END OF MODEL YEAR
Candidate On Defense
After Accident Report
Tel Aviv (JTA) — A newspaper command, alleged misconduct on
expose about a three-year-old the part of sonic of the top com-
tragic military accident is caus- manders present at the incident.
ing headaches for Lt. Gen. Ehud
According to the article, Lt.
Barak, who is widely believed to Gen. Barak was among those
be appointed Israel's next interi- who stood by in stunned paraly-
or minister.
sis while other generals did their
Lt. Gen Barak, who retired as best to assist the wounded.
chief of staff of the Israel Defense
The report also alleged that Lt.
Force earlier this year, said Gen. Barak flew off in his heli-
Yediot Achronot, Israel's largest copter and left the area without
newspaper, lied when it accused taking any of the wounded sol-
him of abandoning wounded sol- diers with him.
diers during a military training
The article, casting doubts
accident.
about the army investigation that
The report, which prompted a followed the training accident, al-
political firestorm in Israel, could leged that certain generals kept
put Lt. Gen. Barak's nomination changing their statements and
as interior minister on hold and that a cover-up was planned by
affect his political future, ob- at least one of the commanders
servers believe.
involved.
Vehemently denying the ac-
According to the paper, threats
count published July 7, Barak, and pressure were employed by
53, told reporters: "It is untruth- top army brass to hide or change
ful, distorted, mistaken and very certain facts and evidence was
harmful for me and all of the tampered with. The report also
army.
"It's absurd," he added.
Lt. Gen. Barak was among
three top-level IDF officers who
were present at the IDF's
Tze'elim training and practice
area in the Negev on Nov. 5,
1992, when a military exercise
went awry, killing five Israeli sol-
diers and wounding six others.
alleged that the officers who stood
During the practice operation, trial refrained from divulging the
a live missile was fired acciden- whole truth about the incident.
tally, causing the fatalities. The
Along with Lt. Gen. Barak's ve-
accident was subsequently hement denials of the newspa-
known throughout Israel as per's charges, the IDF responded
Tze'elim-2 because two years ear- to the report by stating that much
lier another fatal training acci- of it was "recycled old material
dent had happened at the same and that some of the arguments
location.
made are misleading."
According to a report in the
The army, after holding con-
London Sunday Times, published sultations with Prime Minister
in January 1994, the exercise was Yitzhak Rabin, also put a gag or-
a rehearsal for an operation der on all those involved, effec-
aimed at assassinating Iraqi tively preventing anyone involved
leader Saddam Hussein.
in the training accident from
In October 1994, an Israeli mil- commenting on the report.
itary court found two mid-level
The chairman of the Knesset's
army officers guilty of negligence Foreign Affairs and Defense
in the training accident.
Committee, Ori Orr, questioned
But while convicting the un- the timing of the report.
named major and captain, the
Mr. Orr said he viewed the
court absolved of responsibility Yediot story as an attempt to pre-
Barak and the other two top offi- vent Lt. Gen. Barak from be-
cers — the recently retired IDF coming the country's next interior
chief of intelligence, Maj. Gen. Uri minister.
Saguy, and Maj. Gen. Avraham
Knesset member Binyamin
Levine, who was in charge of the Begin of the opposition Likud
training exercise.
Party also attacked the report,
Maj. Gen. Levine was named which he described as a scan-
the IDF commander in charge of dalous smear campaign and ma-
the northern sector, which in- licious character assassination of
cludes operations in Lebanon, in Lt. Gen. Barak.
November. In its July 7 story,
Yediot probed the events that led
Publicity Deadlines
to the accident, the reaction of the The normal deadline for local news and
military's top echelon to it at the publicity items is noon Thursday, eight
days prior to issue date. The deadline for
time and the accident's after-
birth announcements is 10 a.m. Monday.
math.
four days prior to issue date; out-of-town
The article, which painted a obituaries, 10 a.m. Tuesday, three days
grim picture of the IDF's top prior to issue date.
The army put a gag
order on all those
involved.
/—
CLEARANCE
Everything Drastically
Reduced!
HURRY IN WHILE SELECTION
IS STILL GOOD.
Jacky Cauley
.eiiimilvseoz;m2se68.7
CO:7CFWlerfOLET
Gee
Orchard Lake Road Between 14 and 15 Mile • West Bloomfield • (810) 855-9700
OPEN SATURDAYS 8:00-4:00
Hours: Mon. & Thurs. 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Tues. 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; Wed., Fri. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Create The Ultimate Backyard
With A Childlife Playsystem:
Safety - Quality - Value and FUN! All in One Fabulous Package!
For pennies a day, you can provide years of healthy, coordination enhancing
play. Your children will get plenty of beneficial exercise which builds upper
and lower body strength and all in a safe play environment.
DOLL
OSPITAL
• Special Painted Surface is Hunter Green,
Durable and "Splinter-Free."
• Created in 1945 With Your Kids in Mind.
• Models on Display.
0)
0)
CO
CNJ
3947 W. Twelve Mile, Berkley
SOLDIER
SHOP
>--
_1
(ConvenientIN located near 1-696)
(810) 543-3115 or 1-800-551-PLAY
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10-5:30, Fri 10-8
71