By Israel News Agency Staff

Jerusalem ---- August 17, 2008 ....... Part of the following was communicated by the Israel Prime Minister's media adviser and the Israel Government Press Office to the Israel News Agency regarding Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert remarks at the start of the weekly Israel Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Ehud Olmert made the following remarks after he recently announced that he would not take part in the upcoming Kadima political party primary elections. Olmert stated that he would resign to make way for his successor. Olmert's aides have stated that should the Israel State Prosecutor's Office choose to indict him on alleged corruption charges before the primaries, he would immediately tender his resignation. Olmert, as all politicians in Israel, have been accused by their opponents of everything from having others pay for their hotels and airline tickets to stealing candy from children.

Olmert also might declare himself temporarily suspended in a bid to prevent the political system from being hurled into utter chaos. Ehud Olmert has proved himself to be a true Zionist. An excellent public speaker for Israel and a former mayor of Jerusalem who united both secular and religious Jews at the same time treated the Israel Arabs of Jerusalem with respect. Olmert devoted himself to the initiation and advancement of major projects in Jerusalem, including the development and improvement of the education system and the development of road infrastructure.

Born in Israel near Binyamina in the British Mandate of Palestine, Ehud Olmert is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with degrees in psychology, philosophy and law.

Olmert served with the Israel Defense Forces in the Golani combat brigade. While in the IDF he was injured and temporarily released. He underwent many treatments, and later completed his military duties as a journalist for the IDF magazine BaMahane. During the Yom Kippur War he joined the headquarters of former general and Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a military correspondent. Already a member of the Knesset, he decided to go through an officer's course in 1980 at the age of 35.

In January of 2006, as the minister of Acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert became Caretaker for the Prime Minister of Israel as a result of the serious stroke suffered by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

In making his comments to the Israel Cabinet today, Ehud Olmert spoke objectivity from his heart with no political agenda. Olmert knows that his days are numbered as Prime Minister and appears to be taking every action solely for the good of Israel and not for political compromise.

"Today's Cabinet discussion will be longer than usual," said Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"The meeting will be dedicated primarily to discussing a proposal for structural changes, reforms and the 2009 budget. We expect the coming year to see recessionary processes in the world economy as well as a rise in inflation which could adversely affect the Israeli economy."

Olmert continued: "The expectation for 2008 is that it will end with significant growth for the Israeli economy, higher than that of any other western economy. This is the result of well balanced fiscal policy and monetary discipline, instituted at times under very difficult circumstances by the Ministry of Finance, with the backing of the Government. The change or innovation regarding today's initial budget discussion is that the Finance Ministry will present the ministers with two possible options for approval.

In recent years we have engraved in our conscious an order of priorities in which education, welfare and security are at the apex. The subjects of education and welfare are not just social issues and the artificial
distinction between welfare and defense are unacceptable to me. I was pleased to hear the statements by the Defense Minister in recent days saying that defense, first of all, is education and welfare. These
issues continue to stand at the top of our priorities and they will come before the Cabinet's discretion.

There are two central concerns which each Minister is responsible for. First, he is responsible for his ministry's budgetary obligations, and the issues which constitute that ministry's priorities, and I expect
each minister to give expression to those priorities and to the matters on his ministry's agenda. Additionally, there is a shared joint responsibility of each government minister, and of the government as a government, towards the national economy. This is not a matter from which Ministers can disregard their responsibilities.

Each minister must find the correct balance between his demands upon his office's budget and the total picture of national needs. Also, something that I will not fathom, and is totally unacceptable, I will not accept the stances of factions in the budget discussion. It has never been so and it will not be so now."

Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert concluded: "I intend to use all my powers to bring about the budget's approval by the timetable set. In this matter I am a full partner with the Finance Minister. A government that is unable to pass a budget in the timeframe which it set itself is proclaiming that it is unable to function, with all the consequences implied by such. I will not allow this to happen. I intend to discharge the total responsibility of my office every day that I fill it, and that of course includes the budget and its passing."

Prime Minister Olmert also put aside his personal feelings regarding Israel Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at today's Cabinet meeting and defended Livni against a political attack made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak in which the latter questioned the foreign minister's judgment regarding security matters.

"A man wakes up in the morning, is 'bitten by a mosquito' and decides to attack someone from Kadima. This time he chose Tzipi," said Olmert.

Olmert's comments came in response to a remark made by Israel Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who warned against weakness in the face of political criticism.

"If we stop saying we are weak, we won't be weak," Olmert said.

In related news, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports that Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state.

If Olmert had made any true mistakes during his term as Israel Prime Minister it had to be that of appointing Amir Peretz as a defense minister. But even having made this choice, Olmert was cleared by the Winograd Commission. Winograd castigated former Defense Minister Amir Peretz and ex-IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Dan Halutz. Winograd said the Defense Minister "did not have the required knowledge or the experience in security or diplomatic matters, or in how to use military strength to achieve objectives. Despite this, he made decisions without consulting others, and did not give sufficient weight to differing opinions. He did not take into account the army's lack of readiness. His influence on decisions were only on local matters; he did not try to grasp or deal with the overall picture. His lack of experience and knowledge weakened the government's ability to deal with the challenges."

The Winograd Commission did not find fault with Olmert for appointing the inexperienced Peretz as Defense Minister, leaving this "political issue" to be judged by the public. But in the end it was not Peretz that led to low public opinion polls of Olmert but rather ceaseless rounds of political attacks by his opponents charging him with corruption. Charges that have yet to be proved.

What is self evident is that after publicly announcing his departure as Prime Minister in the near future, Ehud Olmert continues to serve the Israel public with style, intelligence, integrity and uncompromising Zionism.

 

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Group.

Support Israel with a Birthday Card!