The resignation of prime minister Ehud Olmert has gladdened most Israelis

National Review, Sept 1, 2008

The resignation of prime minister Ehud Olmert has gladdened most Israelis. In spite of his mounting unpopularity, he had been clinging to office using all the black arts of politics. Always a man of the right, he suddenly and cynically swerved to the left, thereby alienating his former power base. Then the botched 2006 war with Hezbollah dramatically exposed his limitations, allowing Hezbollah to claim victory and encouraging the Arab and Muslim world to believe that Israel could be destroyed. He sank to record lows in the polls, and Israelis began to speculate on how to be rid of him. Meanwhile, rumors of his shady dealings initiated multiple police investigations that continue. He responded by pledging to negotiate peace with the Palestinians, remove Israeli settlements from the West Bank, perhaps divide Jerusalem, and conduct negotiations with Syria. None of this was realistic, and there is no doubt that he knew it, but it permitted him to carry on as before. Finally, an American well-wisher testified that he had paid expenses for Olmert amounting to a six-figure sum. At that point, Olmert's resignation was only a matter of time. Determined though he was, public opinion in the end proved strong enough to pry him out of office.

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