Livni: Olmert must resign; opposes fresh elections

hezbollah is the winner is the last war and his leader is a wong man , a hero and israel is poor السلام عليك يا قائد المقاومة

Israel needs elections now.If Livni loses she should get a real job but not try and pervert the democratic process.ELECTIONS NOW and get rid of all the corrupt scoundrels.

Poor Gabe. Say, I got several posts from you saying I am a hater, this and that!! Well, sad to say you are one of those who confuses justified criticism with hate and antisemitism. You really need to get on by that as this antisemitism charge for each and every tidbit has become tiring to all except your own who hear it. Do you think you might mount of defense to the charges at any point cause the knee jerk reaction of antisemitism won't cut it. Don't confuse hate with criticism. I don't hate anybody; I do dislike a few folks. A parent can hate the action of their bad ass youngin' yet still love the child and one would not say a good ole fashion arse whipping administered to the kid indicates the a parent hated the child. Grow up; get smart and stop pushing me BS and you know it is BS since posts to your own are not inconsistent with anything I've posted; your objection is that a non family member is saying it. Save the psychoanalyst mode for Gabe!

God of Abraham,Isaac,and Jacob rule israel again.

I agree completely with you. It is a shame that this vandalism takes place in an otherwise more than less serious forum like this one. But the distinction between posts with brains and posts that look like the work of 7 years old spoiled bored youths is very clear. The FOX entry calling the real Tosefta the fake Tosefta is more low brow than the person he points his keyboard to. & I would like to say I never encountered anything like this in fora elsewhere. Is this reaching for a quality standard? Meanwhile it is clear that Olmert holds firm his position, although to my memory he was not elected either Tosefta, because he replaced the I suppose nevermore recoverable Ariel Sharon. Luckily for him he made a notable political move that will change, but not conclude, his profile forever in history. It takes to be a great man (woman) to play such a trick. So there is hope for you as a nation. Perhaps Olmert will comply as well in the near future...

S, as I have stated earlier, the alternatives would be there, the Israeli people only have to open their eyes. And I am neiter talking about Gideon Levy nor Amira Hass. With regard to Netanyahu, I will probably rather stick to the term "wolf" (easier spelling...). Have a nice sweat, I know very well how the temperatures in Eilat can be in May..... (worst sunburn of my life 1988).

From perhaps the side you would least expect it sounds praise for the thoroughness of the Winograd report (where can I read it in English?) http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/855134.html Last summer, when Olmert etc. rushed to war, Nasrallah offered prisoner exchange negotiations instead, but your government would not listen because of anger or misplaced pride. Winograd exposed this lack of considering alternative options next to the mistaken outright war option that bereaved Lebanon from its slow but sure recovery from their let us call it civil war era (but you know better). Livni should first visit the regional Iraq convention, or make a gesture favoring stability in Iraq, then do much more diplomacy, thus showing Israel can be a good and trustworthy neighbour seeking mutual trust and peace, then all can together build a grand Middle East human history resources area that will boost the entire economies to the max, and allows to forget all the tears once and for all! Why oppose it

Do not despair. Just imagine if you had only one choice, and that choice was Nasrallah--so now, arn't you feeling much better?

It's nice when you stick to Man U. Politics at the moment is at its worst. I am just wondering how many people will demonstrate today. Very smart that they don't allow politicians! But I have already seen so much disregard of people's will that I can't get rid of disgust. Livni is not such a big deal (actually a small one) and has no chance. Netanyahu (try to spell him like this) the liar may win after all, some time. Israel is unable to find a good man. Who is? And it's way too hot and I have reservation to Eilat in the worst sharav.

Your post is somewhat contradictory, although I understand why. I wonder how a serious diplomatic effort can be initiated when no one group is in charge in the PA, and all of Gaza is chaos. Nor is Hamas interested in peace talks. They feel emboldened by the support they get from Iran and Syria. Israel should not be put in a position where she continues to be blamed for the failed peace process. Although I have not read it yet, apparently Tenet in his book puts the blame for the past failure of the peace process squarely on Arafat. It is for this reason that the Bush administration did not get involved. In any case, it is naive to think that the Americans can impose a solution from the outside. Unless, and until the Arab world comes to a decision that they want peace, I doubt that anything can be done by Israel, except for keeping up her guard. There might not be any solution in the near future. What we can, and must do, is to present Israel's case rationally and pursuasively. Regards

Livni's attempted coup without elections will not be done. They all need to resign!! New elections. New government. Livni knows Kadima and her will lose by a wide margin, so she is trying to force her way to the PM's job through force and malfeasance.

Ahmadinejad was mistranslated as well but I offered the wrong explanatory link, although in itself it is a sound analysis. Ahmandinejad did not even say 'wipe off the map' but 'wipe from the page of time' ie becoming as history as the USSR and Saddam http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/260107offthemap.htm this time with the crossreferences as promised. It seems that even Tzipi Livni has been mistranslated while manifold posters overhere regard her as a backstabbing traitor instead of a constructive party and government member. She advised Olmert to resign to make way for a solution without ruining Kadima. I should insist that she is granted the lead, and that she uses that momentum to enforce peace by offering a genuine friendly gesture to neighbouring countries not in the least Iraq which has grave problematics but not the hostile regime it once had that was not able to even sign a cease fire treaty since 1948. A Milestone achievement if Livni could seize the opportunity

You have proven to be just another run of the mill basher of Israel regardless of what proof is brought to you. If you will receive any links from me you will find a reason to say why they are not legitimate and so on. As you've found this website you can find your own sources on Arab history, if you are honest and want to learn. No facts or reality will sway you from your predetermined animosity toward the Israel and the Jewish people. Your drop of Jewish blood makes no difference, look at the self hating Jews Chomsky and Soros, it does not make you or them any more right. Antisemitism is when Jews are denied what is normal for any other nation, the right for self defence and the right to live. The context of what happens elsewhere in the region is very important to why this conflict is not resolved and not the other way around. You do not even want to consider this and it is why you will remain ingnorant for the rest of your life

and I believe he supports Ehud Olmert and the Kadima government....and I don't believe opportunism has anything to do with it. Stability for Israel and achieving peace with our neighbours is the most pressing issue, not new elections.

Excuse me Tony but the right has been in power for years now, the "ulta liberal left has no influence.Who are these ultra liberal left saboteurs anyway??What is their share in power?The fact is Tony it is the rights pathological obsession with squandering essential resources on non essential assets like ariel that is holding up the show here.They simply cannot deal with the reality of life.A two state solution is coming,it will be imposed by the US if need be.In the meantime israels postion overall is slipping and over what?? To keep 10% of the west bank instead of 4%!.The most elementary cost benefit analysis will show the utter stupidity of such a world view.Regards

Israel needs a govt that will be able to take the diplomatic offensive on the basis of taba geneva,both as an end in and of itself and to throw a serious wrench into the works of the propoganda war of our enemies that they will use to support their coming anti semite fascist violence this summer.israel needs a govt that will cut funding to the settlers big time and re-invest in the intrests of 95% of the population,a govt that will stop this stupid and wanton destruction of the all great social achievements of Israel.A gov that will get the IDF in good order NOW to face the coming storm from Hamas Hizbollah Syria and Iran.Those freak dummies actually think they won last years war and so will try it again.Go Ami Ayalon!!

I have a suggestion for you.Go back to your cave and gestate a little more, when the other half of your brain begins to work send me a postcard okay? Thanks and Happy Trails.

As for Winograd we are seeing the great strength of the democratic system in action,this is a source of israels strength and the cause of much weakness in the Arab world that they lack the chance to correct themselves and improve.it is high time for this useless govt to resign and for new elections to be called.I look foward to a Labor party headed Ami Ayalon.Israel must wake up and understand her long term intrests lie in withdrawl from the west bank and coming closer to Europe and distancing itself from the middle east.This is absolutly vital.Regards

Well dana I dont think in sides really, I look for what I think is the best possible solution for the particular issue, on the rare occasion when the right has it, then so be it.That being said I vote in general centre left and consider myself on the progressive side of things, although the present day left is rent with abnormal israel hatred and their is a strain of left wing anti semitism which shows through as well.Also much of left has dangerous and foolish and cowardly views re conflict of any kind with Muslims and others, so I stay away from the general left and concentrate trying to push a realistic and progressive agenda amoungst Jews.As for Cipora she is a lovely lady and the type of jewish woman who has been the bulwark of our people over the millenia she is as we say "A Woman of Valor" I aint dumping her anytime, I am not a fly by night person...cont

...comprehendable. WHAT are you talking about??? I arrived here via my mother's womb, and my purpose in life is to do more good than bad. Why would you make such a dumb post?

she was part of the whole failed campaign. she is just as guilty as olmert. they should both go. israel desperately needs new leadership. israel is falling apart.

