At the official annual memorial service on Monday for soldiers killed in the Second Lebanon War, a bereaved father lashed out against Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff during the 2006 war. We haven't seen you for five years and suddenly you show up? You're here to promote your political career, Yoav Tzur, father of fallen soldier Sgt. Itamar Tzur, called out when Halutz appeared at the ceremony. Halutz, who announced in December that he was joining the Kadima party, did not respond. Itamar Tzur, 19, was killed when his tank was hit by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile in southern Lebanon in August 2006. Yoav Tzur was seated behind Halutz and continued to goad him throughout the ceremony, shouting, Why are you just showing up now? How did you prepare your army for war, Dan Halutz- At the end of the ceremony, after the national anthem was sung, Tzur added, What did you do before the war? We haven't forgotten! All the phony embraces won't help you. You won't enter politics! Later, Tzur said, This man is a coward. We didn't see him for five years. Now he wants to enter politics and that's why he showed up. He sold tens of thousands of dollars in shares when the war broke out and his preparation of the army was flawed. This was a just war, but why didn't Halutz prepare us adequately? Was he a rookie- Current IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz approached Tzur after the ceremony's conclusion and offered him a hug before the two conversed. The chief of staff is a good guy, Tzur said afterward. Halutz left the ceremony quickly, saying only, I honor the place, the event and the families. He later issued a statement clarifying that this was not his first appearance at the memorial ceremony. Halutz resigned as IDF chief of staff in 2007 following criticism of what some called his abysmal handling of the Second Lebanon War and IDF failures during the conflict. Halutz also drew criticism for selling off his investment portfolio just hours after two IDF soldiers were captured in the cross-border raid that started the conflict. I don't want to argue with a family that has lost what is most dear to them, Halutz said in the statement. As someone who has fought and lost friends along the way, I have taken part in memorial events for IDF soldiers for decades and will continue to do so until the end of my life. I feel the families' pain and I share in their sorrow. Some families had threatened to boycott the ceremony over another issue: a change in the words of the Yizkor prayer from Israel remembers its sons and daughters, to God remembers His sons and daughters. The prayer, however, passed without incident. Tuesday's ceremony was also attended by the new head of the Northern Command, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan; Defense Ministry Director-General Gen. (Res.) Udi Shani; Opposition leader and foreign minister at the time of the war Tzipi Livni, and Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch, who commanded Division 91 during the war and retired from the military immediately afterward.
Bereaved father lashes out at former IDF chief Halutz
Presence of former chief of staff Dan Halutz at a ceremony for fallen soldiers draws angry shouts • Bereaved father: You came to promote your political career • Halutz: I won't argue with those who have lost their dearest ones.
Load more...