New suspicions stun politicians
Political establishment shocked by new charges against PM, but silence is temporary
The relative quiet in the political establishment, and particularly among Labor and Kadima members, in the wake of the latest suspicions against Ehud Olmert is deceiving: If the suspicions are indeed so grave, why does Ehud Barak’s office refuse to issue a response?
If the suspicions are indeed so dramatic, Barak should have convened a press conference and demanded, again, that Olmert immediately suspend himself or quit. He should have done so in order to prevent the political system from making a mockery of itself until the Kadima primaries in September. If Olmert’s fate is already sealed, why aren’t Tzipi Livni, Shaul Mofaz, Avi Dichter, and Meir Sheetrit, among with all other top Kadima officials, demand that Olmert leave his post at once? This temporary silence is apparently the result of one major factor – the shock.
Here are a few things running through the minds of the people who will decide Olmert’s fate in the near future: First, a move to replace him is already underway, and the Kadima leadership primaries will be held in September. One more week or one week less is not the thing that will save Israel from the shame.
The chances that Olmert will run in the primaries are low, almost slim. He is on his way out. The media game and spins on this matter are over. Therefore, everyone is cautious about shaking the system again and creating instability; if he’s on his way to becoming history anyway, there are other burning issues that need to be taken care of.
Who’s scared of Tzipi Livni?
They are also silent because they know that if Olmert suspends himself; his deputy Tzipi Livni will automatically replace him. Barak doesn’t want that; neither does Mofaz. The last thing they need is to give their political rivals a grace period in the senior post. Livni as prime minister will score points ahead of the primaries and her chances of defeating Mofaz will grow significantly.
It is unclear whether Barak wants this, particularly if we’re headed to general elections. Livni is the Labor party’s greatest electoral rival and the title “prime minister” must not be attached to her name so easily. Nothing good can come out of this as far as Labor is concerned.
So why doesn’t anyone call on Olmert to quit now? This is also complex and problematic. If Olmert resigns, the political establishment will face chaos that could lead to general elections as early as this year. Should the PM resign, the government will become a transition government, and Olmert will continue to serve until the problem is resolved. As such solution cannot be found, elections will follow within a few months.
The main beneficiary of such move can only be Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been sitting on the fence and quietly waiting to see what happens to those sitting around the government table. As such, Barak did not need to draft an agreement with Kadima just to see elections that are good for Netanyahu.
Yet one of the major reasons for the quiet is the shock created by the new details. Suddenly this is not about envelopes, problematic donations, or a cross-examination. This is not only about Talansky. We are dealing with much graver suspicions. The police and Prosecutor’s Office suspect that the PM knowingly took hundreds of thousands of shekels, methodically and with great sophistication.
The new information stunned even those who thought they already saw everything. It’s hard to believe that it really happened. Common sense refuses to accept it and believe Olmert cheated organizations such as Yad Vashem and took away their money. The politicians are shocked too. They are waiting to get more information about this affair. We can assume that the fog will be cleared a little in the coming days, and then they will start talking.
