State against delay in IDF chief appointment
Prosecutor’s Office tells High Court, ‘Considering Israel’s current security situation, it would not be reasonable for IDF to function without chief of staff for significant period of time; honorable court should not interfere in Ashkenazi’s appointment’
The Prosecutor's Office argued that "considering Israel’s current security situation, it would not be right or reasonable that the IDF function without a chief of staff for a significant period of time. Avoiding appointment of a chief of staff under these circumstances would be extremely unreasonable."
“The need for appointing an IDF Chief in general and at this time in particular is in the hands of the government, in accordance with the defense minister’s recommendation,” the prosecution said.
“There is no place for the honorable court’s intervention in this matter.”
The move came in response to a petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel on the matter, which demanded that a new IDF chief of staff would not be appointed “until the Winograd Commission ruled whether the different candidates were personally responsible for the Lebanon failures.”
Last Monday Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz agreed to appoint Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi as the IDF’s 19th chief of staff.
The appointment will be brought before the Tirkel committee, which approves senior appointments, and will later be presented to the government, apparently on Sunday.
