Knesset okays cabinet reshuffle, new posts for Ramon, Sheetrit

That picture on the Haaretz front pg. of Olmert & Ramon w. huge smiles on their faces speaks volumes: the corrupt conniver (alleged) and the sex offender (convicted). What a combo. Something a nation can truly be proud of.

We need now to support Olmert and new cabinet at the new situation in Gaza.

Let's get this straight. Ramon committed a very minor infringement of the ethics code, and paid heavily for doing so. However, it's too fresh in everyone's mind, and has unfortunately become mixed up conceptually with the outrageous Katsav escapades, which have not yet been legally solved. This raging climate is not auspicious for a Ramon political come-back, particularly hand-in-hand with Olmert, the most unpopular PM in Israel history. If Ramon has such faulty judgement, and can be swept off his feet by no other than Olmert himself, then how can we trust him? Trust his duo?! Are we off our heads?

That photo seems to clinch it for them, but makes the populace, including me, feel thoroughly uncomfortable. Does the country, do we, want to be left in the hands of these two guys? Far too much self-satisfaction and authority self-invested...... Olmert, particularly, more offensive as each day goes by.

What a punim-only a bubbe could love! I ask you-does this photo of olmert inspire you? The answer is obvious.

hopefully i'm wrong but with everything else being so messed up i just have to wonder why the 2 of them look so happy.

israel is such a crazy country and her entire political and d4ecision making apparatus is so profoundly corrupt that this latest immoral and insane move actually seems logical. since you don't expect a lunatic to behave in a rational manner, why wouldn't it be normal for the pm to appoint a sexual offender as his deputy?

There seems to be no end to this shameless exhibition of egocentrism. Olmert, Hanegbi, Ramon, in any other civilised country they would never have shown their dirty faces in the Arena of public trust again. But in Israel Ramon returns with a broad smile around those perverted lips. Maybe the next one whose mouth he penetrates withouth consent is Katsav? Do they mind they make me puke?!

are all in --congratulations. The picture of Olmert and Ramon -says exactly what is written in here , with addition , that these fellons and rapist , are psychopats , or as they say look at the picture , and it will describe it better, than 1000 words -they look like mental cases from ward 3 .

let lay blame at the doorstep where it belongs, the leftist Israeli Press that covers up all of Olmerts wrongs so he can stay in power. Isn't it the responsibility of the Press to use its power to condemn law breakers and immoral actors. Forget about Israel being a higher moral authority as regards occupation - everything is dollars. what else is the Negev development authority, but a funnel for dollars. Scary how the press fails to lead the charge against the left, profit, profit, profit. Certainly they will all be condemned to the same fate.

If any thing shows how bad Olmert really is. This is it. ISRAEL NEW ELECTIONS ARE NEEDED NOW

Mr. Katsaf can now expect a call from Mr. Olmert's office and the political orgies will commence.

If you dont know the difference between a kiss and a rape you should start to worry. Bill Clinton did not harass any woman, she was consenting. Ramon paid for a pecadillo and the law allows him to be in any ministry except Justice. Why should anybody protest a legal apointment? All this salad about right and left is completely irrelevant

He kissed a woman, it is reprehensible and he payed for it. To call it a disgrace to Israel is being hysterical. The law allows him to be in office and so be it. We are in Israel not in Salem.

Kissing is not a criminal offence in the western world. By iranian standards may be. It it is even may be not a felony but a misdemanour. In any case the nomination of Ramon is perfectly legal. So any talk about sister power is completely hysterical.

Clearly the government is corrupt. If they cannot find a better man than Ramon to be the vice premier. The people of Israel deserve better leaders and better people. Israel must clear its deck of cards of jokers, fools, corruption, and get real leaders. There is no doubt that Israel had lost the war in lebanon not because of lack of funding, but lack of leadership. If the Winograd report is to make Israel strong and secure again it must bring down the government and begin implementing changes with a new government with clean hands.

The appointment of MK Chaim Ramon Adv?as the permanent stay in for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert officially as Vice Prime Minister maybe legally in the dry sense of the world acceptable but legally morally completely unacceptable. The High Court?s rejection of the Order Nici is to be regretted, looks like ?an escape route? out of really difficult juridical problem was used. Also possible is, phrasing of the requested order by the petitioners, may have enabled the High Court to bypass the real basic question of trust in the highest governmental spheres to be given to a person like Chaim Ramon Adv. In the first judgment delivered by the three judges panel of Tel Aviv Magistrates Court. He was censored and stated of his most unbecoming behavior as accused and during the court sessions and was found of him guilty. After that another three magistrate judges considered the finding of their colleagues again established his guilt fined him NIS 15,000 to pay the young soldier a as damage payment and was sentenced in addition to public service duty but here the judges declared the fines should not be considered as of moral turpitude in order not to end abruptly his public political career. - He has to leave with this strange judgments! The Attorney General?s acceptance of these Magistrates judgments finding Ramon finally free of the odium of immoral behavior, specially, as these judgments combination of two different court groups remained unexplained. - A fact which is impossible to accept owing to its built -in contradiction but this judgment remained uncontested, by the Public Prosecution and the Attorney General for reasons of their own. And so Israel remained with this problem! Israel seems to have reached a government juridical level who uses for whatever purposes it maybe the famous ?holes in the legal net? like any cheap defense lawyer practices it. ? Furthermore is the declaration by PM Olmert LLB, who claimed to be a lawyer of standing, who also studied psychology takes upon himself to reshuffle his cabinet practically on the eve of the Winograd Commission findings concerning the Lebanese war which are liable to end this coalition with its cabinet. One must admit that Olmert tricks do well in this political game and calculated the inabilities of his opponents to end the tenure of the present government which fails to apply real actions for damage control of the Olmert government just an example few days ago the Defense Ministry published an order to offer repair defensive jobs in the Northern Galilee. this 2 - 3 days prior to the first anniversary after the end of the 2nd Lebanese war.