What allows the ongoing severe political dysfunction and political `corruption` to carry on, is the ultra liberal left winds that tie the country up under highly moral platform & `template`, acceptable & adhering to the perfectly utopian society. But that same unbent & impossible to adjust `template` immediately becomes the huge detriment under any slightest deviation from that perfect utopian frame, with then totally uncalled for appeasement, defeatism & wishful fantasies. Yet because the template is the rubberstamped agenda that marches to its own drum only, the `exercise` becomes nothing more but the insistence of what is truly called `fitting square pegs into round holes`, with rare attachment to the current reality (see Tosefta). Israel, by virtue of where it is & her surrounding neighbors` agenda, is far from that perfect utopian place, yet willfully through hate or mistakenly through highly moral views, insisted upon being drugged through that process regardless.

Israelis don't need folks like you living in Italy whose failure to realize the time and what must be done for her survival!! You think what you want, I think what I want and the world thinks what they want as is evidenced by recent polls. Israel is supposed to be a democracy in the ME; that is why she is supported. Sorry you don't agree with my views and those of other posters who do not slurp up chronic victimhood as a strategy. If you insist that Israel has not behaved like its neighbors, you've been reading too much Ben Jabo and Peter SM. More folks in the world agree with what I am saying hands down than agree with what you are spinning. The Pals have been deprived of justice; a simple, but true statement. Everything else follows, but thanks for the post. Regards.

Stop trying to get me and other interested people to look and comment elsewhere. I'm not leaving - I've invested quite a bit of time here from Sharon and Arafat to the present, four five six times a day. To say that Israel, at half a percent the size on Arab lands is blamed for so mucxh minimizes the great influence of Israel on the world. Israel is a small country but a big power and a US partner and proxy so of course it will be blamed big time if its actions conflict with its charter. Israel's "Charter" is to be a light undo the world - the moral high ground. etc How much do you know about Copts and Dufar? Links to any of your posts?

Two impostors stroking each others ego.

Who gives a FLYING LEAP either about the Fake you or the fake Ben Gurion. YOU my pisher friend have nothing to say on your best day and I am sure that which ever the fake is, he probably has better ideas than you ever will.FRANKLY MY DEAR, WHO CARES.

She may not be feeling it now, she will before too long. Hind sight on this one is not going to be pretty.

You keep avoiding replying to answers such as my #118.And FOX is absolutely right that you are a Leftie Flake and always have been. You started out as a Tosefta groupie (aka Ben Gurion). Fox is holding is own and is exposing Tosefta for the idiot that Tosefta is so please stop your griping. Other than your constant harping about the settlers, the religious the right wing and the Likud so have nothing to say. Your only mantra is abandon Ariel and speak to Abbas. Typical Leftist Anarcjhist Garbage. Grow up and smell the answers even if they do not fit your warped agenda.

LIVNI needs a "head to toe" makeover. A HAIRSTYLE, ALL new clothes, color coordination, shoes, ect. ect.. want to lead a country?GET SOME STYLE-pronto!!!

She supports the atrocious war against Lebanon and now she wants to oust Olmert. Makes real sense. This is a government of liars and hypocrites! They should all RESIGN!

How did arrive here anyway? What is your purpose in life?

Livni tries to force her way to the number one job without electins. Luckily Kamida knows this and is keep PMO there for the time being. But they all need to go. All of them out forever - for the West's sake and Israel's - before this incompetant bunch kill us all.

The entire house should be cleansed. Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni and Pertz have one thing in common: Failure.

The proof is the support for Livni who is dumb, more bum than Olmert, cannot speak English and is inexperienced. If these are the choices than it is better to leave Olmert in place since he at least can say a few words in proper English and Hebrew without having to lean his head 90 degrees to the right. As far as running a country Livni will take Israel to much bigger disasters than either Olmert or Peretz ever could. Livni is will be also an illegal PM in the eyes of most of Israel's citizens because they never elected her to be PM!

I havn't read an iota of any kind of gratitude. Keep it up and you wont have any willing to fight the next time the need arises.

I don't have much use for any of them..Peretz is the worst,but Livni is a self server,in my opinion.I believe she will go whichever way the wind blows strongest..a fence sitter and weak.She deserves no breaks..none!

Dan Halutz is the one to blame for failures of the Lebanon war not Olmert. Olmert has admitted his mistakes and taken responsibility, his resignation wont make things anything better. Who will replace him??...Moshe Katsez? Let the man keep his job.

yes,but if he made one mistake,he would be kicked out too by you and your people.these kidnapped soldiers won't be released unless israel free the palestinian criminals.that's why nazrallah claimed the victory because the soldiers weren't released?

Why have the British not demanded that the Mossad release Johnstone?

Bring back the other Echud,or Bibi...Lawyers are not good to conduct wars!!!!!!!!!!!,and Peretz should spend some vaccations in Morocco!!!!!!

People are exigin' its implementation and the gov't has already commissioned Lipkin Shahak to head a committee for that , But for new election , new Gov't , new leadership that people are also demandin' in light of Winograde's dynamite , we see Olmert's administration cementin' ranks and refusin' to resign , unlike Halutz (1*) example , choosin' to resign not before submitin' his recommendations report to IDF , It is true that among other considerations, Winograde interim report (only about the first 5 days of Leb War 2 ) is a sort of a yellow card against the whole Gov't conduct , especially Olmert and Peretz behavior and of course IDF perfomance level ect...and that a red card may likely show up by end of August , Nonetheless the public calls are not headed and the Gov't dig in its position , sticks to its seats , could it be that democracy powers are not constitued only from the street power , It could be that the street power is tested to show persistence , tenacity in the belief of the value of its demand , in this case the Gov't's liquidation , and new elections , On the other hand , if politics set also the tone of the law , then we also see that legitime political protests are countered , example Homesh protests are countered by IDF and students protests are countered by police , yet by the same token we see that tone of the law letin' ex-MK Bishara get away with his treason case due to his MK immunity , What is and how deep is the Media rottweiler power play's involvement in all that , (1*) Given the circumstances , the players , the conditions , Shalit kidnappin' , the whole picture , Halutz as a responsible Leader did rematkably well what he had to do durin' Leb War 2 , above all , our fallen heroes have produced tangible , remarkable results , we draw strength from their resoundin' combat spirit , G'D Bless them , may their families be comforted and strengthened ,

Thank G-d that you are finally seeing the light about this minority government of Thieves and Appeasers and Self Aggrandizing Idiots. The people did not have a chance to decide on Gaza or Homesh and now they will decide. Elmer, Mustache and that Dame must be put out to pasture.

As I said in my #118 , I gave you solutions but in your own and true tried way you just ignored them. FOX is right and you are a Leftist Flake and always have been. Wake up and smell the answers that you try so hard to avoid. Speaking of Tosefta , as I recall you were his ( Ben Gurions) desciple for well over a Year so why rag on FOX who is containing him and in fact showing him for the idiot that Tosefta is. You want to hear the folly of the Right and the Settlers and the rest to you renders you deaf and dumb. DO NOT DEFEND THE INDEFENSIBLE.

Don't start up with the BS! We can go toe to toe in furtherance of "our" education!! Why keep changing the name of the usual village idiot (Barry, Musfasa, last bets)! You will not prevent me from posting, no matter what BS you post. If I am not on, I am off doing something else, but don't flatter yourself thinking that you have been the cause of my absence. You shouldn't have taken the AIDS to Africa and then they would not have been a problem, how's that? You shouldn't have infected the Indians with smallpox either, how's that? Case closed.

What does a geezer from Scarberia know about footie anyway?????????? Join a real district like North York!!!!!

What allows the ongoing severe disfunction and corruption in politics to carry on with no check ,is the ongoing state of semi permanent state of war which allows everyhting to be swept under the carpet as the country lurches from one crisis to the other.Only once Israels attentions can be diverted from this useless rear guard action for the relics of the failed and demented greater israel policy will it be free to invest the time and energy into its internal affairs that it needs to.Israel is becoming a semi, semi failed state.It must get its act together,the constant state of war allows for things and people to rise to the top that otherwise couldnt win election to the postion of county dog cathcer.

Anyway it all ended up in a tie but I really cant remember the punch line.

Mean mean FOX machine. Lots of slashing and burning of late. Turning on friend and foe alike.... Can I do anything to help? I mean Olmert will be gone soon without any help from me. And a good thing too? Wanna help me catch some fakes? could be fun....

Many people here denigrate Livni, I assume for lack of knowledge. Therefore, I want to give some more balanced information. The need for resignations today is the result of actions various ministers took in connection with the Lebanon war. It is not for just being a member of the war government, or else the entire cabinet would have had to resign. The actions, and their evaluation, is contained in the Winograd report. And while Olmert received generally negative comments, and Peretz received many negative but also some positive comments, Livni received only positive comments from the comission. In other words, she did a good diplomatic work, as was required of her. Going to war was a mistake, but Livni thought it was to be a short term operation and voted to end it after 5-6 days. She was overruled. The actual diplomatic end of the war corresponded to her vision on how the short operation should end. In terms of Livni's peace views, to my mind she is too right wing towards the Palestinians, insisting on the Roadmap (aka Roadblock), etc. But she wanted Israel to respond positively to the Syrians, before Olmert cut her off, and to be positive towards the Saudis. These are responsible positions, about the best within Kadima except for Peres positions which tend to be overly optimistic and unrealistic. As far as calling on Olmert to resign, I do not believe this was done in any subversive way. It was done over board, face to face with Olmert. This is fair. Olmert SHOULD resign. Livni's shortcomings as PM may be a lack of sufficient experience in party politics and lack of toughness. She is the opposite of Olmert who is a good party politician but with no sense of statesmanship. I would give Livni a try. She seems better than her other party members.

