PM: I'm outside, Nasrallah is in hiding
Olmert says during visit to Tiberias 'this arrogant leader knows there is nothing left for him outside the bunker;’ adds: Two weeks after the war, I'm the one who is approving takeoffs and landings in Beirut
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid a second visit to northern cities and towns Tuesday, and said he was 'not impressed' by Hizbullah leader Hassan Narallah.
"He's in the bunker, and I'm walking around outside" Olmert said.
Olmert toured Haifa, where he met with the mayor. He continued to Tiberias, where he met with the city's council members, and where he gave his impressions of the Hizbullah leader.
"I wasn't impressed by him when he mocked us, and not by his regret speech," said the prime minister.
"The fact is that I'm walking around in Kiryat Shmona, Safed, and Rosh Hahutzot, and Nasrallah is hiding in the bunker. He's not coming out and he knows nothing is waiting for him outside of the bunker. Two weeks after the war, I'm the one who is approving takeoffs and landings in Beirut, and this shows you that something happened here," said Olmert.
"This arrogant leader stooped in front of the whole world and said that he wouldn't have started the war in hindsight. You can't call that a victory speech," the prime minister said.
The prime minister addressed the criticism he faced on the results of the war, and on failures in management of the army and the government during the fighting: "People are creating a picture according to which we became impassioned in the decision to go to war, in the targets we set. But everything is documented, recorded, and written. We said we would deal with Hizbullah in accordance with the circumstances."
"We didn't want the war and didn't plan it, but when it came we did not evade dealing with it," Olmert added. "We could have said, 'why deal with it, let's live in an illusion that everything's okay,' but then in another four or five years, we would have faced a different reality. We were unwilling to accept the threats this war exposed to the north, which could have been much more destructive for the whole country in the future," he said.
'Claim that north collapsed is a lie'
While meeting with Tiberias Council members, Olmert addressed claims raised by the treatment of the home front during the war, and said council heads were responsible: "The problems in the war are a continuance of the problems that existed before the war in local councils. The description of the north collapsing is a lie and a falsehood. Those whose hearts bled for the north sat in the cafes of Tel Aviv and talked about how bad the situation was. But those who came to the north saw that there really were problems, but there was no collapse. The problems were mainly in the cities in which there were social problems first of all, and in which the municipalities struggled to function."
In response a member of opposition in the Tiberias Council rose andsaid: "Mr. Prime Minister, you are not loyal to the truth, because there were major damages to the north."
Olmert replied: "I don't know how it is in the Municipality of Tiberias, but we usually give a chance to speak. Don't bring me in to your internal wars. I have enough of my own."
During the meeting the prime minister's tone changed and he promised council members to transfer funds to renovating the city, including NIS 22 million which will be invested in a tourist initiative – the unveiling of a Roman theater, the largest in Israel.
Olmert met with Tiberias Council Head Zohar Oved, and committed himself to preparing programs by September 10 for the recovery of every northern city, adding that by December budgets for projects are expected to be approved and recovery programs launched.
"The prime minister did not use slogans when he spoke with us, but with statements on how to actually get to work. He promised aid to the communities through a range of various projects, including employment, infrastructures, and tourist aspects," Tiberias' mayor told Ynet.
During the conversation Olmert took interest in the start of the school year this coming Sunday. "The central point is to return things to the point they were on July 12. We will turn the north into a blooming garden of Eden," Olmert promised the mayor.
Sharon Roffe-Ofir contributed to this report
