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STAGE 2 - HEBRON
Just Like Sharon:
The Metamorphosis of Ehud Olmert
By David Bedein January 13, 2006
In the early 1990s, Ehud Olmert was the quintessential supporter of hard-line Likud
politics.
In 1990, when he was the Minister of Health, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir trotted him out at every possible occasion to defend the Likud and to join forces in standing up to American pressure to conduct unilateral withdrawals. During the debate on the Oslo agreements in the Knesset in 1993, while he was also serving in his first term as the mayor of Jerusalem, Olmert became one of the most articulate orators against the accords with the PLO.
In October 1994, when President Bill Clinton came to Jerusalem, Olmert caused an international incident when he insisted that he accompany Clinton to the Old City of Jerusalem, even though the USA did not recognize Israel's sovereignty there. Olmert stood firm and Clinton had to cancel that visit.
Later on, with the advent of the second Intifada, Olmert supported a hard line of military action against the PLO, and wrote a seminal piece against any appeasement of terror, which was published in the Wall Street Journal on June 2nd, 2002. In that article, Olmert called on the government of Israel to stand up to the American mediators who were trying to force negotiations with the PLO. Olmert went so far as to demand that Israel kill off Yasser Arafat and Muhammad Dahlan.
Less than four years later, a new Ehud Olmert has taken the reigns of power in Israel.
The change in Olmert began to surface shortly before he left his position of mayor of Jerusalem in late 2002, when he was running again for the Knesset.
Kadima Appoints Olmert as Acting Faction Head
ICEJ- Jan 16/06 - Knesset Members from Ariel Sharon's new centrist Kadima faction elected Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as their interim party leader on Monday – formally replacing the prime minister who remains hospitalized in a coma. On Sunday, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz instructed Olmert to continue serving as acting prime minister as long as Sharon remains hospitalized, indicating that he still took the legal view that the premier is temporarily rather than permanently incapacitated. The declaration of permanent incapacitation would be irreversible and has a number of implications for Olmert's position
- "most of which are rendered obsolete" by the upcoming March 28 election.
Foreign Minister Defies Likud Resignation Call
ICEJ- Jan 12/06 - An unseemly power struggle erupted in the Likud Party on Thursday when the faction's four Cabinet Ministers were ordered to leave the government by new leader Binyamin Netanyahu - reversing an earlier decision to allow them to remain in office for the duration of the health crisis of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. All four ministers grudgingly gave their consent to the call, but defied Netanyahu's initial order for them to hand in their resignations by 10 am Thursday. While three of the ministers came into line with their leader on Thursday afternoon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom announced that would not comply until Sunday warning that leaving the government was a mistake that would weaken the Likud in the upcoming election contest against the party's popular centrist offshoot,
Kadima.
Kadmia Rises in Polls; Peres Named No.2
ICEJ- Jan 12/06 - Former prime minister Shimon Peres will be second on the electoral list of Ariel Sharon's Kadima Party behind Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert following a late night deal worked out between Peres, Olmert and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday. After a weekend of speculation that Peres might be tempted to leave the fledgling centrist party, Olmert accepted the 82-year old former Labor leader's request for a promotion to the second slot on the party slate. But he turned Peres' request to be deputy prime minister or foreign minister in a Kadima-led government, with both roles expected to go to Livni. Meanwhile, a new poll shows the party at a new high, heading for 44 seats under Olmert, higher even than the 40 predicted in the polls under Sharon.
'BIBI' CANCELS LIKUD GOVERNMENT WALKOUT
ICEJ- Jan 6/06 - Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu on Thursday morning decided to postpone the resignation of his party's ministers from government telling the media in a statement that he would support the interim leadership of Deputy PM Ehud Olmert
in the interests of political stability. Netanyahu has proposed withdrawing all remaining his ministers from the government next week leaving only a rump cabinet of to govern ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. The decision was welcomed by key Likud figures such as Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat who had earlier argued against resigning their cabinet posts.
Likud panel okays Netanyahu's proposal to oust Feiglin
Haaretz - dec 24/05 - The Likud constitution panel on Friday approved a proposal by party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu according to which people with criminal backgrounds will be banned from serving as MKs or filling positions within Likud institutions, Israel Radio reported.
The Likud central committee is slated to vote on the proposal on January 1.
Netanyahu's proposal is aimed at blocking any attempt by far-rightist Moshe Feiglin to win a place on the Likud's Knesset list.
