Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's supporters in Kadima understand how difficult his situation is in the wake of the scathing report on his conduct during the Second Lebanon War ,and are trying to find him an honorable way out.
Senior party members plan to offer him a number of alternatives which will allow him to resign in an honorable way in a number of months. The officials told Ynet on Tuesday that any attempts to topple Olmert would not succeed.
"Our motto was for a different, clean kind of politics. The prime minister cannot be ousted. Either there will be general elections, or the prime minister will go, but ousting him is impossible," the sources said.
Meanwhile, Coalition chairman, Knesset Member Avigdor Itzchaky (Kadima), has begun looking into his fellow coalition members' stance over the continuation of Olmert's tenure as prime minister.
Itzchaky told Ynet on Tuesday that he was holding talks with Kadima's Knesset members over the question whether Olmert should resign.
"I am not organizing anything at the moment. It's my duty as chairman of the coalition to look into the situation and examine everyone's opinions in order to know what people think. I am holding talks and checking who is in favor and who opposes the prime minister's resignation," Itzchaky said.
- MK Iztchaky has not hesitated in the past to publicly clash with Prime Minister Olmert, and about two months ago even referred to "the most difficult leadership crisis in the State's history."
MK Menahem Ben-Sasson (Kadima), chairman of the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, said in response to Itzchaky's move, "The steps that are being taken by people in the faction calling on the prime minister to resign or acting to replace him are irresponsible.
"The faction should stand by our ministers' decisions and support the prime minister who has taken responsibility and is continuing toward rehabilitation," said Ben-Sasson.
Calls for resignation
Itzchaky's move was launched only several hours after the first cracks in the Olmert government and coalition were revealed.
On Tuesday morning, Minister Eitan Cabel announced his resignation from the government, saying that "I can no longer sit in a government headed by Ehud Olmert."
Cabel added that he would call on all Labor ministers to leave the government.
Kadima MK Marina Solodkin also declared that Olmert should resign.
"I believe there is no other option but for Olmert to resign. The Winograd report is unequivocal. The report rules that he has failed, and it is even more severe than the leaks which preceded the publication. The report is unequivocal and Olmert must resign."
Knesset Member Michael Nudelman (Kadima) told Ynet that "in a Western country, after such a report, there would be no doubt that the prime minister must resign, but here we have a different tradition – we are country of chaos.
"Olmert is not the only one to blame, but I think he will have to resign soon. He will not be able to face the pressure from the parties and the public," MK Nudelman said.
It was reported later Tuesday evening by sources from the Prime Minister's Office that after talking with Olmert, Nudelman said that he took back his earlier calls for resignation, and that he supported Olmert staying on as prime minister.
Yishai demands professional committee
The Shas faction has also shown a shift in its support of Olmert.
MK Chaim Amsellem (Shas) said that Shas "is waiting for instructions from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. If Prime Minister Olmert asked my opinion, I would recommend he makes the difficult and courageous decision that is best for him and the state.
"As for us, I don’t think we should be the first to jump in to join media slander, but if it turns out that the general public is already fed up with the government, we will have to make some conclusions. We are awake and alert to the public's cries."
The prime minister however, does not plan to give up so easily. After announcing Monday night that he would not resign, Olmert prepared to do some damage control within the coalition.
Olmert planned a round of meetings with coalition faction heads, including ministers Eliyah Yishai, Avigdor Lieberman and Rafi Eitan.
Yishai has already met with Olmert, and demanded he set up a professional committee to examine the Winograd Commission's report. The two met for over an hour and discussed the report's repercussions.
First published: 16:56, 05.01.7