Something is happening to our FOX - been circling the wagons of late, and not looking for chickens either. I am concerned about him, so be nice - and don't take things so personally. Olmert will stay or go regardless of the Talkbackers, and the Winograd report is the single most positive thing that happened to israel in weeks. Just compare with the whitewash of Hutton the stuck-up Brit lord has-been. In the UK they are very impressed (more on this later - I'll provide a link). Told you once - better to pick your side and stick to it. If you are already accused of being a leftie, might as well be one, no? You know - on our side we allow a spectrum of opinions. Just don't get into arguments with you know who. Life's too short. Of course, you may lose Ciporah - but hey - there's a price for everything. Still, somewhere between melting, mean foxes and frickin fakes - the right wing universe must be feeling a touch of pinch. Take this as a friendly note - I mean - why not?

And she's off again!Now I understand why you're called Ballistic! You can criticize Israel without spewing spurious nonsence which only blurs any insight you might be offering to those taking the time to try to understand your point of view. Your stream of conciousnesses does noone any good-except, I suspect, making you feel like a Brooker prize contender.You and Gerald think Isreal is like its neighbours- it ain't true and you ain't been to the ME-admit it!That does not mean that Israel is faultless.It just means that it ain't like the other countries in the area as Gerald stated and which you seconded. Palestinians need people like you like a hole in the head.

That was nice, and I kinda like it actually. Where did you get that from?

There is something about a nice piece of polyester that relates to all these politicians. Something about how the water just rolls off the goods.

livni at least is pretty.far better to look at her then listen to your misbegotten rants.

bet you the starving in africa would love some of that tea you offer freely to the site. as a black american are you not interested in helping your own?

Very few Statesman coming out the ME these days. When Peretz and Lieberman both joined the government I thought that these people really have no depth. Its not just Olmert who had difficult decisions to make.To me they are mostly bad actors or good vacumn salesmen. Good comments by the way.

Also, how about making a useful contribution?

imitation is the highest form of flattery you bore of the year. why would anyone want to imitate someone who refers to the poor of israel as the lower classes?

Ive never seen Man U so heavy footed,tired and distraught while Milan looked fresh and dynamic.Man U were never in it.Its won big win for Italy and the Italian side of Switzerland. Now Liverpool go to Athens to play the same Milan team.Going to be tough.... Tottenham meanwhile are on a 10 year Hudna awaiting their chance at glory. Im getting old waiting.

go help them.

Olmert's lot reminds me of the Roman Senate. Many ready to knife the others.

Another self oportuinist in this whole corupt government. Livni knows she is next in line for the top job if Olmert goes so she is taking advantage of the fact he is so unpopular to push her own cause. Naturaly she doesnt want the ellections that the country wants for her its get rid of Olmert and let me inherit the crown but dont give the people an oprtunity to choose their own PM. As bad as Olmert is he is better than Livni she is even more politicly corrcect, left wing and supporter of the arab plan than Olmert. For Israel its loose if Olmert stays and loose if he goes. Only an ellection will bring stability and a government with the full support of the country Livni simply replacing Olmert wont bring that stability or nationwide support because the people didnt ellect her giving her the job and authority to impliment her own policies is damaging to democracy.

You can be sure its not me, I enjoy defeating you under my own name and having everybody know who did.Looking forward to our next "match" Your eternal buddy Danite.

I fear we are two trains passing in the night. I am talking about 1 thing and you another. That Israel may be beautiful, blah, blah is not what is in dispute. No matter how awe inspiring she is, she is saddled with the moral deprivation of having deprived the Pals of their land, their hopes, their humanity and in many cases their lives. To lump that in with beautiful Israel surrounded by walls is not at all analogous. The problems around the world, including Israel and the US, is the rapid moral decline and decay, absolutely no moral fiber. Sadly, it appears in their zeal to fulfill their own prophesy, Jews have forgotten, once again, their history, and will suffer the consequences. Maybe one day, maybe not, it will be safe to visit the ME. At the rate things are going, I am not that adventurous. Regards.

I did not take a general position yesterday. I usually like to be as cautious as possible. Sometimes caution must be thrown to the winds. Ultimately, it is for the people to decide. The government would do them a great favour by giving them a chance to be heard. Given the situation of Israel, the country cannot stay in a morass of indecision and weakness. There are those who foolishly think that this report by a five member commission says something positive about them. Elections would put an end to this nonsense. This is just what I think personally. As I said, ultimately the people should speak. I believe that is the only democratic way to act.

Yet another talented and bright politician digs a hole and jumps into it. Too bad, as Livni had shown a lot of promise. Livni appears to have taken a cue from the defunct Center Party of yesteryear and gone with the wind... er, I mean gone with the polls. The polls are nasty, and thus the winds are blowing strongly this week. Will Olmert quit? Not sure, but he certainly has the backbone not to quit because of polls, nor because an investigating committee found his leadership wanting. Truth is, and the polls showed this, that most Israelis can't think of anyone who'd have done a better job at the time. Lucky for Olmert, of course, since it gives him a firm position to stay in office. What the country needs is exactly the opposite of what we're getting today - politicians stabbing each other in the back and the media and citizenry in a frenzy for blood. Livni should have kept her mouth shut and her dagger sheathed.

I cannot understand how Israelis let this government survive this long. Absolute incompetence and very strong personal agendas. Otherwise why would Olmert shamelessly insist on staying. Very sticky. Come on. Get him the hell out of there. use your democracy. Move forward. Stagnation sucks.

3-0 Ronnie, (5 minutes more to go). The disaster for Man U has a name: Gennaro Gattuso (Ronaldo hasn't seen a ball...). I think Man U already lost last night, when Milan heard that it would be Liverpool again. Something to make good from 2 years ago... Who knows, maybe Livni has become today Olmerts Milan....

Tea is the answer??.The worlds problems could have been solved years ago if we'd only known that.

It will just make her an even stronger candidate to replace Olmert. By the way has he and Peretz resigned yet? Got to be any minute now. Livni for PM.

Voters in the US and Israel are wringing their hands and what good does it do?! Tea is the answer. Things are way past Olmert and Bush's ability to control and contain the situation. I sure hope there is a God; if not, boy are we in trouble. Regards.

Hey Ballistic! Read the posts - or at least respond to what's written.It's you (yep!)that's mising apples and oranges.Israel is nothing like its neighbours,contrary to Gerald's assertion that it was becoming just like them.You lauded him for this post.My observation was simply that evidently neither of you had been to Israel and the rest of the ME-if you had, you would never have had such an view-although you might have found that many Israelis look like arabs (or vica versa). So to do everyone a favour,in particular the Palestinians:I suggest that you practice what you preach and avoid "mixing apples and oranges" I suggest you stick to the facts Balls and don't let your predjucices or enthusiasm lead you astray.For there to be peace,we ALL have to overcome the prejudices that we ALL have.Common' Ballistic cross a few bridges!I can tell you have the energy!

With Man U losing 2-0 in Milan,both Olmert and United look like being out before the pasta is depleted. Sad because at least Man United was capable of winning.

...or anything else really. You are right! Sit down with Ms. Kohn, find a nice view, sip tea and await for his "decided outcome."

Ron, you must have just awakened from a 45-year coma to be unaware of how thoroughly distrusted and disliked Shimon Peres is in Israel -- as a politician and as an individual. The nice words that Ben Gurion had to say about him a half-century ago (died in the 60's) are irrelevant today, just as Dan Halutz's heroic record as a Mirage jet ace over Sinai did nothing for his miserable performance as Chief of Staff. The founding fathers of Israel did their best to keep Peres away from the seat of power; they never dreamed he would outlive them all. Surely you are aware of Peres' perennial failure to get elected to office even once; Israelis distrust him! Peres' "negotiation" of the Oslo disaster while Shamir's government was in power, leveraging the Bush/Baker to oust the Shamir so he could implement Oslo -- ranks right up there with Vidkin Quisling's Norway. Peres got his Nobel Prize, and Israel got 1000 dead, bus bombings, Kassams and Hamas, because of him and his alliance with Arafat.

Ronen, thanks for your support. Indeed, "Imitation is the highest form of compliment", but I am afraid the goal here is to confuse the readers until they can't tell if I am for Mordechai or Haman. If you have a clue about the identity of the Fake, it will be greatly appreciated.

As far as Livni is concerned: 1 Olmert has to resign. 2 There is no need for any new elections, we will pick from within. 3 Oh, & by the way, I am running for the nominee, can everyone see me here. Not too bashful I say, if the `blind` can see `what is coming`. But that is always there, in many lefties `blood`. `Wake up` Israelis, before it is too late. Shed your apathy before your government bureaucracy, spins & weakness will `crush` your nation as we know it.

