Olmert Pact Saves Israeli Parliament

Counts date back to time as mayor of Jerusalem

(NEWSER) - Things got worse for Ehud Olmert today, as the former Israeli prime minister was indicted on charges related to bribes he allegedly took back when he was mayor of Jerusalem. Olmert is already on trial for three unrelated counts, but the new charges are the most serious: He’s accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars to facilitate the construction of a massive Jerusalem housing complex widely known as "the monster," the New York Times reports. More»

Says US media 'skewed' on Israel

(NEWSER) - Glenn Beck spoke before an adoring crowd at the Israeli parliament today, telling them to forcefully state their case in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “In America, the media is so skewed on Israel,” Beck said, according to CNN . “Honestly, I thought you can only cook your food over a burning bus.” He said the truth of the matter was that the conflict “is about the destruction of Israel and end of the western way of life. Period.” More»

Ex-Israeli PM convinced in court he'll 'be able to prove his innocence once and for all'

(NEWSER) - Israel’s attorney general has officially indicted former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on corruption charges, the BBC reports. The 61-page charge, filed in court today, accuses Olmert of "fraud, breach of trust, registering false corporate documents, and concealing fraudulent earnings.” Olmert denies all the charges, which relate to three different cases in Olmert’s political life before he became prime minister. More»

(NEWSER) - Israeli police have recommended the indictment of the country's foreign minister for bribery, money laundering, and other corruption charges, Haaretz reports. Avigdor Lieberman, who leads the ultranationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party and was kingmaker in February's closely-run election, has been under investigation for years and is accused of funneling cash to a chain of front companies and bank accounts even after he became a minister. If charged and convicted he faces 31 years in jail. More»

Obama should take 'non-priority issue' off the table, writes ex-PM

(NEWSER) - It's fine for Barack Obama to make overtures to the Arab world, but Ehud Olmert, reminding him in a Washington Post op-ed that Israel is "the only real Middle Eastern democracy," complains that he has focused too much of his attentions on Israel's settlements in the West Bank. Olmert says the two-state solution agreed to by George W. Bush—with whom his administration had "deep and candid understandings, both written and oral"—and codified in Annapolis, set out clear limits to Israeli settlements, but did not halt all future building. More»