Official: Peretz close to deciding to resign

Defense Minister Amir Peretz is "close" to making a decision to resign, a senior official close to Peretz said Wednesday. According to the official, Peretz will make a final decision by Wednesday evening. The official said that Peretz was "morally uncomfortable" with the conclusion of the Winograd reports which said he had failed in his position during the Second Lebanon War. Peretz's spokesman dismissed the reports saying that "for now" he planned to stay in his post. Officials estimated that the decision by Peretz to resign would be an attempt to depict himself as morally clean ahead of the Labor party primaries at the end of the month.