The present gov't is a waste of space..Olmert& Peretz,among others are incompetent..Livni is a self serving backstabber,out for own gains..forget her..the choices are narrowing down,at this time, before the Arabs decide to attack,we need someone like Netanyahu..Israel at the moment is in limbo and the Arabs are watching closely..cowardly as they are,they may seek to take advantage of Israels weakness at this time. Please lets not have Livni!!

There all pat on each other's back in a free society with freedom of speech but hide in the caves at a real life test like standing up to Jihadis. What low lives these cowards are!

In the end, Livni goes down as a "logo". Just look at her trying to use the "fresh" "airy" backdrop of the Foreign Ministry briefing studio to give authority to her foolish little maneuver. She blinked and she abandoned her "co-conspirators" in their mini-peutsch: they resigned, she didn't. Olmert may not last, but he has Livni firmly in his grasp now. New! Improved! ***Tzipi Livni Brand*** toilet paper. One wipe and you're finished! This freshman was definately not ready for the Big League. Princess can go home now and have a long poute.

I am usually not interfering into Israeli internal affairs but this one calls for at least my opinion. According to what make sense here, obviously Olmert has to resign, but ONLY after he fires that `sorry excuse` for the government unity & cohesion, & ONLY if general elections take hold. I know Bibi may be far from perfect choice (well, not perfect but I do not think far from either). But given all the left winds blowing stronger & stronger with each passing year, I understand how within law of averages, many are `in its grasp` & the bureaucracy & defeatist liberalism slowly sets in deeper & deeper. Except as opposed to US for example, for the country the size of Israel & especially given where she is/surrounded by whom, simply may have very grave `essential survival` consequences. Similar to far from perfect Bush administration, it is always wise to at least pick the `lesser of two evils`. Even much more so than US, when the `evils` are mainly about your national security/identity.

I need to point out something crucial which seems to be overlooked. It was reported that the war was planed sometime before it occured and the incident that took place in the border was just the catalyst for the execution of the plan. Having said that, in my opinion, there seemed to be a consensus between the governmental members for the necessity of the war. Therefore, olmert seemed to be the person to press play for the movie that was directed,produced and acted by the israeli government. Nevertheless, the fact that he didnt disagree to this ludicrous plan was unacceptable and shows his lack of intelligence. My point is, dont blame it on a single person, u should blame it on your government for promoting violence rather than promoting peace with countires such as syria.

Now that Olmert's popularity is down, and people are wandering about Livni's quiet posture; she comes out of the freezer to fashion this self serving very calculated statement. Not a secret that me and Olmert did not coordinate. And whose fault is that? Livni is accountable to Olmert not the other way around. Sher says now she is not to blame for anything. Great. Olmert was not alone in making the go to war decision. Where was Livni? Did she make a stand against the war? Did she ask for an opportunity from the boss to try to solve the problem diplomatically? That is clearly is her area. She did not volunteer anything different. She went with the crowd of war mongers and now she is with the crowd calling for Olmert to step aside. I told him, my opinion is for him to resign. I will keep my job and continue to cover myself and protect my future chances, during next primaries. I am all clean and innocent. I did not plan to use my position as a stepping stone.

If you can ever bring yourself to take off your slippers and dressing gown, leave the armchair and the Radio Times behind for a little while, do take a trip to Israel's northern border and look around. Don't lecture people here about what constitutes a 'skirmish' and what is a violation of sovereignty, you patronising git. How dare you sit in Sussex and condescend to a people who face danger every day? Get a life, and some decency.

tadchase If Olmert had any guts he would have fired Livni from office.She has acted as a traitor. Olmert is still in office,and her behaviour is hardly a loyal one to the P.M. That you call him pathetic is apt. Whether we dislike Olmert or not,her behaviour is unacceptable.Kicking a man while he is down does not bode well if she intends to remain in some sort position in the Knesset. Wonder how he is taking all the criticism.He looked awful in yesterday's picture.But then we don't know how old the photo' was........

I HAVE had a long day, it is now ten oclock in Israel, so I will say goodnight to your all and to Tossi as well. Since he is on American time, not Tiveria, I guess he will continue his struggle to fool people into believing that he is writing from Tiveria. I do not question that he may have visited the dead of Tiveria in the past, with his yeshiva mates or his mom and dad, but he certainly does not live there now. Remember folks that the truly fake Tosefta, which means 'contributor' in Aramaic, Tossi has a fondness for Aramaic, is Tosefta himself. As of late it strikes me how closely alligned his thinking is to the Notrei Karta. Hmmmmm....could Tossi have been one of those scrotums trading pecks on the cheek with Ahmanijad? could be, he certainly does have fondness for Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as Syria. Lila Tov to you all.

the pals wont stop until the refugees are returned does loivni know that?

Cipora You see how you changed your mind and now are advocating for elections to take place without delay.Yesterday I think you were not in favour of ousting Olmert.Well,now you are quite right in what you say,and it is an urgent matter that the members of the Knesset should decide who is going to replace Olmert without further ado.Delay is very dangerous owing to the criteria you enumerated.We'll see what the final result of the Vinograd Report will uncover.To wait until August seems eons away as far as I see.Why the delay?Not a minute longer must they waste..................

Am I wrong but do the fakers zero in on the more liberal posters? They seem to have frustrated "Ben Gurion" sufficiently to have driven him away. Pity, since he seemed quite informative. "Bad money drives out the good", if I remember this saying correctly. In this sense, fake posts will drive out the good. Maybe "fouling one's nest" is a better descriptor.

The point being is that Nasrallahs pride will go before his fall.Thank G-d!

I can't help but be pleased with the implosion of the Zionist goverment. I knew this day was coming and whether Olmert or some other shmuck in the PMO, this day was coming, a rapist for a President, and a bona fide shyster for a Prime Minister. His cabinet is filled with backstabbers out to get him and his electrate wants him out and yes I knew this day was coming. Just like I knew Sharon would meet his untimely demise. Which government has imposed sanctions on it's neighbour? Which government has tried to foster division within the ranks of the Palestinians--and it almost worked, Palestinians were at each others throats, payments delayed to government workers and otherr hardships, Israel's sinister plan almost worked in causing civil war. But there is a moral universe, Palestinians have a unity government while it's in Israel the instigators of such a plot find themselves divided and facing political irrelevance. I love it and let's hope the Hague gets in the act against Olmert. Let him defend the use of a million cluster bombs on civilians.

If you cannot respond without ridiculisations and trivialisations like "talking to teddy bears" and koombaya crap do me a favour and dont bother.You are starting to show signs of Tosefta syndrome.You didnt even answer my question as to what you think the way foward is here with the palestinians and who you would like to see in the govt.Trying to portray me as some kind of leftie flake is simply a tactic of diversion and shows fear and lack of capacity on your part.Either taker me seriously or dont bother.

Enough of this political maneuvering by these self centered political hacks - across the board. Livni's call for Olmert to resign without elections is just a ruse being used by all the other selfish MK's. Let the people decide in new immediate elections.

You and I don't often agree, however, what is happening as you lay it out is not at all unexpected is it? I must say the position that the US is presently in was not expected either, was it? Relax and have some tea. No matter Bush or Olmert, neither of them or their minions are in control of the entire world mess. It does appear that God himself has tired and is now directing things. My view and your view will not change that if it is fact. We must wait for the decided outcome. In the meantime, hopefully you guys can get to peace while still possible. Things are unravelling pretty fast in Israel and in the US. Regards.

by distancing herself from him. Hey, that's politics. If the PM cannot counter the W report, then he should gracefully exit. One month maximum.

The initial attack by Hezbollah was a border skirmish, Sarah. It did not warrant the launching of the Second Lebanese War, which achieved absolutely NOTHING for Israel and led to terrible death and suffering on both sides.

Dan Halutz is the principal villain of the piece, for it is this idiot who persuaded Olmert to launch a war when the IDF were seriously ill-prepared and fit for an extensive ground operation. He lulled the Prime Minister into believing that it could be won by air power alone. Olmert is simply an inexperienced jackass who bought Halutz's story. Halutz, of course, took the precaution of bailing out in January and is now far away from it all, a mature student at Harvard University.

Israel and her Priestly nation has become an ordinary and troubled country, which is being led by a power hungry and politically driven bunch of corrupted souls! Where are the real Jews in this country? Everyone has an opinion but nothing good is coming out of it, as Israelis are in dire need of good and integral leaders. Oh, by the way: "Livni Baby, you're fired!"

It seems very funny - that Livni as foreign-minister which was a desaster in her job. No talks to Syria - no talks to Lebanon - no talks to other Arab states. The only difference - She's part of the Mossad and Olmert wasn't. It seems that the USA want a rescue mission for Kadina party.

