Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General
Dan Halutz submitted his resignation on Tuesday night, an IDF
spokeswoman told Xinhua early Wednesday.
The spokeswoman said that Halutz's resignation still needs to be
approved by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir
Peretz. She did not give further details.
According to the Ha'aretz website, Halutz on Tuesday
night sent a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announcing his
resignation.
In the letter, Halutz expressed his concern over the lack of
back-up IDF commanders were given by the government, the report
said.
"It is the nature of people not to be overjoyed serving in a
system that is unappreciated and unprotected by those it
represents," Halutz wrote.
"We must promise never to reach a situation in which people of
quality would hesitate to tie their fate and future with the IDF.
Neither good education nor a strong economy would help us then, and
there is a danger that the threats the state of Israel faces will
become more substantial."
"I feel great pride having completed (the goals) I've set for
myself and fulfilled my obligations."
"In order to lead and, we must fulfill our responsibilities.
Having accomplished my current mission, I hereby announce my
intention to end my position as IDF Chief of Staff
immediately."
The report said that Olmert expressed regret over Halutz's
resignation.
Halutz has been facing criticism over the IDF's performance
during last summer's 34-day Israel-Hezbollah conflict, after which
the Israeli government appointed a committee to investigate the
shortcoming of both the political echelon and the army's management
of the war.
Two weeks ago, Halutz said he would resign if the committee
implicated him as responsible for the mishandling of the war.
"If the committee hands down an unambiguous sentence, it would
obligate me (to resign)," Halutz was quoted as saying.
The resignation, however, came before the committee releases its
conclusions.
But Senior Israeli officers were reported to have testified to
the committee that they consider Halutz responsible for failures of
the war.
They told the committee that they believe the army failed to
prepare its units as required and without clear goals.
Israel launched a full-scale attack on Lebanese Hezbollah
guerrilla after they captured two Israeli soldiers and killed three
others in a cross-border raid on July 12.
But the month-long offensive ended without defeating Hezbollah
and bringing the two captured soldiers home.
(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2007)
