 In a surprise move two weeks after declaring that he would remain in the army Chief of General Staff Lt.- Gen. Dan Halutz submitted his resignation late Tuesday night to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz. | Going to spend more time with your family, Coach? |
"Gosh. Sorry to see you go. Do you need help packing?"
| The pile of cardboard boxes outside his office door should have told him something ... |
In his letter to Olmert and Peretz, Halutz said that he felt a responsibility as the military's superior officer to remain in his position until the completion of the 50 internal probes into the performance of the military during the war, and until the IDF's workplan for 2007 was completed. Once this was done, Halutz asked to leave his job immediately.
Olmert expressed his "deep sorrow" over Halutz's decision. Olmert was aware of Halutz's intention before the official announcement was made and had asked the chief of staff to reconsider. Halutz, however, was deteremined, and the prime minister had no choice but to accept halutz's resignation. |