Well Israel cannot be in a worse place. Olmert is a politician not a leader. Isarel needs to deal with enimies that want to destroy her. Livini has proven that she is not capable of even the most basic leadership role. Livini should we give up the holy land? Maybe you couldbe popular then...Howard Lehman

Take it as a compliment if impostors rely on your good name for some brainless response. The fakes are obvious - simply doesn't match your intellect.

DIPski Livni is part of the dirty bath water - throw her out !! She did such a great job in/with UN !! And also super job in world media for hasbra/PR.Olmert/Livni/Putzy all go bye-bye. She is part of the problem She was in cabinet that voted for war without seeing about means execution of the war. She is transparent in her heat to get to PM office.

A problem looms for Israel. When Olmert replaced the stricken Ariel Sharon he felt obliged to demonstrate that he could be as big, bad, ruthless and decisive as the old war criminal. One result was the disastrous Second Lebanese War. If Livni replaces Olmert I fear that Israel may witness even more ill-considered ruthlessness from her, as she tries to demonstrate that a woman can have even bigger balls than a man.

Israel's Democracy like that of the United States is based on the majority opinion and vote of the citizens. For Olmert to refuse to resign or hold elections when the majority have lost confidence is nothing less than Olmert thumbing his nose at the majority and democracy. This is unacceptable. In my opinion, tough times require tough leaders. And Olmert simply does not measure up on any level. He was not capable of making the tough choices required of him during the war in Lebanon. And he does not respect the basis of your democracy as shown by his recent actions. What else is there to say?

I think the US with the republicans only hope left at legacy have to save the peace ideal.Olmert will be cut and Livni the only hope left for something good.The country is not left enough to make something happen and Bibi is Bibi. I agree that she jumped on the bandwagon along with Peretz and Lieberman.They ALL have a price to pay really and why not...should Olmert take the blame when the situation had no distinct answer that was palatable for most of Israel or most of the rest of the world.The situation was difficult and cutting Olmert for the wrong reasons is simply not kosher.

LETS FACE IT. ISREAL WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DEFEAT HIZBOLLAH. THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO DIE IN ANY CONFLICT WITH ISREAL. THEY ARE STRONG,RADICAL AND THERE ONLY ENEMY IN THE WORLD IS ISREAL. BETTER WE GIVE THEM THEIR POWs AND THEY GIVE US OUR MEN AND EACH ONE STANDS ON HIS BORDERS. THE AMERICANS WILL NOT GO TO WAR WITH IRAN AND HENCE HIZBOLAH WILL ALWAYS GET SUPPORT. THEY MADE HEROS OUT OF THE WAR WHICH WE FIRST SAID ITS FOR THE 2 SOLDIERS THEN WE SAID ITS TO DESTROY HIZBOLLAH. NO ONE BELEIVE THIS GOVT ANYMORE AND THE BEST THING FOR IT IS TO RESIGN. AND LETS STOP TALKING ABT GETTING ANOTHER STRONGER GOVT AND FIGHTING ANOTHER WAR WITH THEM WE DONT KNOW THE OUTCOME ALSO. HIZBOLLAH WILL ALWAYS BE THERE JUST LIKE ISREAL WILL. I TRUST NASSRALLAH MORE THEN PLMERT AFTER THIS WAR AT LEAST ALL WHAT HE SAID WAS TRUE AND NOT LIES LIKE OUR GOVT

Election is needed so that the people can determine the right government for the country. They want brilliant and strong government that can withstand external pressures and manipulations that are not in the national security interests of Israel, that can defend Israel from the unrelenting rocket attacks by the dark forces, and that can defend Israel from Iran's threat to annihilate Israel with nuke.

HMMM... New Israeli government, does that mean that Israel and back out of all of its agreements that they have made with the Pals... Can Israel start building more settlments? Can Israel start annexing land? After all that is what our Pal friends did, maybe Israel should sink to the Pal level... what would Hamas say about that!!! BTW WHERE IS GILAD!!!!! ???

Israel cannot efford to go through an interminable crisis while the politicians figure out who can save his skin and who should be sacrificed. Hamas is arming, wiith the help of Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hizbollah is being armed with anti-aircraft missiles from Iran, Assad has moved some of his troops to the border with Israel. At the same time, the Quartet is meeting with Arab states, including Syria. The present government cannot in good conscience deal with these important developments. New elections should be called for, and let the people of Israel choose a new leadership. This should be done as soon as possible. It is not fair to the people to politicise this matter any further. Have elections, give the people a voice, and do it now.

But I have a question. When last time arabs cared about creativity, progress, peaceful coexistance??? Common sence is not ln Arab vocabulary.Till now all the Arab efforts were directed into trying to destroy Israel. Markus, I hope, your wishful thinking will come thrue.

its time you left. you lied all thru the war and told the world and your country that hizbollah will be thrashed in days and they stayed 33days. the guys are still with them they won and u need to admit. even nassrallah was making fun of him today but he respects him. what an end

1. Hezbollah is on the US list of terrorists: Summary: The radical Lebanese Shi'ite movement Hezbollah is fomenting violence in post-war Iraq and fanning the flames of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Its bloody track record makes it a natural target in the war on terror. But Washington's only option is to confront Hezbollah indirectly: by getting its backers, Syria and Iran, to help change its focus from militancy to politics.http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20031101faessay82606/daniel-byman/should-hezbollah-be-next.html 2. Hezbollah started the war - Israel responded to the provocation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Lebanon_War#Background At around 9:00 AM local time (06:00 UTC) on 12 July 2006, Hezbollah launched diversionary rocket attacks toward Israeli military positions near the coast and near the border village of Zar'it[40] as well as on the Israeli town of Shlomi and other villages.[41] At the same time, a Hezbollah ground contingent crossed the border into Israeli territory and attacked two Israeli armoured Humvees patrolling on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, near Zar'it, killing three, injuring two, and abducting two Israeli soldiers (Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev).[40][42] Five more Israeli soldiers were killed later on the Lebanese side of the border during an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the two abducted soldiers

Post #114 is by a Fake.

Ben Let us not be too pessimistic.Israel one way or another will prevail and we will find a non misical type chairs movement and establish a robust leader who will pull Israel out of its "mire"it finds itself for now. Desperation is not a good feeling,it draws us down the line to further disafection,and that will never do."courage mon cher"...

The army mistakenly believed that the day of the conventional war was over. Because Israel had bad leadership - Peretz & Olmert & Halutz who obviously did not know what they were doing - leadership did not challenge that concept. In fact, anyone who challenged Halutz was silenced. Israel NEEDS more responsible leadership in order to handle the next war that is coming. Some say that war will occur as early as this summer. Israel must be prepared... Israel must not accept anything less than good leadership with integrity. May Hashem bless Israel and keep her safe!

Olmert is going to lose his position sooner rather than later. With a revolt in his party and party MKs calling on him to resign, he will have to go. (Incidentally, Good Riddance.) Of the 3 main candidates to replace Olmert within Kadima, I assume Livni will get the job. She is the most popular and will give Kadima rule some legitimacy, even without new elections. Her opponent Peres is too left wing for the Kadima rightwing ministers, and Sheetrit lacks security experience and strikes me as another rightwing danger like Olmert. I don't expect new elections soon. Kadima and Pensioners (total 36 seats) expect massive losses and will object, and the Haredim (18) and Arabs (10) don't need election headache when their numbers are expected to remain about the same. Thus, a Knesset majority will oppose elections. Labor will join a Livni coalition. I hope they insist that the Russian party (Lieberman) is not included because they will oppose any progress towards peace.

Who's worse? Katsav raped a few Israelis, Olmert raped the whole of Israel. Olmert is incapable of fixing any of the mistakes he made because he was just plain incapable of avoiding them. He always was an epigon, first Kollek's then Sharon's, now his own. Last but not least: never let a corrupt law breaker to fix any public problems, he'll just make them become life threatening. Israel, wake up and act! Give Tsipi Livni the chance to put Israel back on track... Shalom, Benny

staying alive, realism etc are all alien concepts to leftists

How sad it is Olmert clings on to power when he can no longer lead What ever happened to a "vote of no confidence" For the sake of Israel and for the sake of peace this nebish needs to resign asap.

You mixed me up with someone else. I am not a fan of Nasrallah! As for Tzipi....she has the most beautiful smile, but when she stops smiling....not so nice.

but it can't veto Winograde interim report recommendations , Winograde's dynamite truth must be implemented after a new election of a new Gov't by the people for the people , ASAP and not under this Gov't , this Gov't with its members and its policies has lost the people's trust , This Gov't has thus no mandate to govern , any of its decision is void and null , The implementation of the Winograde recommendations report under this Gov't will most likely be fitted to the corrupted interests of this Gov't , this Gov't must step down now , Jewish Settlers for PM , DM , FM , and Finance ministry , the new Jewish quartet for the glory of Israel citizenry with Zion-Jerusalem , It is no dream should you want it ,

I don't doubt your post about wonderful sites in Israel, esp historical. However, you are mixing apples and oranges. One does not need to visit Israel to know her history of belligerance towards her neighbors, all of them. The Palestinian situation stands by itself and no matter what is available to see in Israel it has no bearing on the treatment of the indigenous people by mostly newcomers. So, many who support the Pals have not visited. What has not been shown is very clear pictorial layouts of the living conditions of the Pals; somehow photographers seem to get dead. In SA, the oppressors had a good way of living in a beautiful country too. However, all gigs come to an end and unless Israel goes for peace, she will not survive as a Jewish state, but rather will have to incorporate the Pals into 1 state. Her choice. Her simply saying, no way, won't carry the day. Thanks for the post. Regards. Ballistic.

