Only in Israel: 'Commitment to peace' claimed to trump taking $600,000 in bribes

Only in Israel would a disgraced former Prime Minister have the gall to call as a character witness the former Prime Minister of a foreign country to urge a reduced sentence for taking $600,000 in bribes because of his 'commitment to peace.' The disgraced former Prime Minister is Ehud K. Olmert (pictured above being greeted in jail by convicted rapist and former President Moshe Katzav). The former Prime Minister of a foreign country is Britain's Tony Blair.

Blair's letter, which highlighted Olmert's commitment to "ensuring that Israel was protected," but noted his appreciation that "peace was an indispensable part of such protection,"  was issued to the court as Olmert's defense team attempted to roll back the scrutiny assailing Olmert's reputation and pleaded for the former Labor leader not to serve any jail time.

...

The Defense emphasized Olmert's personal relationship with other major figures during his tenure, with Blair's letter suggesting that the two leader's report going "beyond that between heads of Government", being "based on friendship and trust with a clear understanding of the needs and sensitivities of the other side."

Maybe we should just rename Olmert the Etrog. 

A second letter was issued on Olmert's behalf by former Mossad chief Meir Dagan, a man who has probably done more than any other Israeli to ensure that Iran becomes a nuclear weapons state.

Just how corrupt is Olmert? From the original link above:

[I]n March, the court assessed the new [Olmert's former secretary Shula] Zaken recordings, her journal and much of her testimony, changing their conclusion from acquittal into convicting Olmert after finding that the evidence proved beyond a reasonable doubt that at least $153,950 out of the over $600,000 Olmert was accused of using for illegal personal use was in fact used illegally.

Damningly,  the court found that a recording of Olmert telling Zaken she could take funds from a secret safe for her illegal use contradicted  his narrative that he was unaware of any such  funds or that he thought they were being used for permitted political purposes.

 Yes, Israelis, our government is often as corrupt as we think it is.