Olmert whines again about being 'persecuted'
“I have never faced such pressure in my whole political career from all over Israel and the world, saying ‘Run, Olmert, run,” he said of requests that he return to the political arena.
“I was never close to coming back, and I never told any writers I was running.”
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“I looked at the [political field], saw what people said about the behavior of those in the bloc close to my stances, and reached the conclusion that this is not where I want to be in the near future, not with those norms of behavior,” he said.
Olmert explained that if he would return to politics, it would be to form a bloc that would “change Israeli policy and leadership,” but that the behavior and atmosphere in the Center-Left were negative and “filled with hatred.”
The former prime minister also blamed State Attorney Moshe Lador for “personally persecuting” him.
“Just hours after the Central Elections Committee said there is no reason for me not to run, he [Lador] submitted an appeal [against Olmert’s acquittals in the Talansky and Rishon Tours affairs and his sentence of probation and a fine for his conviction for breach of trust in the Investment Center Affair],” Olmert pointed out. “This is an obvious attempt to influence the political process by a man with a clear conflict of interest.”I don't even know to which political party Lador belongs, but given his position, it's unlikely that he's a man of the Right.
In the meantime, Olmert has probably killed the possibility that the egomaniac Livni will ever run as his number 2.
According to Olmert, the only politician with whom he discussed a run was Tzipi Livni, who expressed willingness to be No. 2 on a list he led.
Olmert also said that Livni told him his legal situation would not influence her decision whether to run with him or not.
However, he threw his support behind Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz.
“We’ll let the voters decide [if Livni is worthy of being prime minister]. If it was between her and [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu], I’d definitely pick her, but Mofaz is definitely worthy.And Olmert feels no compunction about undermining Israel's position abroad.
Responding to criticism that it was inappropriate for him to disparage Netanyahu abroad, Olmert said it was important for him to express his opinion against policies he thinks were harming Israel internationally, but that he also showed respect for the prime minister.The Justice Ministry and the Likud both slammed Olmert for the interview.
The Justice Ministry on Sunday strongly criticized Ehud Olmert's Channel 2 interview over the weekend, according to Army Radio, saying his comments were false and were intended to hurt the state's appeal of his recent court acquittal on corruption charges.Anyone want to take bets on how long it will be before Olmert moves to France? He's beneath contempt.
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Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud party also condemned Olmert's assertion that “Netanyahu is isolating Israel and we are paying a heavy price.”
In a statement, the party said that "Olmert incites against Israel throughout the world but he is the last person who should be preaching morality."
Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Ehud K. Olmert, Knesset elections 2013, Likud party, Operation Pillar of Defense, Shaul Mofaz, Tzipi Livni
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:28 AM
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