The chief of Israel’s armed forces has resigned over the conduct of last year’s Lebanon war, generating further pressure on the political leadership that oversaw the conflict, reports The Financial Times.
“The departure of Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, 58, late on Tuesday, followed an internal inquiry pointed to his responsibility in a conflict in which Israel failed to fulfil its initial war aim of liquidating the Hizbollah movement.
“Politicians from across the spectrum immediately seized on his resignation to demand that Ehud Olmert, prime minister, and Amir Peretz, defence minister, also quit.
“Gideon Saar, chairman of the opposition Kilud party, said: ‘It doesn’t make sense for the chief of staff to carry all the blame, while his supervisors at the political level – those responsible for the failures of the war – escape the responsibility and continue in their positions’.â€?
Click here for the entire FT story.
The Guardian reports: “Gen Halutz’s surprise resignation came after several internal Israeli military inquiries into the conduct of the war but before the major investigation into the conflict, known as the Winograd Commission, delivers its interim findings, which are due in February or March.”
Israel’s prime minister Ehud Olmert will probably survive the resignation of his chief of staff, but he may fall foul of political scandal, writes Rory McCarthy of The Guardian
“The prime minister is also facing his own troubles. Just hours before Gen Halutz resigned, Israel’s state prosecutor said it was beginning a criminal investigation into Mr Olmert over his involvement in the sale of a stake in an Israeli bank when he was finance minister. At least two other political cases involving Mr Olmert are being studied and may yet lead to more criminal investigations.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.