Previous IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz stated on Saturday night that while he was not planning to acquire into politics at the present time, the thought had crossed his mind more than once. Halutz was head of the IDF throughout the Second Lebanon Conflict, and many politicians and army officials have sharply criticized him for Israel's performance in the war.

While the public perception among many Israelis is that Halutz resigned from his post since of the criticism, Halutz said in the interview that leaving the IDF was his own decision. "I decided to leave on my own. Nobody pressured me into doing so. I decided to resign as my way of taking personal responsibility for the results of the war."

Despite that last statement, Halutz said he rejected the contention of the Winograd Commission that he had failed in his task. "There is no way to instantly eliminate terror," he said. "We had some successes in the war. As a result of the war, we have had four years of silent on the northern border. Personally, I learned a lot of lessons through the operation." According to the Commission, Halutz declined to consider alternatives to his plans, exhibiting an overconfidence that did not distribute the state well.

Halutz also weighed in on the issue of Israel's tries to trade over 1,000 terrorists for kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Halutz said that he was opposed to the thought of paying any price for Shalit, no matter how high. Halutz said "Today's precedent" of releasing hundreds of murderers for one soldier "is the beginning of the next kidnapping." He praised the caution of the current and former governments in the matter, saying they were making "the proper evaluation of the national interest" in refusing to accede to all of Hamas' demands.

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