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Last update - 23:14 02/04/2008 MK Eldad: Olmert is running the country like a crime boss By Haaretz Service Tags: Ehud Olmert, cronyism  MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) on Wednesday criticized Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, saying that the only reason he has been able to gain power was his corrupt manner of rule. Responding to a Channel 2 report earlier Wednesday on new evidence suggesting Olmert's cronyism while he was serving as Industry, Trade and Labor Minister, Eldad said "He who doesn't understand the secret to Olmert's survival learned tonight how he turned his public service into a goldmine of political appointments and a job making market." "Olmert surrounded himself with a network of partners in crime and he runs the country as though her were a crime boss," Eldad said. "If [Attorney General Menachem] Mazuz continues to drag his feet on the investigation against the prime minister, he will eventually admit that his own appointment was a product of the same scheme." Advertisement On Wednesday evening, Channel 2 revealed new correspondence in the affair surrounding alleged cronyism by Olmert while he headed an investment center operated by the Industry and Trade Ministry. This correspondence could serve as evidence in the case against the prime minister. One of the individuals mentioned in the correspondence is Olmert's Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel. "Ehud hello," Yehezkel wrote, in an instance when he wanted to appoint Zion Turjeman, the deputy director general of the Jerusalem municipality, to the post of vice president of finance and operations at the Israel Employment Service. "I wanted to remind you to speak with Raanan, and ensure that the appointment of the district managers in the Israel Employment Service is done only through you." In another instance addressed in the correspondence, Olmert and Yehezkel allegedly tried to create a position for Itzik Mihcaeli, a Likud Party activist. The two tried to make sure he was appointed to a position in the HMO Leumit, and again, the correspondence reveals the speeded up process to appoint Michaeli. In a telephone conversation with Channel 2, Michaeli denied the allegations, saying "no one promoted me." The Prime Minister's Office issued a response to the Channel 2 report, saying "these claims are old, a large portion of the details and names have no correlation to political appointments, and this is not even about people who are recognized as politicians or have anything to do with politics." "Regarding the rest, it is not a secret that all the bureaus of former Likud ministers during that time received requests for jobs and assistance. These requests were referred to the appropriate and relevant channels? The large majority of the names mentioned [in the report] didn't even get appointed to any position," the statement added. At Olmert's office, his aides said "those who know the cabinet secretary know that he is a decent and honest public servant, who has worked toward putting a stop to the political phenomena that stemmed from the behavior of certain people in the Likud Central Committee, and he even initiated the establishment of the Shamgar inquiry commission in order to outline the rules of ethics for government ministers so that those phenomena don't recur. The commission is set to complete its investigation in the coming days and submit its findings to the prime minister." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Devil's weed New campaign equates smoking pot with terrorism. Bad company A BBC poll says Israel world's most hated country after Iran.   1.   Desperate accusers... 00:00  |  Esther 03/04/08   2.   He is the current occupation crime boss after all 00:32  |  S. Holmes 03/04/08   3.   The" Hermits" secret to Power. 01:28  |  Stephen. 03/04/08   4.   Arab countries BE WARNED, here comes 12:00  |  Magnify 03/04/08

Today Online Al Qaida's no. 2 vows to attack Jews worldwide Responses: 28 Top Palestinian official calls for halting peace talks with Israel Responses: 14 Ari Shavit: Barak must come clean - there will be no peace in our time Responses: 4 U.S. Reform leader: Alliance with Evangelicals is bad for Israel Responses: 33 Haifa doctors get 2-month suspension for wrongful hysterectomy Responses: 8 Rosner's Domain Israel Factor: McCain-Barak, the dream team Israelis approve of U.S. leadership (WTR) Poll: Who'll win the Jewish vote in PA? Rosner's Guest: Easier for two Jewish parents to raise Jewish kids Clinton and Obama voters support Israel in similar numbers More Headlines 10:38 Al Qaida No. 2 vows to strike Jews worldwide 10:40 Israel fears Syrian army moves may signal Hezbollah attack 10:42 Senior Palestinian: We need to halt talks with Israel 10:57 'Allying with Christian Zionists is bad for Israel' 10:01 U.S. diplomats: Saudi Arabia likely to join nuclear arms race 10:49 Haifa doctors get 2-month suspension for wrongful hysterectomy 12:08 Prison Break star teams up with Dana International for spoof Israeli ad 10:46 Wiesel, Dershowitz want U.S. to boycott Durban conference 00:46 Israel says has removed 50 'dirt mound' roadblocks in W. Bank 06:29 Haaretz columnist Sayed Kashua shortlisted for int'l literary award 10:49 Rivals Beinisch, Friedmann join forces to shoot down 'court of economics' 06:39 First J'lem forum for Diaspora, local philanthropists Previous Editions Select Day 02 apr 01 apr 31 mar 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar 20 mar

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