IDF Chiefs of Staff are always very prominent and important figures in Israeli politics and society. They frequently enter politics after they retire (Moshe Dayan, as an example) and at least two I can think of off the top of my head have become prime ministers (Rabin and Barak). The current one, Dan Halutz, has had a particularly prominent role in the current war.
Now it is being reported that in the hours between the original kidnapping of the soldiers on the Lebanon border and the commencement of full-scale hostilities, Halutz went to a branch of the Bank Leumi and sold off his investment portfolio.
The pure facts of the matter are not in dispute. Halutz admits that he sold off the portfolio at the time in question but says it was unrelated to the events of that day.
Said Halutz: “It was my portfolio of shares, on which I had lost NIS 25,000. It is true that I sold the portfolio on July 12, 2006, but it is impossible to link that to the war. At the time I did not expect or think that there would be a war … I am a citizen too and have my own economic affairs. This has stained [my reputation] for no reason and is unworthy of any further comment.”
Bank Leumi has ordered an investigation into the source of the leak.
