Olmert becomes first premier to face trial

 

Ehud Olmert

 

 For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1111331.html

He is suspected of committing the crimes while serving as mayor of Jerusalem and afterwards when a cabinet minister, before he became prime minister in 2006.

For full article, visit http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/08/200983014538891475.html

 

In the first case, Mr Olmert is accused of accepting envelopes stuffed with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from an American businessman. He admits taking money, but insists that the donations were legal contributions to his campaigns for re-election as mayor of Jerusalem and for the leadership of Likud, his former party

For full article, visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/6114907/Ehud-Olmert-indicted-on-three-corruption-charges-in-Israel.html

Olmert’s spokesman, Amir Dan, issued a statement after the indictment was filed declaring that “after they forced a prime minister to step down in the middle of his term, it is obvious that the attorney-general and the state attorney do not have, and never had, any choice but to file an indictment against Olmert. The court, on the other hand, is free of extraneous considerations. Olmert is convinced that in court, he can and will prove his innocence once and for all.

For full article, visit http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1251145156231&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Recent criminal investigations against Israeli politicians have landed several in jail and increased public calls for government reform. Avraham Hirshson, a former Finance Minister, is about to begin a five-year prison sentence for embezzling $1 million, while Shlomo Benizri, a former Health Minister, is serving a four-year sentence for bribery, fraud and obstruction of justice. Several others are still being investigated

For full article, visit http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6815383.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093

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Lieberman, Avigdor — Israeli politician and deputy prime minister

Avigdor Lieberman, chair of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu (Israel Our Home) party, joined Ehud Olmert’s government as deputy prime minister and Minister of Strategic Threats in October 2006. As a cabinet member, Lieberman is an integral part of all strategic discussions. Lieberman, who is known for his advocacy of “transfer,” or ethnic cleansing, of Palestinian citizens in Israel, as well as his declaration that Palestinian members of the Knesset who meet with Palestinian leaders from the West Bank and Gaza should be executed as traitors, immigrated to Israel from Moldova at the age of 20.

For full article, visit http://electronicintifada.net/bytopic/people/658.shtml

Livni: Lieberman ruined years of peace efforts in just 20 minutes

In an interview with Israel Radio, the Kadima chairwoman said she had expected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce that he did not share Lieberman’s expressed sentiments, and was disappointed that such clarification was not made.

Meanwhile, outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert said on Thursday that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process kick-started in Annapolis bolstered international recognition of Israel. Speaking at a farewell event organized by his Kadima party, Olmert responded to Lieberman’s disparaging that Israel was not bound by the framework of the U.S.-sponsored summit.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1076196.html

Netanyahu government / No sense of democracy in action

First to ascend the dais is Ehud Olmert. He delivers a defensive speech, summing up his tenure as prime minister as well as his political career. “Even if it happened sooner than I had hoped, and under a cloud of circumstances that are well-known, I don’t carry even a trace of bitterness, anger, or complaint,” the outgoing prime minister promises, for starters. No complaining? Is that the Olmert that we knew, or did they bring a double? This suspicion clears fairly soon, however, as Olmert confronts the press in his usual manner, albeit perhaps in subtler tones. “The multitude of slanderers by mouth and pen” apparently gave “a free propaganda trophy to the Hezbollah.” Those who criticized the Gaza war are mere “pen pushers.” To Olmert, everyone else is always wrong.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1075351.html

Amos Harel: Cast Lead expose / What did the IDF think would happen in Gaza?

A large part of the operation was conducted by remote control. “The Palestinians are completely transparent to us,” says A., a reservist whose brigade was posted in the Gaza Strip. “The Shin Bet has people everywhere. We observe the whole area from the air and usually the Shin Bet coordinator can also tell you who lives in what house.” The Shin Bet defines the enemy and, for the most part, someone who belongs to Hamas’ civilian welfare organizations (the da’awa) is treated the same way as a member of its military wing, the Iz al-Din al-Qassam.

For full article, visit http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1074218.html