Thanks. That was my laugh of the day.

If leftist means thriving for peace, what's wrong with that? All our great prophets, including Yeshayahu, were leftists in that sense; so was Yochanan be Zakkai, Rabbi Yehuda the and every Jewish leaders of real piety. The zealots were rightists, and so was Bar Kochva, and see what they did to Israel. Isn't Shalom the greatest value expressed in the Tprah and in Kaddish? If Livni is willing to achieve this, God bless her.

Yoram It does sound good to me.If some people find Natanyahu unacceptable,with Barak as P.M to put the breaks on if necessary,it looks like a nice combination. Livni is perhaps too ambitious and I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel if she were to fill the post of P.M..........

io Well said.They come here for the purpose of diminishing Israel without having the slightest idea of how Israel functions as the only democratic country surrounded by the "dictators" of the Arab/Muslim ones. They should not only have to come for a visit to Israel but live and learn all the aspects of the people their vivasity.They then can critise if they so wish...........

You are so right. That the knuckleheads galore do not understand it is further proof of the overall deteriorating mindset in and out of government and in and out of Israel.

I am sure FOX is able to answer your question as I think that he is one of the more knowledgeable posters here. I would like to add my two cents for whatever its worth. The Left has abandoned Israel for an international outlook and does not look after the Israeli poor or Israeli workers anymore and as such is destroying the Nation. I am all for a Left that has the best interest of the population and Israel at heart. It is time that the Right returned to the days of Begin and the best suited right now are probably not electable so the Likud and Netanyahu are second or third best. But irrespective we must get back to the concept of a Jewish Eretz Israel and one that can deter the Arab WORLD. In that Olmert and the Left failed miserably and they must go.

all of israeli politics people should leave now!!

You must be kidding. Peres for PM? He did not oppose the incursion into Lebanon and his complicity in the Kanna massacre in Lebanon is a matter of record. From where I sit I see no good options. Sadly, Israel has painted itself into a political corner. It does not have the wherewithall to lift itself by her bootstraps. And sadly enough, the one power who could and should have helped her is mired in its own petard.

Although there were/are border disputes between Hezbollah and Israël there was initially no sign that Hezbollah planned to overrun your country, and afterwards neither. When your country embarked in a hasteful war Nasrallah pointed to the possibility to talk about prisonerxchange, a matter wherein they had succeeded before. You government went berserk. But Hezbollah suddenly had Xtreme missiles behind their backs, mobile stationed, which is a tactic/strategy while they do not own satellites cause they know you do. You accuse them of human shielding but they are civilians as well, where would/are you storing your ammo? The whole thing was both sided, but you hold yourself hostage in the ideology that anyone wants you dead. Even Ahmadinejad is mistranslated to keep this mythology alive (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12763.htm ; containing crossreferences). It is all about absurd government behaviour, not aimed at ordinairy people, but population grows & scarce resources

but to try to oppose me. Just get a life whoever you are! Probably a nobody like Livni!

Olmert is not perfect, he has made mistakes( as any human being ) he has the courage to admit to be responsible for those mistakes and he has the courage to act. The desicion to go to war was the right decision, the IDF advised him they had the tools to do the job properly, things did not go as Israel had hoped for because of mistakes, taken the enemy lightly, lack of proper planing etc. But as bad as it all sounds, nobody will dare say that today Israel is much better off vis a vis Lebanon than before the war, militarily and politicaly So, let him build on his hard learned experience during that war, implement the Winograd recomendations, and look to the future. Want to replace him? LIVNI, are you jocking, Netanyahu and Barak, in their watch trough omission and neglect they allowed Hizbulah to grow. ISRAEL should act on reason, not emotion, not a good time to change the guard.

Everything is linked in the region and without understanding other influences you are bound to arrive at the wrong conclusions. Jews maybe intolerant in other respects but the kind of intolerance the Arabs have is the root cause of all the problems in the ME. Israel's size is 0.5% of the Arab world's, how can it be blamed for so much? Israel's Jewish population is 2% of the Arab world's, how can it be blamed for so much? You should learn much more about the Kurds and Copts, just from this it will give you a much better understanding of what drives Arabs. Just to say that Kurds got a raw deal is a gross injustice to the Kurds today, and why would you accept it. I guess the Holocaust in Darfur by the Arabs is OK by you. How can Israel be a bigger problem than what is going on in Darfur and for which the entire Arab world bears the greatest responsibility? Also try to learn about the Greater Syria and the Greater Arabia plans/dreams.

George I think the whole Knesset looks like "emperors without clothes".There must be a whole dressing down to the "lot of them"By this means they will look and act effectively and with propriety. A quick good "wash & brush up"is needed badly. Otherwise the "stink" will permeate through the whole country,and no one will come out smelling of "roses"..............

for any Israeli politician is to propose conceding territory for peace. Olmerts days were numbered as soon as he responded to the Saudi peace plan suggesting that possibility. So now we have a political crisis - an excellent distraction. Olmerts government will fall. How can Zipi (not motivated by political opportunism at all)possibly stay in office after calling for her boss to resign? I would fire her. So would you. If he doesn't he just looks pathetic. The focus will be on his replacement not the peace process. Elections will be called, etc. Months will go by. How many times have we seen this? All so predictable.

Dr. Brnd, With all due respect (though diminishing quickly), who exactly are you to call Peres "self-serving bastard"? He happens to have contributed to the security of Israel more than just about anyone else (this is by the way a quote of Ben Gurion). What, no history books in San Diego?

These faking clowns made Golda Meir look good. Phew!

in a unity government. Livni's poor showing as a FM means she would be way over her head as PM. Kadima falls apart.

The 21 points I suppose oral statements that are portrayed as the main points in the interim Winograd report states that the Israëli government failed on essential points, including leadership. This means that various institutions acted autonomously. To a big surprise of the government that undertook severe warfare to no ends on a relatively weak country a submilitia called Hezbollah was able to return more major rocketeering than presumed, thus intelligence failed (nowhere to be seen in the 21 points). Tzipi Livni initially embarked with the rest on this typical hate journey but she started hesitating all along, as a minority (80% of your people supported the carnage, or what was displayed of this in the 'newsflashes'). She did not lose her face, she can safe the face of your country and provide a bridge to peaceful settlements, or should you wait for another 20 years or so? Haniye is underway complying already. Make wise distinctions and keep force behind your backs, while you got it

Tamir Imagination is funny It makes a cloudy day sunny It makes a bee think of honey Just as I think what you say Imagination is crazy Your whole perspective gets lazy Starts you asking a daisy What to do, what to do Imagination is silly You go around willi nilly For example I agree with your thoughts But what to do,what to do??? Tamir,you've got in your bones. Very true,very true...........

So Livni is opposed to elections. Sure, without elections Livni stands a chance to be PM and place Israel in further jeopardy. Elections right now is the only way to save Israel. It is time to get rid of all those left wing morons. Get Bibi back where he belongs. Who do the arabs fear most as Israel's next PM? You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know the answer.

It's obvious you (or Ballistic -yep!) have never been to Israel -maybe never to an arab country either- as if you had, you would certainly see many glaring differences.Israel is no more a mess than most other coutnries and very much less of a mess than its arab neighbours.If one were to judge by open debate and dissent,Israel is more open and democratic than Italy.Israel is a healthy, vibrant, diverse society-full of contradiction and surprises (many pleasant).There are many legit. things to citicize Israel for like the occupation-focussing on stuff you patently know nothing about diminishes other valid arguments.

Where were Livni for the 10 month. Why didn't she speak before. They all knew what happened and what went wrong in Lebanon.

Will he go within 24 hours? Let's see. Livni appears to be one of the better options for PM, but taking over leadership, much like Peres following Rabin's murder, can leave you as a lame duck. Kadima is a new party, & may yet disintergrate. Who will pick up the political pieces? My guess is Bibi - G-d help Israeli politics!

Tsipi Livni should show some conviction and principle for the 1st time in her political career and resign. Like others she jumped onto the Kadima bandwagon when the going was good. Her contributions to Israël's foreign policy are slight if not invisible. Forming a new govt from the present Knesset denies the Israëlis a say in what should change. It would also clean up this artificial vehicle called Kadima created by Ariël Sharon to get his withdrawal plans through. Ms Livni isn't Gola Meïr, she isn't a strong and decisive leader that would be willing to take risks for Israël, have a vision. Putting a knife in Olmert's back doesn't take much courage. Taking personal responsibility(as part of the collective that is the govt) requires resigning from her postion as FM. See how she does at the ballot box(as a member of which party?).

