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Last update - 10:15 10/07/2008 Kadima agrees to September primary; Olmert unlikely to run By Mazal Mualem and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondents Tags: Israel, Kadima, Ehud Olmert  Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will not run for the Kadima leadership despite his statements to the contrary, Olmert's associates in the party predicted Wednesday. The associates said the prime minister understands that his chances of swaying public opinion back in his favor are minimal and that he is unable to stop the move to oust him in his own party. "Olmert has realized that even if he does contend for the leadership, Kadima's people won't support him because they see how badly he is doing in the polls. He has used the party until now as a bullet-proof vest, but there's a limit," a Kadima source said. Advertisement Olmert's aides said Wednesday that he has not decided yet whether to run for the leadership and will make that decision in August, a few weeks before the primary. They said Olmert will not attend Kadima's council meeting, which is expected to start the move to oust him, due to another commitment. "That's the official explanation. Understandably he does not want to take part in a meeting intended to oust him," an associate said. Olmert withheld his approval of the council's draft resolution until Wednesday evening, after ministers Tzipi Livni, Shaul Mofaz and Avi Dichter, who intend to run for Kadima's leadership, had approved it. Olmert was finally forced to agree, with MK Tzachi Hanegbi's mediation, to change the party regulations so that the first primary round would be held between September 14 and 18 and the second round, if required, would be held by September 25. He also agreed that whoever is elected Kadima's leader would be the party's candidate for prime minister in the next elections and that no other primary would be held. Until Wednesday, Olmert had made efforts to bring to the council a proposal to hold the primary in September and to elect only an acting party chairman, with the intention of stalling until after Talansky's cross-examination next week before setting the primary date. Associates of Livni, Mofaz and Dichter said they believed Olmert would abide by the decision of Kadima's registered members. Until Wednesday, Olmert tried to make adjustments to the rules governing Kadima that would keep him in his post until the next elections for the Knesset, even if a different candidate wins the party's September primary, Kadima sources said. Olmert made efforts to include a condition in the Kadima regulations that whoever wins the primary will be the party's candidate for prime minister in the following parliamentary elections, leaving Olmert to complete his tenure in power. By this maneuver, Olmert believed he would block the creation of an alternative cabinet without him after the primary. Olmert met earlier this week with the head of the Kadima Council, Meir Nitzan, to discuss the council meeting scheduled for today. The council will discuss issues including the adoption of the agreement with the Labor Party, Kadima's main coalition partner, under which Kadima will hold a primary on September 25 Bookmark to del.icio.us   By the numbers A study shows Jewish Israeli men live almost four years longer than Israeli Arabs. Local threat The Shin Bet arrests two Bedouin, accused of supplying information to al-Qaida.   1.   There are 2 men who can bring Olmert down 03:02  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 10/07/08   2.   Israel`s own Robert Mugabe wanted to hold onto "his" PM job... 05:12  |  Dr. L. Brnd 10/07/08   3.   primary 08:09  |  colin 10/07/08   4.   Mr Olmert: 08:10  |  Ann 10/07/08   5.   Livni or Dichter that`s fine!! Mofaz, heaven forbid... 09:58  |  Esther 10/07/08   6.   Olmert to run/not run in primaries 10:33  |  Gerald Zang 10/07/08   7.   #5 - but the huge majority of Israelis want the Likud 10:58  |  redmike 10/07/08   8.   #1 AND WHERE`S ONE RABBI WHO TREATS WOMEN AS EQUAL? 14:53  |  PETRA 10/07/08   9.   Toss out useless Olmert! 16:11  |  Mike 10/07/08   10.   Swaying public opinion back 16:22  |  Jake 10/07/08   11.   HOPEFULLY THE ONLY PLACE MERT WILL RUN IS OUT OF ISRAEL;LET HIM.. 18:31  |  glenna 10/07/08

Read & React Iran tests new round of missiles, as U.S. vows to defend allies Responses: 169 Olmert: I can persuade U.S. to sponsor Israel-Syria talks Responses: 41 IDF kills unarmed Gazan at border, rocking fragile truce Responses: 94 Peres to get hotel in Olympic village so he can keep the Sabbath Responses: 31 Ze'ev Sternhell: It's pricier than ever to exist as a Jewish state Responses: 30 Rosner's Domain On Iraq, Obama draws to the ground of reality Poll: The more religious the Jewish voter, the more pro-McCain Iran's bomb-building potential more than doubled (WTR) How good/bad is Obama's faith based initiative (WTR) More Headlines 18:10 Two Qassams strike Negev after IDF kills unarmed Gazan 17:43 Iran tests new round of missiles, as U.S. vows to defend allies 18:06 Tycoon Abramovich buys world's most expensive house at $500M 16:04 PA official: We'll freeze talks if settlement building continues 16:06 Olmert's lawyers: We'll need to extend Talansky cross-examination 17:35 Obama's real problem with the Iraq issue 12:58 Bidding war erupts over Kafka's Tel Aviv legacy 14:10 Olmert: I can persuade U.S. to sponsor Israel-Syria talks 12:12 Dollar hits lowest point in 12 years, trading at NIS 3.225 10:15 Kadima agrees to September primary; Olmert unlikely to run 15:34 Gaza Fulbright scholars meet U.S. visa officials, hoping to ease travel ban 08:30 Labor Court upholds ruling that pimps must pay trafficked woman wages due 15:37 Bili'in sues 2 Canadian firms for building in West Bank settlement 14:17 Peres to get hotel in Olympic village so he can keep the Sabbath 12:12 El Al to increase ticket prices by 5% after July 14 Previous Editions Select Day 09 jul 08 jul 07 jul 06 jul 04 jul 03 jul 02 jul 01 jul 30 jun 29 jun 27 jun 26 jun

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