Former Israeli army chief backs removing Netanyahu from office

A former Israeli army chief said on Thursday that he supports the idea of dismissing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the war and appointing another premier.

Former Israeli Army Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told Army Radio that he supports having another figure to "lead the war."

"In war, we can demand an account," Halutz said, holding Netanyahu responsible for leading Israel during the past years to the current situation.

He also expressed his support to exchanging Israeli prisoners in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. He suggested that the Palestinian inmates who would be released in the prisoner swap would be held later.

"It is worth the price," he said, noting that "in exchange for (soldier) Gilad Shalit, 1,027 detainees were released. In exchange for 220 kidnapped, 200,000 must be released according to this calculation."

Halutz, who was the army chief during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, stressed: "I suggest looking seriously into this matter. We will transport them there and pick them up later."

He warned against launching a ground offensive in Gaza before releasing the Israeli prisoners.

"What is the meaning of the ground operation now when the kidnapped (Israelis) are there? It is that Hamas could exploit this to wage a psychological war, and, God forbid, it would cause some of them to be injured and some of them not to return," he added.

On an almost daily basis, the families of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas stage protests to demand that the government work to release their relatives.