Halutz, in parting shot at politicians, says he was shot in back

Source: Haaretz, 14-2-2007
Outgoing "Israeli" Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz ignited a media firestorm yesterday when he used the lingo of fighter pilot to describe the criticism directed at him since the Lebanon war. "The hardest situation for a pilot is when your number-two shoots you in the back," Halutz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense (War) Committee.
The remark, made on his penultimate day on the job, unleashed a torrent of reactions and interpretations, forcing the "Israeli" Army Spokesman`s Office to issue a clarification specifying that his comments were not directed at anyone in particular.
The induction ceremony for incoming chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi will be held this morning.
The Knesset committee had invited Halutz yesterday for a farewell session. MK Effi Eitam (National Religious Party) complimented the outgoing chief of staff, likening him to a pilot who decided to land his aircraft after it is hit rather than abandoning it.
Eitam said that Halutz completed the army`s investigation into the war and only afterward accepted responsibility and resigned. Halutz then continued the piloting imagery with his "number-two" comment.
According to the "Israeli" Army Spokesman`s announcement, "the chief of staff meant that the blows are worse when they come from one`s own side rather than from the enemy. All the interpretations and speculations concerning the chief of staff`s remarks were taken out of context. There is no connection between the headlines and reality."
Eitam believes that Halutz`s arrows were aimed at the country`s political leadership. Other MKs said the remarks may also have been intended for Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky - Halutz`s number two. While there was considerable tension between Halutz and Kaplinsky toward the end of the war, Halutz is thought to have recommended Kaplinsky (and not Ashkenazi) to succeed him as chief of staff in his talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense (War) Minister Amir Peretz.
Bitter goodbye
In private conversations over the past few months, Halutz has been critical of, and bitter about, what he perceived as insufficient support for him from the country`s leaders, as well as with the amount of help he received from senior officers during the war.
In his mid-January letter of resignation, Halutz wrote: "People will not rush to serve in a place where they are not protected by those who send them. This phenomenon is a danger to the security of the country no less than the threat posed by certain neighboring states."
Halutz also told the members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense (War) Committee yesterday that "I have no anger, and am at peace with myself ... Reality is much more complex than black and white. Sometimes, it`s gray."
Olmert and Peretz will induct Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi as the "Israeli" Army`s 19th chief of staff today. Ashkenazi is the first chief of staff to have been called back into service after leaving active duty.
The induction ceremony will be held at the Prime Minister`s Office in Jerusalem (Al-Quds). It will be followed by ceremonies at the President`s Residence and the "Israeli" Army General Staff`s base in Tel Aviv.