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Ehud Olmert (IPA /ɛhud ˈolmert/; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel.

Olmert became Prime Minister on April 13, 2006 but has been exercising the powers of the office since they were transferred to him on January 4, 2006 after Ariel Sharon suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke. Olmert's title for that period was "Acting" Prime Minister.

Previously, Olmert was the Deputy Prime Minister of Israel, the Finance minister, Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, and Minister responsible for the Israel Lands Administration, as well as Mayor of Jerusalem. .

Youth and military service

Born 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's childhood included membership in the Beitar Youth Organization and dealing with the fact that his parents were often blacklisted and discriminated against due to their affiliation with Herut, the opposition to the long-ruling Mapai party. However, by the 1970s this was proving less detrimental to one's career than during the 1950s, and Olmert succeeded in opening a successful law partnership in Jerusalem.

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

MK and Minister

Olmert was first elected to the Knesset in 1973 at the age of 28 and was re-elected seven consecutive times.

During 1981-1988, he was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee and has also served on the Finance, Education and Defense Budget Committees.

He served as Minister without portfolio, responsible for minority affairs (1988-1990), and as Minister of Health (1990-1992).

Mayor of Jerusalem

From 1993 to 2003, Ehud Olmert served two terms as Mayor of Jerusalem, the first member of Likud or its precursors to hold the position. During his term in office, he devoted himself to the initiation and advancement of major projects in the city, the development and improvement of the education system, and the development of road infrastructure. He also spearheaded the development of the light rail system in Jerusalem, and the investment of millions of sheqals in the development of mass transportation options for the city.

While Mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert was an invited speaker at an international conflict resolution conference held in Derry in Northern Ireland. In his address, he spoke of how "Political leaders can help change the psychological climate which affects the quality of relationships among people." His speech concluded with reflections on the importance of political process in overcoming differences: "How are fears born? They are born because of differences in tradition and history; they are born because of differences in emotional, political and national circumstances. Because of such differences, people fear they cannot live together. If we are to overcome such fear, a credible and healthy political process must be carefully and painfully developed. A political process that does not aim to change the other or to overcome differences, but that allows each side to live peacefully in spite of their differences."

Nevertheless, at the same time, as Mayor of Jerusalem, he himself favoured controversial housing developments for Jews only on the Mount of Olives and Ras-al Amud.

Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

Ehud Olmert was elected as a member of the sixteenth Knesset in January 2003. He served as the head of the election campaign for the Likud Party in the elections, and subsequently was the chief negotiator of the coalition agreement. Following the elections he was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. From 2003-2004, he also served as Minister of Communications.

On August 7 2005, Olmert was appointed as acting Finance Minister, replacing Benjamin Netanyahu, who had resigned in protest against the planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Olmert, who had originally opposed withdrawing from land captured in the Six-Day War, and who had voted against the Camp David Peace Accords in 1978, is a vocal supporter of the Gaza pullout. After his appointment, Olmert said:

"I voted against Menachem Begin, I told him it was a historic mistake, how dangerous it would be, and so on and so on. Now I am sorry he is not alive for me to be able to publicly recognize his wisdom and my mistake. He was right and I was wrong. Thank God we pulled out of the Sinai."

During Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's second term, Olmert was Deputy Prime Minister, and was widely viewed as Sharon's right hand man. He was a vocal supporter of government policy and was the most important ally of Sharon during the September 2005 unilateral disengagement plan. When Sharon announced his leaving the Likud and the formation of a new party, Kadima, Olmert was one of the first to join him.

Acting Prime Minister

On January 4, 2006, Olmert became Acting Prime Minister of Israel as a result of the serious stroke suffered by Ariel Sharon. The elections scheduled for March 28 took place as scheduled.

In the light of reports that Sharon may never recover to the extent of being able to resume work, Olmert was seen as likeliest person to lead Kadima into the elections. Under Israeli law, if Sharon was declared "permanently incapacitated" by the Attorney General, Olmert would continue as Acting Prime Minister for 100 days after which a permanent Prime Minister must be chosen. The elections, however, were due less than 100 days from the occurrence of Sharon's stroke. Since Sharon's was declared thus in April 2006, Olmert was chosen as successor to Sharon by Kadima.

In the days following the stroke, Olmert met with Shimon Peres and other Sharon supporters to try to convince them to stay with Kadima, rather than return to Likud or, in Peres' case, Labour. Peres has announced his support for Olmert, as has Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who is regarded as the strongest political force other than Olmert within Kadima.

On January 16 2006, Olmert was elected Acting Chairman of Kadima and number 1 candidate in the March 28 elections.

On January 24 2006, Ehud Olmert, in his first major policy address since becoming Israel's acting prime minister, said at the Herzliya Conference that he backed the creation of a Palestinian state, and that Israel would have to relinquish parts of the West Bank to maintain its Jewish majority.

In a number of interviews to the Media during the election campaign for the 17th Knesset in 2006, Ehud Olmert introduced to the public his convergence plan.

In the Elections for the 17th Knesset on March 28, despite scoring a weaker-than-expected showing of 29 seats, Olmert's party, Kadima, was still the largest block in the Knesset and thus the first choice for assembling a coalition. In his victory speech, Olmert promised to make Israel a just, strong, peaceful and prosperous state, respecting the rights of the minorities, cherishing education, culture and science and above all—striving to achieve lasting and definite peace with the Palestinians. Olmert stated that as Israel is willing to compromise for peace, the Palestinians must be flexible in their positions as well. He stated that if the Palestinians, with Hamas now leading the Palestinian Authority, refuse to recognize the State of Israel, then Israel "will take her own fate in her hands" directly, implying unilateral action. The future of the next governing coalition largely depends on the goodwill of other parties to cooperate with the newly elected prime minister.