You bet, Lebanon can go either way, democracy or totalitarian regime. Livni, I read was for Ch.7 (remember Kosovo). This was debated in Israel (bb?). UN is using Ch. 6 and they are not able to disarm Hezbollah and when and if a fair tribunal to try Assad is still not known. Assad is confused because he does not know where in his fathers' playbook it stated he could be hanged for being a dictator and Nazi ally. This is your dilemma Israel. Help yourself and Lebanon get rid of Hezbollah and Assad once and for all; or the next Lebanon War is a reality, the worst ever. Love.

I read all entries including FOX's, but yours is probing intelligently. FOX supplies a lot of info but no direction. Sorry, I am new here, but your country seems in a unique state right now. By far every one seems corrupt, except Livni. That woman even dared to make a distinction between a desperado that attacks civilians (be it children, women etc) which she still refers to as 'terrorists', and people that attack the military, which she no longer denounces as 'terrorist', alsthough on the website of your foreign ministry the attack on your 'reconnaissance mission' last summer nearby the fence of the border between Israël and the Lebanon was still referred to as committed by 'terrorists' while they took hostage 2 soldiers. I am trying to retrieve the 320 paged Winograd report in english. Does it exist & for foreign eyes as well? That report might shed light on what were the events that took place then, & before. Recommended literature, especially the final report due this summer!

You know it's so funny that those here who are critisizing Olmert are saying that he wasn't "hard" enough, and so they are putting him and Livni in the same box. The investigation said that Olmert went to war too HASTILY without taking everything in consideration, and Livni was one of those who was skpetical at launching a complete and devastating war that could not lead to the desired effects, and she opted for a diplomatic solution, which at the end, was the one that happened. All those right wingers are too silly to see that the solution wouldn't have been an ever harsher military attack.

I'm sure this rabbi Yakov Lazaros means in fact if he writes Livni is an extreme leftist: she's only a women and has to stay at home. That's in his mind the one and only place for woman, wheter they left or right

For Bibi for P.M It was just for fun to fool,and you replied thinking that I was serious about that bunch of losers called Kadima,Labor and Meretz. While I may agree with you,it doesn't seem to "gel" with your other posts. What is going on with either you,or Haaretz "talkback" operators..................

Hi Danite, regarding this issue, it is being fought on many fronts. Israel does not take well to losing lives of its citizenry in war. After the Yom Kippur War, everybody in Meir's government including the Elazar and Dayan faced the firing squad of public opinion. War is a difficult subject. My mind has a tendency to return to D-Day, and what would have happend if the war was broadcast on television, with reporters who are known more for their hair then their brains. But that is the state of the media and we all suffer. D-Day would have been the end of American and Canadian involvment. The troops would have been forced to retreat and the continent left to the Soviets who would have eventually defeated the Nazis, after the brutal loss of far more lives. This country sided with the war! When it started I was not personally thinking that we would rescue the soldiers. It was meant to make it alot tougher in the future to kidnap. There would be repercussions.

I think its rather hilarious that Haniyeh's term as a PM is going to outlast Olmert's, whose important objective was to make sure the former's government didn't survive. Wow, talk about irony. Olmert, you reap what you sow.

thread to make that same right minded post. Good post. Regards. Ballistic.

Marco, you are making some deep comments which I have difficulty comprehending. Another poster with such depth is FOX. May I suggest that you direct your comments to him. No doubt you will both enjoy such an exchange of deep and reality-oriented ideas.

Hey Danite, it seems that Tsipi is a tough dame, cool headed and young. Is she ready for leading the country? I have no idea. Havn't actually heard much from her, regarding what she envisions for our future. As for the gov't being a "failure on all fronts". Easy to say, rolls off the tongue, but does not account for the booming economy. In an earlier forum, you disputed my allegations regarding multi-culturalism in Canada. What I was trying to inform you of was that for the last thrity years if you wanted money from the government to put on a play, an art show or do a sociological study, it was imperative to put the word "multiculuralism" next to "human condition" to promote your idea. The same goes for today. I would urge you to write the Canada Arts Council and tell them you would like to create a conceptual art work dealing with "global warming' and it's effects on the human condition. I can assure you a largesse of government funding.

Livni- what a snake. She is in it all and now she sits there at a pressconference and talks about olmerts resignation- go, Livni, noone needs you, you are a responsible as the rest, who gives you the right to act like you do now? A disgusting woman

I won't say that I agreed to go into lebanon, neither did I agree to go into gaza, but calling for Olmert's resignation is rather out of line. Gaza's problem is in gaza and the arabs continue to choke themselves while holding a gun to their mouth and threatening us with it. As for Lebanon, our northern border is quieter than it has been in a long time. Lebanon is in disarray and busy teaching the world what a democracy is (yeah right) while wiping their tears trying to figure out how to put all the pieces back together before they kill each other. Syria has marginalized itself by not keeping in step with the arab world while giving a toothless grumble trying to croak out a demand. Olmert will go, but the real reason for it is the arab rejection of peace and his perceived soft stand....giving away the farm for nothing.

Post #79 is by a Fake.

Can anyone garner more than 15% support as PM? With such a pitiful mandate (or barely a croak of support,) which person can lead Israel effectively? Like someone said above, the Israeli government operates like a grand game of musical chairs. The only thing you can be sure of is that a PM disgraced today will almost certainly be back in 5 years when the people get tired of his two or three successors. This is a sad excuse for a government.

What are you views as to who should be in govt, and how should israel proceed at this time with the Palestinians and the Arab world in general.We dont hear much about what you think should be done in the situation, rather it is mostly about how THE LEFT is destroying the nation.Regards

Tzippi Livni is a complete zero..a political nihilist, post-Zionist with no program other than self-advancement, in other words, like all the rest of the Kadima gang. The government has COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY and she is just as responsible for the disaster. Now she thinks she is only a short step from being Prime Minister...it is truly frightening that someone like her could reach the top job. Her parents were revered fighters in the ETZEL (Irgun) in the pre-state period, so she cashed in on this to get ahead in the Likud even though like most of its "princes" she abandoned their nationalist/Zionist line. She attached herself to Sharon and as he moved to the Left, so did she. Like I said, she is a real nothing.

Foreign Minister Tzippi Livni showed her true colors today. Her announcement that PM Olmert should resign was nothing more than a personal/political move in order for her to become Prime Minister. If she truly believed her statement of "The public has lost faith in the government," she said. "We must restore it immediately" then she would call for new elections and not try and circumvent the public's right to elect its officials. Nobody elected Tzippi Livni Prime Minister and if she thinks she should run the country and that the people want her, she should have no problem standing for new elections. The Israeli political arena is infested with personal gain people and very few who actually care about the country itself. I too believe Ehud Olmert should resign, but I believe that I, and the entire Israeli public, should have the right to choose our next leader and not who can scratch whose back harder within the Kadima party.

Excuse me Tom, but that is the biggest problem in Britain today! Also, What exactly does an idiot like Royal has to offer? Politician are all the same and the only "art" thay posses is poker.

Livni would be a much better choice to lead the govt.She "seems" to be more in touch with reality than Olmert and more intelligent in general.Olmert should resign, in any normal country he would.it is time now to clear house, the govt of israel is obviously a failure on all fronts and Israel needs a new team at the helm.Hopefull if Olmert leaves and takes peretz with him a window of opportunity can be opened to save Israel from such incompetence and stagnation as we have seen under Olmert.Go Livni!

It was just for fun to fool all of you, and you replied thinking that I was serious about that bunch of losers called Kadima, Labor and Meretz.

Ovadia Once Olmert resigns(IF)? and she is chosen as the next premiere,heaven forfend!!! "JUMPING FORM THE FIRE,INTO THE FRYING PAN" Testimony Transcripts in Less Then 2 Weeks? Cannot wait to read its results,and what will the outcome be. From what I read at JPOST,there is just the jostling of the same characters,and no new ones on line to take the "cudgels"and not one word about resignations so far..... I particularely agree with your last sentence.

praying for God's grace, merciful hand and unparalled wisdom upon the current PM? Being quick to condemn, this option is unthought of. As if God has not the power. No matter who is "in charge" it is imperative to lift them up in prayer. The battle is with the spirit and not the flesh, and God does have the power. If you want good leadership, know who to ask...then trust His hand IS on the situation. Cursing your own head is just not very wise!

Kaflop! The sound of Livni hitting the deck on her belly before Olmert. "Give me 20" he barks out. So she has left all proactive possibilities with Olmert: he must take the action and fire her, which could well be his last action. What a shock if there is any clause by which she can also be ousted from the party for insubordination at the same time! Oops... And she hasn't counted on Olmert's revenge from exile in combination with the hostility of other pretenders to the throne (Peres). The Winograd Testimony Transcriptions will be just the kind of ammo they need. Bye-bye Livni.

