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Commentary;
Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA makes this comment on the Jerusalem Post report below;
Given Mr. Olmert’s etrog status, anything short of catching him killing someone in a live broadcast would probably not be sufficient for an indictment as far as AG Mazuz is concerned. And even then, Mr. Olmert’s team has already noted that the law doesn’t require a prime minister to resign if he is indicted – he has to be convicted.
This author wryly offered up this response in a JPost talkback;
“Better make that $2 million — $1 million for the evidence and another million to grease palms all up and down the internal Security (police) ministry, the attorney general’s office and “Justice” ministry!”
But in reality, a further reading of this piece reveals an apparent rather amateurish attempt by the prime minister or his office to portray himself as the poor victim being persecuted by the “bad religious, nationalistic right” before a dumbed-down Israeli public. MB
‘1,000,000 Dollars to Bring Down Olmert’, by Elie Leshem (Jerusalem Post)
Full Text;
Unidentified Right-wing figures in the US and Israel are willing to pay big money to anyone who comes up with evidence against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that will be cause enough for him to step down as prime minister, Channel 2 revealed Thursday.
The report featured a recording of a conversation between an unnamed businessman and a private investigator hired to garner the information.
The investigator asked the businessman if he had information that could incriminate Olmert.
“In the beginning you may be a bit put off, but think about it, you don’t have to give me an answer now,” the investigator told the businessman. “A number of senior personages on a global level are behind this initiative. The situation today is that Olmert is bad for the Jews. You know no less than me that he’s very bad for the Jews.
And there is a group of people who have taken upon themselves [to oust him from power], very wealthy people – on a global level.”
When the businessman asked who these people were, the investigator answered: “Good Jews, and I have been sent to take care of the matter and try to remove this person [Olmert] from where he is. There is a large jackpot involved.”
“I am more interested in the ideology than the jackpot,” the businessman replied.
“Then you are better than I thought,” the investigator said. “I wanted to interest you in both the jackpot and the ideology. I am trying to find material in all different places; that Olmert received bribes, that he deceived.”
“How much parnasa [livelihood] is involved?” the businessman asked.
“If we did a good job, one million dollars,” the investigator said, and explained what a good job would be: “If we caused someone in the state prosecution or the police or the media to say: ‘With this we’re bringing him down,’ Olmert is going down, he’s going home – that’s good enough.”