Ehud Olmert

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'Indict Olmert,' Israeli Cops Urge

Resignation expected soon

(Newser) - Israeli police are recommending that embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert be indicted for bribery, money laundering and fraud, reports the Guardian. The final decision on what action to take after the 18-month investigation rests with the nation's attorney general. Olmert has already indicated he will resign within days.  

Israel Releases 198 Palestinians
 Israel Releases 198 Palestinians

Israel Releases 198 Palestinians

Freed prisoners intended to shore up Fatah PM Abbas; some in Israel fuming

(Newser) - Israel today released 198 Palestinian prisoners in an effort to bolster Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, the AFP reports. The release, on the eve of a visit by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, included two prisoners held since the late 1970s who were convicted of murdering Israelis. One of them,...

Olmert Proposes New West Bank, Gaza Borders

Abbas rejects plan, which doesn't include contiguous Palestine

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert has presented Mahmoud Abbas with a plan to withdraw from most of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip once the Palestinian Authority retakes Gaza from Hamas. The centerpiece of the proposal is a new permanent border that would keep 7% of the West Bank in...

Olmert Move Clouds Future of Peace Deal

Bush efforts to broker Israel-Palestine accord may be dead

(Newser) - State Department officials are putting on a brave face in the wake of Ehud Olmert's resignation announcement, saying that the departure of Israel's PM will not forestall a peace agreement. But as the New York Times reports, most Middle East observers believe that Olmert's move signals the end of the...

Israelis: Olmert Successor Is Unlikely to Forge Coalition

Netanyahu calls for snap elections

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a snap election after Ehud Olmert's sudden announcement that he will resign as Israel's PM. Riding high in the polls, the head of Likud said that "it doesn't matter who heads Kadima. They are all partners in this government's total failure." The call...

Who Will Replace Olmert?
 Who Will
 Replace Olmert?
ANALYSIS

Who Will Replace Olmert?

Who is likely to succeed Ehud as Kadima's leader?

(Newser) - Who will succeed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when he resigns in 2 months? Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, known as "Mrs. Clean," is a top candidate and would likely engage Palestine in peace talks, Ian Black writes in the Guardian. Challenging her will be hawkish Shaul Mofaz, a...

Israeli PM to Step Down in 2 Months

Olmert's move may threaten peace effort, national stability

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced today he will resign in September, throwing his country into political turmoil and raising doubts about progress for US-backed Mideast peace efforts. Olmert's brief address included harsh criticism of police investigations of corruption allegations against him. He said he was choosing the public good...

In Blow to Bush, Olmert Rules Out Deal in 2008

Israeli PM calls timeline for Palestinian pact 'unrealistic'

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert said today it is "unrealistic" to expect a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by the end of the year. The Israeli PM and Palestian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas pledged last year to make a deal by the end of 2008, and their inability to do so is a...

Global Leaders Slam Israel's West Bank Expansion Plan

Officials say move would trample peace deals

(Newser) - Israeli plans to build a new West Bank settlement—one that was shelved after strenuous objections from the US in 2006—were revived yesterday, sparking an international outcry, the Washington Post reports. “They're burying the Annapolis process,” said a Palestinian negotiator, referring to agreements made at the Bush-led...

Obama Visits Sderot, Meets Olmert, Abbas

Candidate's Israel visit continues in meetings with Abbas, Olmert

(Newser) - Barack Obama waded into the thicket of Mideast politics today, siting down with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and visiting Sderot, an Israeli city near the Gaza border that's a frequent target of rocket attacks. If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, Obama said at a press conference, it would mark...

Next, Thicket of Arab-Israeli Conflict Awaits Obama

Dem to meet key Jordanian, Palestinian, Israeli figures; street expects little change

(Newser) - With the war leg of his foreign tour behind him, Barack Obama must next navigate the Middle East peace process. He’ll meet with top Israeli and Palestinian leaders tomorrow, the New York Times reports, and will visit the rocket-bombarded town of Sderot. US Jewish voters will be particularly attentive...

Obama Camp Spills Some Details on Foreign Trip

Israel, in particular, presents tricky schedule for Democrat

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s team released a few details about their candidate's trip abroad today, but the time frame remains tightly under wraps. Israel in particular presents a maze of meetings for the Democrat, who’ll see not only president Shimon Peres, but scandal-plagued prime minister Ehud Olmert and three potential...

New Mediterranean Union Eyes Mideast Peace

'Gesture of peace' launches new 43-nation group

(Newser) - The inaugural meeting yesterday of the Union of the Mediterranean, which brought together the 27 EU countries and their neighbors to the south, kicked off discussions about a number of mutual projects. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy used it as an opportunity to flex some diplomatic muscle by bringing Syrian...

Israel Agrees to Hezbollah Prisoner Swap

Notorious killer will be released

(Newser) - Israel has signed a prisoner exchange deal with Hezbollah which includes the release of a terrorist who has been in an Israeli prison for 29 years. The release of Samir Qantar, who took part in a terror raid in which a child was murdered, is the most controversial element of...

Israel to Trade Convicts for 2 Soldiers

Hezbollah hails swap as evidence of its growing power

(Newser) - Israeli officials today approved a prisoner swap with Hezbollah to release the bodies of two soldiers whose capture triggered a 2006 war, Reuters reports. In return, Hezbollah secured the freedom of five gunmen, including one of Israel’s “most notorious convicts,” the New York Times says. Israeli PM...

Olmert Pact Saves Israeli Parliament

Deal means PM will face leadership challenge this fall

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert narrowly averted the collapse of the Israeli government today by pledging that his party would hold a leadership election by late September, Haaretz reports. In exchange, Labor Party withdrew its support for a motion of non-confidence. Olmert is facing investigation in connection with $150,000 he took from...

Cop's Suicide Interrupts Sarkozy's Israel Send-Off

Airport incident spurs assassination fears

(Newser) - An elite Israeli border policeman shot himself in the head today in the middle of a departure ceremony for Nicolas Sarkozy. Security officers, worried about a possible assassination attempt, rushed Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni onto their plane, while others spirited away Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres, who were there...

Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks
 Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks 

Israel Invites Lebanon to Talks

Disputed sliver along border on table; offer follows Rice visit to region

(Newser) - Israel today invited the Lebanese government to direct negotiations, adding that it would be willing to discuss all issues, including a long-disputed area along their border, the New York Times reports. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who visited both nations earlier this week, is attempting to use negotiation over...

Israel-Hezbollah Swap May Signal Progress

Exchange could foreshadow more controversial deals

(Newser) - The weekend swap of a Hezbollah spy for the remains of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers has whipped up speculation about the release of more Lebanese prisoners, the Independent reports. Although Israel denied the return of the remains was negotiated, the German foreign minister has been facilitating talks between the parties,...

Barak Calls for Olmert to Quit
Barak Calls for Olmert to Quit

Barak Calls for Olmert to Quit

Threatens to leave gov't coalition; US businessman says he gave PM wads of cash

(Newser) - Israel's defense minister told Ehud Olmert to take a leave of absence or step down while he battles corruption charges, reports the BBC, and threatened to leave the country's governing coalition if he refused. "The prime minister needs to disconnect himself from the day-to-day management of the government,"...

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