New Israeli leader without elections?

New Israeli leader without elections?
Party pressuring Olmert to resign so it can retain control

Senior members of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party today are attempting to persuade the Israeli leader to resign to smooth the way for a top member of his party – either Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni or former Prime Minister Shimon Peres – to immediately assume leadership, according to political sources here.

The report comes in spite of claims by Peres that Kadima ministers backed Olmert at a party meeting today.

If Olmert steps down as Kadima head, the party's new leader – chosen in a vote by Kadima lawmakers – would become prime minister and could serve the remainder of Olmert's term in office without any public elections being held.

The diplomatic maneuvering follows the release yesterday of an interim report slamming Olmert's handling of last summer's war in Lebanon against the Hezbollah militia. The report has prompted a flurry of demands from around the country for Olmert to resign. A rally planned for tomorrow, which some say may be historic, is expected to draw hundreds of thousands calling for Olmert to step down.

In a move widely seen as a preamble to Olmert's downfall, Avigdor Yitzhaki, a member of the opposition Labor party and chairman of Olmert's government coalition, quit his post after telling Olmert he would resign if the prime minister did not heed calls asking him to step down. Olmert's Kadima party last year forged a unity government with Labor. Yitzhaki was a key component of Olmert's coalition.

In a further devastating blow to Olmert, Livni today told the media she called on the prime minister to resign. Livni had been a key Olmert ally the past two years.

But a short time after Livni's announcement, Olmert indicated he would not step down.

"I intend to implement the recommendations of the [war] report down to the last detail," Olmert spokesman Jacob Galanti quoted the prime minister as saying during a closed-door Kadima meeting, indicating Olmert may intend to remain in office.

According to political sources familiar with the Kadima meeting held today, top party members urged Olmert to step down instead of risking the possibility of the Knesset calling for new elections by passing a no confidence motion in parliament. A number of Knesset members from opposition parties indicated they would seek to bring down the government if Olmert attempts to retain power.

If Olmert resigns before a no confidence motion is passed by the Knesset, the new head of Kadima would automatically become prime minister since the party possesses the largest number of Knesset seats. Both Livni and Peres are expected to vie for head of the Kadima faction. Should the new Kadima leader take Olmert's place, that politician could fill out the remainder of Olmert's term in office if a majority of Knesset members are persuaded against voting for new elections.

"I think that general elections would be a mistake," Livni told reporters today. "Israel needs stability. If the prime minister decides to resign, the Knesset can put together [another] government. I believe that we need a broad government that can cope with the challenges ahead."

According to a key political source, Peres told Olmert in a private meeting if he stepped down, Peres would ensure against Olmert's prosecution in a number of corruption scandals, one in which Israel's state comptroller recently recommended criminal charges.

Although never elected to Israel's highest office, Peres served twice as prime minister, once following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and another time in an unusual deal in which he led a rotating unity government for two years. Peres was a key player in the 1993 Olso Accords, which established a quasi-state for PLO leader Yasser Arafat in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The interim war report released yesterday widely criticized Olmert's lack of defense experience and the prime minister's decision-making during the Lebanon War. It shied away from criticizing Peres or Livni, even though both were key Peres advisers during the war.

The report blasted Olmert and the military high command for rushing into an unplanned conflict that cost 162 Israeli lives but failed to destroy Hezbollah or free two Israeli soldiers captured in a Hezbollah border raid.

Olmert repeatedly had said the purpose of the war was to rescue the abducted troops and seriously dent Hezbollah's capabilities. Last week, a senior war planner admitted the Israeli army determined within hours that a military operation would not result in the soldiers return, even though Olmert stated it would throughout the conflict.

Olmert also was criticized for failing to appropriately consult with military experts before or during the war.

The wording of the report's criticism of Olmert was much harsher than expected, since the authors were appointed by the prime minister.

Olmert yesterday said "it would not be right" for him to resign until he had corrected faults identified in the report.

The prime minister said since the report didn't call for him to step down, he shouldn't be asked to. But the interim report was not authorized to recommend the resignation of top officials.