As of Friday, April 14, 2006, Sharon is no longer in a temporarily incapacitated state, having been in the hospital for 100 days he is now permanently incapacitated. On April 11, the Israeli Cabinet appointed Olmert Interim Prime Minister, effective April 14, unless Sharon's health improved. As Sharon's health did not improve, Olmert became the Prime Minister of Israel on April 14.

Olmert was elected to the 17th Knesset in 2006.

Prime Minister

On May 4, 2006, Olmert presented his new government to the Knesset. Olmert became Prime Minister and Minister for Welfare. The control over Welfare Ministry is expected to be given to United Torah Judaism if it will join the government. Olmert would, however, remain Minister of Welfare as UTJ usually prefers to manage government ministries from a Deputy Minister position.

On May 24, 2006 Olmert was invited to address a joint session of the US Congress. He stated that his government would proceed with Israel's unilateral disengagement plan if it could not come to agreement with the Palestinians. Olmert was the third Israeli Prime Minister to have been invited to speak at a joint session of Congress. On June 4, 2006 Olmert announced he will meet Mahmoud Abbas to resume talks on the Road map for peace.

Under Olmert, the policy of ambiguity on the possession by Israel of nuclear weapons remains intact. One result of this is the continued detention in Israel of the nuclear whistleblower, Mordechai Vanunu, who spent eighteen years in prison in Israel after breaking confidentiality agreements and divulging to a news organization in Britain about Israel's suspected nuclear projects.

Allegations

In the 1970s, Olmert was rumored to be a party to a complex scheme involving well-known Jerusalem businessmen, organized crime, corrupt legislators, and retired General Rechavam Ze'evi. This affair was documented in investigative journalist Aryeh Avneri's Ha'tvusa in 1992. During the run-up to the Ze'evi libel suit, Olmert allegedly took funds from the Likud treasury for his defense fund, although his lawyers were from his own law firm, which would effectively constitute bribery. All accusations against Olmert were eventually settled out of court.

Israeli businessman David Appel has been suspected of bribing both Sharon and Olmert, while he was mayor of Jerusalem, in what is known as the Greek island affair.

On February 20, 2006, it was disclosed that an inquiry is being carried out on the 1999 sale and lease-back of Olmert's Jerusalem house, which allegedly was done on financial terms very favorable to Olmert, in what would amount to be an illegal campaign contribution and/or bribe.

Family

Ehud Olmert's wife, Aliza, is a writer of novels and theater plays, as well as an artist. It has been rumored that Aliza was a (founding) member of the Israeli left wing organization Women in Black, but this rumor is unsubstantiated. . Still, Aliza is known to be more left-leaning in her politics than her husband. She claimed to have voted for him for the first time in 2006.

The couple has four biological children and an adopted daughter. The oldest daughter, Michal, holds a Masters in psychology and leads workshops in creative thinking. Their daughter Dana is a lecturer in literature at the Tel Aviv University and the editor of a literature series. She is a self-identified lesbian and lives with her partner in Tel Aviv. Her parents are accepting of her sexual identity and partner. Dana is active in the Jerusalem branch of the Israeli human rights organization Machsom Watch. In June 2006 she attended a march in Tel Aviv protesting against the widespread killings by the IDF of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, that was part of the backdrop (through capture of Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Lebanon) for the later war against Lebanon. As a result of taking part in this protest, she was the subject of bitter right wing criticism in her home country. Their son Shaul married an Israeli artist and lives in New York. After Shaul was through with military service, he signed a petition of the Israeli left-wing organization Yesh G'vul. He later became the spokesman of Beitar Jerusalem FC, his father's favorite football team. This team is often associated with the Israeli right. Ehud's younger son Ariel, who did not serve in the Israeli Army, studies French literature at the Sorbonne in Paris. Shuli is their adopted daughter. She was orphaned from her mother at birth.

Olmert's father Mordechai, considered a pioneer of Israel's land settlement and a former member of the Second and Third Knessets, grew up in the Chinese city of Harbin where he led the local Betar youth movement. Olmert's grandfather, J.J. Olmert settled in Harbin after fleeing post World War-I Russia. In 2004, Ehud Olmert visited China and paid his respects at the tomb of his grandfather in Harbin. Olmert said that his father had never forgotten his Chinese hometown after moving to what was then Palestine, in 1933 at the age of 22. "When he died at the age of 88, he spoke his last words in Chinese," he recalled.

References

1. Hasson, Nir (11 April 2006). "Cabinet approves appointment of Ehud Olmert as interim PM" (HTML). Retrieved 2006-11-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
2. "Day of truth" for Sharon as he fights for life By Corinne Heller, Reuters. January 7, 2006
3. Netanyahu quits over Gaza pullout, BBC. August 7, 2005
4. Pullout Focuses Israel on Its Future By Scott Wilson. The Washington Post Foreign Service. August 13, 2005; p. A01
5. Joel, Leyden. "Ehud Olmert speech given at the Herzliya Conference". Israel News Agency. Retrieved 2006-07-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters: |accessyear=, |month=, |accessmonthday=, and |coauthors= (help)
6. Address by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Joint meeting of US Congress Complete transcript

External links

• Ehud Olmert at the Knesset
• Profile: Ehud Olmert
• Ehud Olmert
• Anti-Olmert website (Hebrew)
• PBS Frontline/World's piece on Ehud Olmert
• Ehud Olmert Profile by Ynetnews

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