Netanyahu began his campaign to oust Feiglin, who is thought of as the ideological leader of his movement, Jewish Leadership, from the Likud after his election as party chairman earlier this week.
Israel Radio quoted Feiglin as saying Friday that he would not remove his candidacy for the Likud Knesset list despite Netanyahu's 'political lynch'.
Moshe Feiglin: I will stay in the Likud despite Netanyahu's 'political lynch'.
Netanyahu delays Knesset list vote in bid to exclude [Pro-Israel] Feiglin
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
Dec 22/2005 - Haaretz - Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu will work to change the Likud charter so as to prevent Moshe Feiglin, head of the far-right Jewish Leadership faction in the party, from running for a place on the party's Knesset list.
Netanyahu wants to avoid "stigmatizing" the party as extremist.
First voices of opposition to Netanyahu in Likud were heard overnight Thursday, after MK Michael Ratzon (Likud) told Israel Radio the new chairman's
[Netanyahu] move is "an unfortunate witch hunt."
A vote on the party slate that was to have taken place in the Likud Central Committee on January 3 has been postponed to January 9. The same sessions will also see the committee vote on a proposal to reserve the number-two slot on the Likud list for Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Netanyahu informed Shalom of his decision Wednesday, with the foreign minister commenting that the move was the right one and that he was "in favor of any step that would make the Likud cleaner."
Netanyahu called a meeting of legal experts, including chairman of the Likud elections committee Tzvi Cohen and party director general Arik Barami, in an effort to find a loophole
to thwart Feiglin's candidacy for a place on the slate.
Feiglin is believed to have a good chance of being elected to a realistic slot on the list, as the Jewish Leadership faction numbers 130 members in the Likud Central Committee.
In November 1997, Feiglin was sentenced to six months in prison and six months' probation for fomenting revolt while working against the Oslo Accords as part of the Zo Artzenu group.
Netanyahu wants to stop Feiglin in his tracks as soon as possible
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Sharon finally decides New party name: Kadima
BBC - Nov 24/05 - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has finally decided on a name for his new party, after rejecting National Responsibility and Hatikva (Hope) as possible titles.
The breakaway centrist party has been registered under the name Kadima, the Hebrew word for "forward".
The group, whose announcement on Monday redrew at a stoke the entire political landscape, is due to convene in Tel Aviv for the first time on Thursday.
At least 14 MPs from his former party, Likud, have joined the new faction.
Cabinet minister Haim Ramon - formerly of Labour - became the first senior member of the centre-left party to join forces with Mr Sharon.
Israel has set 28 March for early elections - which became necessary after Mr Sharon lost support of hardline Likud members over the Gaza pullout and faced a split in his coalition with Labour.
Several opinion polls in Israeli newspapers on Tuesday suggested that Mr Sharon's breakaway party could win the election, but the BBC Jerusalem correspondent says much may change in the coming weeks.
In-fighting
Israeli media reports say Likud's central committee - which is also meeting today - is preparing to set 19 December to start their leadership primaries.
Correspondents say the Likud candidates have turned on one another in the media after Mr Sharon's departure from the party.
Full Story Here
Nov 21/2005
Lawmakers overwhelmingly approve disbanding Knesset
By Mazal Mualem, Yossi Verter and Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondents
Haaretz - A massive majority of some 80 lawmakers approved eight bills to dissolve the Knesset on Monday evening.
President Moshe Katsav said Monday evening he would accept a decision made by lawmakers to disband the Knesset and hold early elections on March 28.
"My goal is that, during the interim period until elections, the state will continue to operate properly. The prime minister's hands must not be tied," Katsav said.
The president intends to ensure that Knesset factions will allow Sharon to nominate ministers to serve during the interim period in the event that early elections are ordered by legislative decree rather than by presidential order.
The Knesset House Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ally, MK Roni Bar-On, has not yet decided whether to debate the bills themselves or pass them on to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, chaired by MK Michael Eitan, who is staying in Likud.
Slightly earlier, eight Labor Party ministers submitted letters of resignation from the government.
MK Gideon Sa'ar, the chairman of the Likud's Knesset faction, announced earlier Monday that the two largest factions, Likud and Labor, had agreed to vote on the bill.
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Sharon says he would have wasted time by staying in Likud
By Mazal Mualem and Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondents, and The Associated Press
Haaretz /AP - Nov 22/05 -Sharon said Monday he left his Likud party because he didn't want to waste time with political wrangling or squander the opportunities created by the Gaza pullout.
