Olmert's Fall
On Sept 8, 2008, during the month of Elul of the year 5768, police recommended indicting Olmert for bribery and a host of other charges. First, for Olmert's role in the Talansky cash- envelopes affair, in which Olmert is accused of illicitly receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from Long Island investor Morris Talansky in exchange for promoting Talansky's business. Second, for the improper financial relationship between Olmert and Talansky in which attorney Uri Messer, Olmert's associate, and Shula Zaken were involved. These relationships were recorded in Shula Zaken's diary entries. At first, the money was kept in a safe in Messer's office, in accordance with a request by Olmert and Zaken. Later, the money was kept in a Bank Leumi safe. Shula Zaken handed the money in cash form to Messer. From time to time, Messer was asked to transfer money to Zaken and/or Olmert. On a number of instances, Messer was asked to convert a certain amount of dollars and transfer the money to Zaken or Olmert.
When Ehud Olmert was a right-wing mayor of Jerusalem, he built his political persona around his frequent vows to keep the city united as Israel's capital forever. In his younger days, he was an ultranationalist member of Knesset in the right-wing Likud Party. But all this was a facade and political opportunism. Olmert takes his stand as any position that will increase his political power.
His term as Prime Minister has been marked by a distinct shift left. Since becoming Prime Minister, he has been speaking about giving much of the West Bank away in the so-called land for peace process. In an interview published Monday, September 29, in Yediot Aharonot, Olmert said Israel will have to leave much of the West Bank, including east Jerusalem, and give the Palestinians a state in an area equal to the size of the entire West Bank and Gaza. Olmert also said peace with Syria required a pullout from the Golan Heights.
Olmert's shift from right to left makes his stated positions public lies. The relevancy of the key word liar used in the above two tables cannot be doubted.
In response to Olmert's statements, MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP-NU) said that
the prime minister had proved he had lost control and was completely alienating himself from the ideological base he was educated by. The country is very lucky he is now leaving his post.
MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said that Olmert's comments exposed his leftist approach, like that of Meretz. In an interview with Israel Radio, Shalom likened Olmert
to a blind man driving a car into the depths and said his idea to establish Iranian and Hamas bases in the Golan Heights and West Bank proved that he had lost his way.