Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said on Saturday that he will resign after a commission criticized his handling of the war in Lebanon last summer, but not now.
Aides to Peretz have said that he was going to step down after the Winograd Commission found that he did not fulfill his duty as defense minister, in part due to his inexperience in military matters.
Peretz told Channel Two TV on Saturday that he would leave his post, probably after primaries in the Labor Party he leads, at the end of the month.
"I have made my decision," Peretz said. "But I think if I decided from one day to the next to get up and flee the defense ministry, I would be doing something bad, bad for the security and the state of Israel."
The government probe of the 34-day war found that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was responsible for "very severe failures" in the conflict. Had Olmert, Peretz or then-army chief of staff Lieutenant General Dan Halutz acted differently, the outcome of the war would have been better, the commission found.
Halutz resigned in January. Peretz deflected criticism in the TV interview, saying he was relying on Halutz's recommendations.
Olmert has said he will not resign but analysts said it was only a matter of time before he was forced out of office. Three members of his Kadima Party, including Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, called on him to resign last week.
Israel launched the war on July 12 after the Lebanese militia Hezbollah attacked an Israeli border patrol and kidnapped three soldiers. At least 1,000 Lebanese and 119 Israeli soldiers were killed. Hezbollah rocket barrages on northern Israel left 39 civilians dead.
The Winograd report said Olmert hastily led the country into conflict against Hezbollah guerrillas without a comprehensive plan, exercised poor judgment and bore ultimate responsibility for a war that ended inconclusively.
About 100,000 people from across the political spectrum demonstrated on Thursday in Tel Aviv to call on Olmert and Peretz to resign.
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