Amir Oren: Corrupt Olmert is a Worthy Successor of Sharon
Excerpts;
“Power, said Henry Kissinger, is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Kissinger used this to explain why an expert – with a thick German accent – in the convoluted nuances of nuclear deterrence became an object of desire for a Hollywood blonde. Power, one can add upon consideration of Israeli politics, is also the best antiseptic. Taking the reins of power retroactively cleans all the stains and smells along the way.”
“The current model for this is Ehud Olmert, the frequency of whose meetings with the police rivaled that of a Civil Guard volunteer. Olmert, in keeping with the hymns of praise from his supporters, is indeed a worthy successor to Ariel Sharon. Both have the tendency to enter the thicket of criminal suspicions, as well as the ability to worm their way out of these suspicions even if they are smeared with harsh words that would have caused a sensitive citizen of good conscience to shut himself up in his home – but did not interfere with them climbing onward and upward.”
For context, click here. As previously stated on this blog, Olmert’s statement (“We are tired of fighting, we are tired of being courageous, we are tired of winning, we are tired of defeating our enemies, we want that we will be able to live in an entirely different environment of relations with our enemies. We want them to be our friends, our partners, our good neighbors.”) is about as absurd a comment as has been heard from a sitting Prime Minister, a Deputy Prime Minister or an Acting Prime Minister since Ehud Barak spoke his gem on Yom HaZikaron, 5760; “Heavy, maybe too heavy, is the price we bear for our independence and building the 52 years of the State of Israel.”
Aluf Benn: Olmert Can Only Sell Retreat if can International Security Force to Provide Security
Excerpts;
“Unlike Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who hated to make decisions and covered his diplomatic policy plans in a fog of ambiguity, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has openly presented his views on the future borders. Two years ago he had already spoken about a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank to a demographic line that would maintain a ratio of 80:20 between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, and about an exit from the outermost Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem.”
“Olmert said that Israel must determine its own fate and not wait for a Palestinian partner; otherwise it would find itself isolated internationally and in distress vis-a-vis an Arab majority between the Jordan and the sea. As we have not heard any change in his opinions, it is possible to predict that Olmert will try to advance this plan if he wins the elections. It enjoys support at the top level of Kadima, and in the absence of Sharon, who said ‘there will not be a second disengagement,’ the leadership barrier that had held it up has been removed.”
“There will be three obstacles in Olmert’s way. First he has to win the elections. If he is elected, he will have to win over the defense establishment, from which expressions of regret about the complete withdrawal from Gaza have been heard (Avi Dichter, Kadima’s new security master mind, has explicitly warned against another unilateral withdrawal). Olmert lacks his predecessor’s military authority, and he will need the best of his political abilities to put together a coalition in uniform that will support him. Such support is necessary, because soldiers and police are the ones who will have to evacuate the West Bank settlers. The third challenge will be putting together suitable international recompense and convincing the American administration that a second disengagement will not undermine the stability of the region.”