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Last update - 11:11 24/06/2008 ANALYSIS / Olmert's maneuvers are last gasps of dying man By Yossi Verter Tags: Israel, Knesset, Ehud Olmert  Ehud Olmert will fire the Labor ministers - or not. Shas will develop cold feet at the last minute in exchange for a fistful of child allowances - or not. A few rebels and infiltrators from here and there will nibble away at the guaranteed majority for dissolving the Knesset - or maybe not. What does it really matter? The maneuvering and meddling that are keeping the Knesset busy are no more than the last gasps of a dying man. Let's say, for example, the prime minister is saved in tomorrow's preliminary vote on dissolving the Knesset. Will this government be able to function when its senior ministers are not speaking to the prime minister? Can this coalition survive when it is constantly embarrassed in the Knesset plenum? The Labor faction decided yesterday to support the bill for dissolving the Knesset. The pale faces of senior MKs and ministers told the whole story. But the process started by party chairman Ehud Barak was already out of control. Advertisement In a nearby room was opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu with his people, who were praying that nothing would go wrong at the last minute. Netanyahu's name, that of the great demon, was mentioned repeatedly in the Labor faction's room as a reason why it was not possible to support early elections. But this time Barak was firm: "They are frightening us with the Bibi scenario," said Barak. "But whoever threatens must understand that to prevent Bibi, we must break free from Olmert," explained Barak. These harsh words made it clear that the die was cast. For many months, since the second Winograd Report, and even earlier, many warned Barak that his partnership with Olmert would be his downfall. They told him that every day he sat in a coalition with Olmert, in the role of contractor for security matters, hurt the party and added votes to Netanyahu and the Likud. Barak refused to listen: "We will do what is good for the country," he said. Yesterday, with the knife pressed to his throat and Olmert's threat of firing Labor ministers hanging in the air, the good of the country transformed into the good of the party. But this should not be a surprise: Barak is not only defense minister, he is also a party chairman. Sooner or later, the divorce had to happen. The only thing necessary was finding the proper pretext. If Olmert carries out his threat to fire the Labor ministers, he will only be speeding up his political demise, whether in a no-confidence vote or by the dissolution of the Knesset. Therefore, many politicians found it difficult to believe yesterday that Olmert would make good on his threats. It is hard to find a rational motive for such a move on Olmert's part. After all, he could have shown restraint, swallowed his pride for only a preliminary vote, waited for the cross-examination of Morris Talansky and hoped for a miracle. Olmert seems to have reached the conclusion that his miracle days have run out. He must have decided end his political career not by being deposed by his own party, as a criminal suspect, but in a political move of his own making. Bookmark to del.icio.us   A green light Lebanese gov't passes statement backing Hezbollah's right to attack Israel. Life sentence Jewish oligarch convicted in Russia of murder in what he calls a 'show trial.'   1.   Breath Of Israel 11:48  |  Amit Gurevitch 24/06/08   2.   As a parting gift he`ll destroy Israel with surrender to pals 12:33  |  Absolute Sweden 24/06/08   3.   Olmert needs to be evicted from office and indicted. 12:34  |  RN 24/06/08   4.   To Absolute Sweden # 1 - BANG ON! 13:19  |  Dagma 24/06/08   5.   Good Article -- Nothing to Add 13:22  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 24/06/08   6.   Can Israel be certain that this is Olmert`s last Gasps of 13:33  |  Dolly 24/06/08   7.   Moderators - WHERE are all the Posts..... 13:36  |  Dagma/Dolly 24/06/08   8.   dramatic gesture needed 13:37  |  Leon Rosgarten 24/06/08   9.   Olmert must stand trial for treason and as an accessory to murder 13:44  |  Rob 24/06/08   10.   There are always hotheads desperate to "turn the rascals out" 14:04  |  Natallie Durson 24/06/08   11.   tthe left is guilty of incitement 14:33  |  caro 24/06/08   12.   To Leon Rosgarten # 8 - NEVER the Golan,,,,, NOTHING MORE 15:37  |  Dagma 24/06/08   13.   LEON ROSGARTEN # 8 - Dramatic Gesture needed 15:56  |  charlie 24/06/08   14.   Why even consider taking the chance of dissolving coalition? 16:10  |  Smadar 24/06/08   15.   Even if the PM is saved from the Vote to Dissolve 16:28  |  Josephus 24/06/08   16.   For the good of the country 17:38  |  Realist 24/06/08   17.   Olmert & Livni are spineless. They are both defeatists. 17:39  |  Isaac Rubinstein 24/06/08   18.   Politics as usual. Doesn`t anyone care about Israel? 18:04  |  Shmuel 24/06/08   19.   Olmert 19:09  |  mailman 24/06/08   20.   Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall..... 19:57  |  Nemesis 24/06/08   21.   #14..Smadar 20:04  |  Nemesis 24/06/08   22.   `deal` only justly 21:27  |  frenz 24/06/08

Read & React Report: Hezbollah planning to 'force' IAF to cease overflights Responses: 208 Obama helps U.S. woman fight Palestinian husband for their daughters Responses: 96 Poll: Kadima led by Livni would edge out Likud in elections Responses: 79 Opinion: U.K. better than most of Europe at reporting anti-Semitism Responses: 42 Be firm with Iran, Mofaz urges U.S. leaders Responses: 98 More Headlines 05:21 Hezbollah official: Group is stronger than before, ready for war 01:18 Unknown assailants hurl brick at car in West Bank, injuring 7-year-old Palestinian girl 22:57 Mofaz on Iran: We won't allow a second Holocaust to occur 19:37 Poll: Kadima led by Livni would edge out Likud in elections 17:31 Russian court finds Jewish oligarch living in Israel guilty on four counts of murder 20:29 German museum displays Hitler's art online 01:45 Five Palestinians killed in tunnel collapse under Gaza-Egypt border 05:35 VIDEO: Photojournalist reveals raucous 1950s Tel Aviv nightlife 15:37 Olmert questioned by police for fourth time in graft probe 13:47 Minister's granddaughter attacked by elephant after sneaking into safari after hours 12:36 Kibbutz Kfar Giladi apologizes to families of troops killed there 12:27 OPINION: U.K. better than most of Europe at reporting anti-Semitism Previous Editions Select Day 01 aug 31 jul 30 jul 29 jul 28 jul 27 jul 25 jul 24 jul 23 jul 22 jul 21 jul 20 jul

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