Report: Winograd Committee to ask for postponement

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Channel 2 reported on Saturday that the Winograd Committee intends to ask the High Court of Justice for permission to postpone publication of the protocols of testimonies by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz until after Pessah. In response to a petition by Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On and a reprimand from the High Court for not beginning to publish the protocols sooner, the Winograd Committee promised it would publish the three documents before Pessah. The committee already published three protocols 10 days ago and came under heavy fire for doing so. Two of the witnesses, Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres and former intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Malka sharply criticized the committee. In response, the committee last week published a statement saying it had no choice but to do so, since the High Court had ordered it to. Originally, the committee had intended to publish the protocols after it released its final report. Later in the week, the committee indicated that it petition the High Court on the question of the protocols, but did not make clear exactly what kind of request it intended to make. According to Channel Two, the committee will ask for a postponement. According to its promise, the committee is due to release the protocols no later than Monday.