However, Sharon ruled out unilateral withdrawals in the West Bank, and said he remains committed to the internationally-backed road map plan which calls for a negotiated peace deal culminating in a Palestinian state.
"There is no additional disengagement plan," he said, referring to the unilateral Gaza withdrawal. "There is the road map." Sharon said that it is likely more West Bank settlements will be dismantled as part of a final peace deal. He reiterated that the Palestinians have to meet their obligations, including dismantling militant groups, before progress can be made on the road map.
Sharon's decision to leave the Likud will lead to early elections.
Sharon said his decision to leave was fraught with risk. He described his new party as "liberal" and said it would give Israel new hope for peace.
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Peres, Ramon believed soon to join Sharon's new party
By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent
Haaretz - Nov 22/05 - Two of the most prominent members of the Labor Party, outgoing chairman and vice premier Shimon Peres, and Minister Haim Ramon, did not attend Monday's faction meeting. None of the MKs and ministers present was surprised by their absence; according to media reports, the pair plan to join Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new party, National Responsibility.
In contrast, Communications Minister Dalia Itzik, also widely reported to be considering jumping ship, attended the meeting and denied all such rumors. "I do not plan to leave Labor," Itzik declared.
The Labor ministers at the meeting had clearly reconciled themselves to stepping down from the cabinet. Science Minister Matan Vilnai said he would submit his letter of resignation to the cabinet secretary immediately after the meeting, and the others promised to follow suit.
New party chairman Amir Peretz related that Sharon had asked that Labor support the appointment of five to six Likud ministers to replace them. Peretz took an official tone, saying, "If a situation arises in which there are just five ministers in the cabinet, this is not good."
He said he had made it clear in his talk with President Moshe Katzav that he hoped Sharon would not exploit Labor's consent to bringing in a few new ministers.
Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and MK Avraham Shochat had reservations about Peretz's willingness to allow Sharon to expand the cabinet. "It is big mistake to allow Sharon to appoint more ministers. Make no mistake; they will go wild there.
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Israel: Right-wing parties mull merger ahead of upcoming elections
By Nadav Shragai, Haaretz Correspondent
Haaretz - Nov 22/05 - The split in the Likud has also reshuffled the deck in the National Religious and National Union parties both are still weighing the possibility of a merger, but are likewise considering, together with some Likud members, the benefits of a broader Likud-led union that would include both parties. And it is also possible that Avigdor Lieberman, head of the Israel Beitenu party, will also join forces with such a union.
The NRP and National Union say that two conditions need to exist for them to consider the possibility seriously: a disengagement opponent either Benjamin Netanyahu or Uzi Landau must be elected Likud leader; and objective, in-depth studies must be conducted to ascertain whether the sum of all parts in such a union would outperform separate tickets.
The chair of the National Union, MK Benny Elon, said on Monday that his party would act according to its assessment of voter conduct.
"If we see that joining forces with Likud before the elections is better, we'll propose that," he said. "If we see that joining forces with Likud after the elections is better, we'll postpone it until after the elections. Everything must be examined. The question is, where will there be greater dedication on the voter's part to a large bloc, or to distinctly ideological parties?"
Elon said that talks continue over the possibility of the NRP and National Union establishing a joint bloc with the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and Degel Hatorah that would work in tandem after the elections and undertake to join the government only together. This would be a parliamentary bloc, not a separate electoral list.
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Mofaz rejects PM Sharon's offer, will run for
Likud leadership
By Haaretz Staff
Haaretz- Nov 11/05 - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's efforts to lure prominent Likud members to his new National Responsibility party suffered a blow Monday evening when Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz announced in a press conference that he has decided to stay in the Likud and run for party leadership.
Sharon spoke to Mofaz on Monday morning and asked him to show "national responsibility" by joining his new party. Sharon told Mofaz that should he join, he would remain defense minister.
Meanwhile, Sharon on Monday night obtained his goal of attracting one-third of the Likud MKs to the National Responsibility party, entitling it to some of Likud's state funding.
Transport Minister Meir Sheetrit became the 14th Likud MK to announce he was crossing over to Sharon's party.
Earlier Monday, Sharon convened the first meeting of the National Responsibility party shortly after submitting his formal resignation from the Likud.
The meeting, which was closed to the media, was attended by 12 Likud members: Ministers Tzipi Livni, Ehud Olmert, Avraham Hirschon and Gideon Ezra, as well as by Likud MKs Omri Sharon, Marina Solodkin, Roni Bar-On, Ruhama Avraham, Eli Aflalo and Ze'ev Boim.
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