Add one more who brought shame on Israel to the most corrupt government in the history of the State. Is this the best you can do? Shame.

Bravo! Very good choice! And now make Benny Selah Prime Minister!!

I'm becoming more and more ashamed of my leaders as time goes by. I wonder if anyone at the PM's office reads these talkbacks.

israel never ceases to amaze me. this guy should be serving punishment and becomes vice premier instead. what is going on people?

it was just previously the 3 stooges! now its the marx bros running israel, time for an election to sweep them all away !

Is this the best Israel can give us. My stomach turns. Some light to the Nations. Olmert must go he is a cancer to the Jews of the world.

How fitting. He has been convicted of vice, has he not? So, he should be vice premier. Just when you think the gpvt. led by the party of Kadima has hit rock bottom, the bottom opens up to let people like Ramon drag us down further.

Well this is Israel after all !

Leave it to a morally bankrupt Olmert to appoint someone even more morally bankrupt as vice premier (perhaps they are placing him in charge of vice?). Olmert- how much more corruption and immorality can you exhibit? You make me ashamed to be an Israeli.

He seems to have some of the qualifications needed.

Pity, then they could both leave office together.

I have gone past the stage of being dissapointed with Olmert. He seems cut off from everything that matters in the country, is immersed in keeping his dodgy friends in a job. Ramon made a big mistake, and he should have the decency to absent himself. I thought that Kadima would do wonders for the country. It appears that I was very wrong

The problem is that Olmert made Ramon much too grand an offer. If Ramon wants/intends to get back into politics, it should only be by increment steps. As exemplary as Ramon's behaviour has been since that mutual hug and one-sided peck, it's a bit ludicrous for Olmert to compensate him so soon afterwards with such an illustrious posting. Pity though, since Ramon is a good man.....

...it does get worse. An ideal opportunity for a vote of non-confidence in the Knesset.

How come the appeal to the Supreme Court against Haim Ramon's proposed appointment to the Cabinet is coming from the "Emumah" religious women's organization and not from the big feminists on the Left like Sheli Yichsamovich? I'll tell you, it is because Haim Ramon is part of the Leftist ruling clique. Katsav is a religious Sefardic rightwinger so he is fair game, but the Left protects its own. The hypocritical Leftist feminists also also protected big-time woman harrasser Bill Clinton. It's all politics. These Leftist femnists have no principles.

Olmert's choice for vice premier makes sense. Bird's of a feather stick together. Normally, a Prime Minister in Olmert's position would have been long gone after the Lebabnon war fiasco. This guy must have some heavy political pull, called protectia. Bye, Bye Mr. Olmert we hate to see you go.

I am beyond disgusted. Olmert should join hands with Jimmy Carter as the two most awful leaders ever to be--let them leave appropriately by way of the town drain.

It is no wonder that the public does not trust it's politicians. The PM have to go and someone with more integrity and competence should take his place.

I wish I could say I was surprised. The thought of a man who had brought such disgrace to Israel being allowed to keep a public job, let alone getting a promotion is simply absurd. If there aren't protests in Jerusalem tomorrow over this then Israel has lost its self respect and dignity.

I wish I could say I was surprised. The thought of a man who had brought such disgrace to Israel being allowed to keep a public job, let alone getting a promotion is simply absurd. If there aren't protests in Jerusalem tomorrow over this then Israel has lost its self respect and dignity.

It took me a minute, but I think I understand. By Olmert putting Ramon as the "next in line" he is ensuring that nothing will happen to him from the Winograd Final Report this fall. The country and politicians will do anything to protect Olmert in order to keep Ramon out of the Prime Minister's Chair. Needless to ask, but how craven and cynical can this government get?

I strongly disagreed with Ramon's indictment and conviction: kissing someone "against their will" should be limited to when the kissee verbally or physically opposes. ...and of course, men should be wise enough not to kiss a woman they are not in a relationship with... STILL - once convicted of any type of criminal offense - NO person should be given a decision making position of power in the government. The time really has come (even passed) for Israelis to DEMAND real standards from out elected leaders. If we can't trust them with the milk money - how can we trust them to run the whole farm?!

Why is Olmert trying to have Ramon made vice premire after he was indicted for forcibly kissing afemale soldier? Is this government so inept that it would allow this to happen. This is a travesty of justice towards women,First Katsav gets to plea bargin " to save Israel from embarrassment", now Olmert wants to make Ramon a vice premire? I say Israel is already embarrassed from having a government so stupid and unconnected to the public that it allows sexual prediators into government. Olmert and his governmentconstanly is slapping the Women of this country in their faces with these acts it is time for the women to unite and say NO MORE! Throw the rapists,molesters out of office! We have the power to do so,women are over 1/2 the population here,so we must do what needs to be done for our rights and the rights of our sisters!

Hi Editor, Good morning. Please change "Presidency" to "Premier" in the heading of this article. Somebody made a mistake. Have a nice day. Henk

Great pick by Olmert, the palmgreaser . During the first few days of the war, greaseball Ramon tries to take advantage of a MUCH younger female subordinate while IDF soldiers are dying trying to protect the country. Ramon has always been an opportunistic hack , so his elevation in this sickening government actually makes. sense.