MK Itzchaky, 'It's him or me'
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Minister Livni. Keeping quiet
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Olmert must step down, coalition chairman says
If the prime minister doesn't resign, Kadima is finished, MK Avigdor Itzchaky says Wednesday, threatens to resign if Olmert fails to quit. Cabinet to hold special meeting Wednesday, discuss implementation of Winograd report
Coalition Chairman MK Avigdor Itzchaky (Kadima) told Ynet that he plans to resign from his position if Prime Minister Ehud Olmert does not step down.
"The prime minister should resign, and if he does not, then I feel Kadima is finished," said Itzchaky.
The cabinet will convene Wednesday to approve the establishment of a special committee dedicated to implementing the lessons of the Winograd report regarding the failures of the Second Lebanon War.
The committee, which will be headed by former Army Chief Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, will be asked to submit to the cabinet within a month of its appointment a list of operative measures that should be carried out.
The cabinet is also expected to form a ministerial committee, headed by Olmert himself, to monitor the report's implementation.
Problems on the home front
Later this evening, the Kadima faction will meet to discuss ways to address the deep crisis it is facing in wake of the report's publication.On Wednesday, Olmert met with ministers Eli Yishai and Avigdor Lieberman and managed to secure their support for him and his government. However, support from the Labor party seemed less solid following the resignation of the party's secretary-general, MK Eitan Cabel, in protest of the report's conclusions, and calls by MK Ami Ayalon on Olmert to quit.
Olmert also faces problems in his own party, especially from the direction of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who has already been accused by the prime minister's aides of "subversion." Livni has not commented on the report yet, and is expected to do so Wednesday.
Ronny Sofer contributed to the report
