Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert is an Israeli politician and lawyer who served as the prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009.
The son of a former Herut politician, Olmert was first elected to the Knesset for Likud in 1973, at the age of 28. Olmert served as a minister without portfolio from 1988 to 1990, and as Minister of Health from 1990 until 1992. In 1993, he was elected Mayor of Jerusalem. He served two consecutive five-year terms before returning to national politics in 2003 to serve as Designated Acting Prime Minister, Minister of Trade and Minister of Communications. Olmert also served as acting Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2006, following the resignation of incumbent minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In late 2005, Olmert joined Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in leaving Likud and forming Kadima alongside fellow Likud and Labor Party politicians. In January 2006, Olmert became the acting Prime Minister after Sharon was permanently incapacitated by a stroke. Olmert went on to succeed Sharon as Kadima leader, and formed a government following elections held that March. During Olmert's term, Israel fought the 2006 Lebanon War, which ended inconclusively. Olmert's approval dropped following the war, and he was harshly criticized for his handling of it by the Winograd Commission, whose findings prompted protests calling for his resignation. Olmert engaged in multiple rounds of peace talks with the Palestinians, including the 2007 Annapolis Conference, which ended following the breakout of the 2009 Gaza War.
Olmert resigned as prime minister in 2008 due to low approval ratings and a then-ongoing corruption probe. He remained in office until March 2009 and was succeeded by Benjamin Netanyahu. After leaving office, he was sentenced to six years in prison in 2014 for accepting bribes and for obstruction of justice during his terms as mayor of Jerusalem and as trade minister. He was released on parole in July 2017.
Biography
Ehud Olmert was born in 1945 near Binyamina in the British Mandate of Palestine. According to Olmert, his parents, Bella Wagman and Mordechai Olmert, escaped persecution in Ukraine and Russia, and found sanctuary in Harbin, China. Olmert's paternal family settled in Harbin after fleeing Samara in 1919. His father Mordechai grew up in the city and was a member of its local Betar branch. He and Wagman immigrated to mandatory Palestine from Harbin in 1933. Mordechai later became a politician and served as a member of the Knesset for Herut from 1955 to 1961. In 2004, 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 Palestine. "When he died at the age of 88, he spoke his last words in Mandarin Chinese", he recalled.Olmert graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with degrees in psychology, philosophy and law. He opened a successful law partnership in Jerusalem. Olmert served with the Israel Defense Forces in the Golani Brigade. While in service he was injured and temporarily released. He underwent many treatments, and later 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 member of the Knesset, he decided to go through an officer's course in 1980 at the age of 35.
Olmert is married to Aliza, an author, playwright and artist. The couple has four biological children and an adopted daughter. The oldest daughter, Michal, holds a master's in psychology and leads workshops in creative thinking. Another daughter Dana is a lecturer in literature at the Tel Aviv University, the editor of a literature series, and a member of the Israeli human rights organization Machsom Watch. She is a lesbian and lives with her partner in Tel Aviv. Her parents are accepting of her sexual orientation and partner.
In October 2007, Olmert was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Political career
In 1966, Olmert, then head of the Gahal student group at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called for party leader Menachem Begin to step down during a party conference. Olmert was heckled by several attendees, but was applauded by Begin, who threatened to leave the conference if Olmert was not allowed to complete his speech. That year, Olmert left Herut and joined the breakaway party Free Centre. In 1969, he became Free Centre's Knesset Secretary.Olmert was first elected to the Knesset in 1973 at the age of 28 as a member of Free Centre, now a faction within Likud. Olmert was continuously re-elected to the Knesset as a member of Likud until 1998, when he resigned to avoid holding dual office while serving as Mayor of Jerusalem. In 1988, Olmert was appointed minister without portfolio responsible for minority affairs. Following the dissolution of the twenty-third government, the Cabinet was reshuffled, and Olmert became the Minister of Health, serving until Likud's defeat in the 1992 election.
Mayor of Jerusalem
In 1993, Olmert sought election as Mayor of Jerusalem, challenging longtime incumbent Teddy Kollek. Olmert defeated Kollek by a large margin, becoming the first member of Likud or its precursors to hold the position. He was re-elected to a second term in 1998. He resigned before the end of his term in February 2003, after being elected to another term in the Knesset. During his term as mayor, 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 shekels in the development of mass transportation options for the city.While mayor of Jerusalem, Olmert was an invited speaker at an international conflict resolution conference held in Derry, 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."
Olmert ran unsuccessfully for the Leadership of Likud in September 1999, Losing to Ariel Sharon.
Deputy prime minister
Olmert returned to the Knesset as a member of Likud following the 2003 election. and was the chief negotiator behind the ensuing coalition agreement. Following the elections he was appointed as Designated Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor. From 2003 to 2005, he also served as Minister of Communications.On 7 August 2005, Olmert was appointed 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, was 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.Olmert left Likud in November 2005 to join Sharon's newly-formed Kadima party.
Acting prime minister
On 4 January 2006, as the designated Acting Prime Minister, Olmert became Acting Prime Minister as a result of the serious stroke suffered by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. This occurred after consultations took place between Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, who declared Sharon "temporarily incapable to carry out the duties of his office", while only officially in office. Then, Olmert and the cabinet reaffirmed in an announcement that the 28 March elections would be held as scheduled. During 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, Labor. On 16 January 2006, Olmert was elected chairman of Kadima, and Kadima's candidate for prime minister in the upcoming election.In his first major policy address on 24 January 2006 after becoming caretaker prime minister, Olmert stated 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. At the same time, he said, "We firmly stand by the historic right of the people of Israel to the entire Land of Israel." In a number of interviews, he also introduced his Realignment plan, which would see Israel unilaterally withdraw from most of the West Bank and redraw its borders to incorporate major settlement blocs into Israel. The plan was shelved following the 2006 Lebanon War.
In the 2006 election, Kadima won 29 seats, making it the largest party. On 6 April, Olmert was officially asked by President Moshe Katsav to form a government. Olmert had an initial period of 28 days to form a governing coalition, with a possible two-week extension. On 11 April, the Israeli Cabinet deemed that Sharon was incapacitated. The 100-day replacement deadline was extended due to the Jewish festival of Passover, and a provision was made that, should Sharon's condition improve between 11 and 14 April, the declaration would not take effect. Therefore, the official declaration took effect on 14 April, formally ending Sharon's term as prime minister and making Olmert the country's new Interim Prime Minister in office.