Olmert: Wage war on ‘organized crime’
Speaking at first Jerusalem Conference on Quality Government, prime minister says fighting unprecedented levels of crime in Israel will be priority of his government
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday during a speech closing the first Jerusalem Conference on Quality Government that it is time to recognize the fact that there is “organized crime” in Israel.
He addressed police saying they had his full support. “We have no patience when it comes to fighting crime, whether it is within the government or not, whether it is among rich or poor. Unfortunately, the circumstances in Israel today give a very strong feeling that the public systems aren’t managed with the same spotlessness as in the past,” Olmert said.
“I am planning to invest in this area during my tenure as prime minister. I will deal with the crime that is assaulting us in the past years to an unprecedented extent. Israel’s government, under my leadership, will not accept these levels of crime, and we are determined to fight it,” he declared.
During his speech, Olmert noted that “there are no real boundaries, and I say this in all contexts. I aspire for a situation in which citizens won’t fear criminals, but rather criminals will fear the enforcement authorities. I want to return to those days when conduct that deviated from social norms was a disgrace.”
Chairman of the Movement for Quality Government, lawyer Eliad Shraga addressed the summit and spoke against corruption. He called on Olmert to “raise the flag in the battle for morality and honest conduct. Fight corruption and the corrupt. Return citizens’ faith in the government and legal systems.”
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss presented a ten-point plan for fighting corruption, which included making punishments for corruption charges more severe, and giving national priority to the battle against corruption in both budgeting and education.
