister who was assassinated last year?).

Anyway, for those who have felt dismay or anger on DU over what you perceive to be less than full support of Israel, I ask you to consider this: If you are here on DU because you recognize that the bush (mal)administration is an unmitigated disaster for the U.S., as well as for multitudes of people all around the world, if you understand perfectly well that criticism of our government does not make one "anti-American" -- is it not quite reasonable and necessary to make a close and critical examination of those in power in Israel? Is it not possible the that people in power in Israel are just as corrupt as our own warmongers?

Those in power in Israel, after all, are partners in the neocon project of "reshaping" the Middle East. They are employing the same "war on terror" propaganda, the same preemptive philosophy. If I am profoundly disturbed by this evil in my own government, why should I support the government of another country that supports and abets my government's evil?

Denouncing the evil of those in power in ANY country in the world does not translate into a denoucement of that country or its people as a whole. We common people all over the world are being held hostage to delusional madmen -- Israel included. If we really care about the people of Israel, we will stop excusing the warmongering of a corrupt ruling elite who works hand in glove with our own criminal government.

Of course, if you're really buying into the whole "war on terror" schtick, these words are meaningless.

sw