The Wolf Is Inspecting The Hen House

Israel War Conduct Inquiry To Include Legal Experts

Taking a page right out of the George W. Bush handbook of "Trust me... I can protect your civil liberties," Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is assigning the investigation of Israeli conduct during its invasion of Lebanon to its own legal experts... who will not have the authority to compel testimony or subpeona secret documents, reports or after-operation reports.

One would think that such an investigation would require participation from an independent body with international legal experts, including members of the UN, NATO, the International Court, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other organizations without a vested interest in finding Israel innocent or guilty... just finding the facts.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that he will establish two inquiry committees to investigate Israel's conduct during the latest crisis in the Middle East, one to examine "the functioning of the Government, its proceedings and decision making, and anything else it sees fit to examine," and an internal military investigation to "conduct a thorough examination in order to implement the necessary changes in the preparedness of the IDF, its combat doctrine and force structuring." The government committee of inquiry will be chaired by a former head of Israel's spy agency and will include legal and military experts.

Neither of the investigations will have the power to force witness testimony, disappointing critics who have called for an independent state inquiry. Olmert dismissed those calls Monday, saying "this will not repair the defects or prevent incidents." Olmert called an independent judicial investigation a "tempting" political solution, but said that it "is not what the country needs," favoring instead "an effective, professional inquiry, to examine the issues in depth, draw conclusions, and learn lessons."