Livni thinks she can rewrite history and whitewash herself of responsibility. Israel leadership must be completely replaced. New elections and nothing else!!! until then there will be spin, lie and superficiality to the resolution to many Israeli problems. Livni is as responsible as olmert, to deny this is to deny the whole point of political responsibility within a govt.

livni and all the others are snakes. they are all just as responsible for the mistakes of the last war. All the dirty politicians should be send home. Bring the soldiers home, and send Kadmia abayta

Why not frictioning female leadership for the first time since over 35 years? Do you need bullies to driver your cart? Obviously not. Rabin turned into a schizophrenic bully that almost seemed to enforce differences (and there were). That is why I posted #46 in a disguised manner :-). I am a bystander, but I was shocked last summer by your furious foreign policy, in which Livni was held out of office so it seems. So she can make a trustworthy difference, I presume. She has to be backed of course while the lions, hyenas and vultures are circling around. I envision a chance that might be administered in a crowbar fashion that will take the entire planet by surprise (which is of course leading to internal problematics, though not to revolution or a coup I suppose), and that is that Israël now has the one time opportunity to show new face. Ahmadinejad was asking for this so he will surrender. Iraq might be convinced to sign cease fire or better. Syria cannot refrain much longer. Etcetera!

BiBi melekh Israel..

Olmert is not the first incompetent Israeli prime minister. Peretz isn't the first incompetent defence minister either. The Israeli electoral system keeps churning them up. The tragic problem is the Isreaeli mindset. It's been obvious for a long time that Israel relies on its military superiority to avoid making peace with its neighbours or the Palestinians. One of the benefits of last year's Lebanon War is that it demonstrated that Israel could be beaten and this may be enough to convince future Israeli governments to resort to diplomacy and compromise before they try to pummel their enemies into submission. Moreover, this tactic of bullying the neighbours cannot only last so long - it's inevitable that other powers will arise in the region and that the Israeli advantage will eventually be compromised.

You boys talking about this subject is a laugh. Mark has no idea of who Sheetrit is, the former mayor of Yavne, of Moroccon background. mark he is well liked, and yes, who knows. Tosefta forgets that Peres was defeated not so much by Netanyahu, but Hamas. Which chose to blow up a few busses on the eve of the election. One must remember boys, that in Israeli politics leaders both good and bad come out of nowhere. Nobody in their right mind would have been able to imagine Arik Sharon as Prime Minister two years before he was elected. One must also not forget the return of Ehud Barak, who is looking to take the reigns of the Labor party again. In other words you should be thinking of who will not be the next prime minister if you are searching for the next prime minister. Once again while this is sport for you on that side of the Atlantic, it is real for us. We will all see how the stage is set for the next scene

Or conversely, the first is a fiction, to provide relief for a seemingly arbitrary world; while the second is a fact that would give rise to the hope for the first...

Johnny, I think Giuliani should serve as a consolation for all of us. Even a deep Catholic upbringing is no guarantee for a life without "sin" as an adult. The (political) popstar Giuliani, a man made of flesh and blood. I just think he should stick to the popstar. Which would have the additional advantage for him that he could kick out his third wife, if he doesn't like her anymore. As a president that might be not so easy....:)

It couldn't have been a blatant imitation of the fool who got us up to our neck in Iraq could it? The similarities, as perceived by the Winograd commission, are so striking as to lead one to believe it possible that Israel's leadership has finally begun to believe that triumph is available only through self-deception, and no one currently does that trick more effortlessly than our mindlessly fearless leader (who is, ironically, also the chief fear monger among us). As Israel begins to crawl out from under the wreckage of the Hezbollah fiasco and rethinks its future it might be wise to wake up and smell the hubris. Aluf Benn is right: Israel's strengh lies in its vulnerability, not in its imaginged invincibility. Now if we who gave them the warped self-image can only learn the same lesson...

BE ALLOWED TO STAY. SHE IS WEAK AND WILL SELL OUT ISRAEL JUST AS FAST AS OLMERT WAS WILLING TO DO FOR A PHOTO OP WITH THE KING OF SAUDIA ARABIA.

Two things Mr. Lazaros: First, for the purposes of these talkbacks, no one cares if you are a rabbi; in fact, it eliminates much of your credibility. Second, you comments only reinforce the perception of your title. Credentials are the life vests of folk who cant swim in the tide of contrasting ideas. Judaism no longer has a need for rabbis or political gerrymandering if it is to maintain any vitality. Get thee out of politics and out of my religion.

Olmert is finished and rightly so. Tragically for Israel, the alternatives are even worse:Netanyahu, an incompetent racist demagogue or Lieberman, a racist fascist. Maybe now thw world will realize that Israel is not a western country but just another middle eastern state that adopted some democratic processes within a bizarre and awful electoral system but is in essence not very different from the neighbors she despises so much.

For once let the politicians listen to the people and call for new elections. They should do what is really the best for the country and not what is best for them personally. We need a real change.

The choice of the next PM is up to Kadima, not up to me. To reduce it even further, the choice is up to the Cabinet members who are the leaders of the "party" (which hardly exists). In #56 I was not discussing my own choice but just offering an evaluation of the main characters. The Peres problem is that he is far to the left of everybody, so how can they pick him? (In addition, everybody knows he is an opportunist, although they are too.) The next PM will not see him/herself as temporary, but will expect to rule for 3+ years, until the end of the term. Olmert was not elected personally; people knew Sharon and not him. My own choice is to have new elections this year. It seems proper to reduce Kadima to its natural size and give people a choice between Right and Left. Unfortunately, Likud will win, but Netanyahu has nothing to offer and will fail again. I would expect Labor to take it next time.

The haggling between the pro and con factions over the 'future' of Olmert and his inheritence further tarnishes the image of Israel. The key person to intervene should be AG Mazuz who has shown spine and guts before. He not only should call for the ouster of the remaining 2 rascals but should seriously consider the legal basis and the ramifications for and of indicting the troica for criminal neglegence and malfeasence. Unless these three pay for their criminal behavior the political and military 'earthquake' Israel so sorely needs will never materialise.

....one won't come, and the other won't go. I know it's an old joke, but worth dragging out, at least once, during the tenure of most Israeli administrations.

A Knesset, which knows that it has lost public confidence, is trying to remain in power while trying to get rid of an incompetent national leadership. Their careers and power is more important to them than the security of Israel and the will of the people. Immediate elections are the only legitimate democratic solution.

Olmert is capable of sidestepping the Kadima revolt by taking his resignation directly to the president. This would buy him two advantages. 1. He would force a general election down the throats of the Kadima rebels, whose every action is designed to avoid one. Even if the acting president (Kadima member) Dalia Itzik should ask the party to put forward a prime ministerial alternative to himself, the faction is too divided for a consensus. 2. A transitional government is a closed shop; its members may not quit and no ministers can be co-opted. Until a general election is held and a new government installed, Olmert is safe for another five to six months in office, together with his reluctant ministers. This would also apply to Kadima?s coalition partners. Labor, for instance, would lose the option of replacing Amir Peretz as defense minister in the primary elections held at the end of this month.

Livni by not resigning during the Lebanon War fiasco has proven herself void of the sense of responsibility necessary to execute the office of Prime Minister. Seetrit might be a good man, but. . . Whom ever is the next choice of Kadima will at best be a caretaker until elections, as Sharon is incapable and Olmert discredited. It is, perhaps, time to bring back an old timer as a caretaker who can afford to talk to other nations and nationalities without fear of his career. Time for Peres.

Anyone who rushes into a war while stating UNATTAINABLR goals is not only inexperienced; he has not the basic talent for statesmanship. We also see it when Olmert is blocking every peace initiative by imposing impossible pre-conditions. Olmert should go. He is a good political animal but no statesman. With Olmert's resignation, Kadima will appoint the next PM. Candidates: 1. Tsippi Livni. She does see the larger picture and more inclined towards peace talks (even with Syria). Too tough on the Palestinians, but can learn. Her problem is lack of political experience and perhaps toughness. 2. Shimon Peres. Peres is way to the left of the government. I can't see how they can follow him. 3. Meir Seetrit. Very experienced politically, with no foreign experience. Perhaps he can learn. Whoever is chosen will have a good partner in the Defense Minister from Labor (to be elected Leader soon). Let them also bring in Dan Meridor, a strategic thinker, as Foreign, Treasury, or Justice Minister. The quality of the government will rise considerably. At the same time, get rid of Lieberman and his Russian Party. They will block every move towards peace.

Olmert should stop this disloyalty, this uprising of underlings and pofit seekers by firing them both. Neither of them have a way forward without Olmert and they are weakening the xountry. Syria and Iran are getting itchy fingers over this and these guys are playing fiddles while Rome burns.

Olmerts Aid says: In no properly functioning government in the world would such a phenomenon be acceptable (re-Livni's attempt to persaude Olmert to resign). ummm...did we all miss something? How is this a "properly functioning government"??

Nice try. One occasion is filmed with audience, and utterances of a lot of not very friendly language in anger are made. Unless you won't ascertain him/them by overkill and other not very clear but unfair measures they will continue to do so. But only a minority will put anger in practice when they are given the opportunity. This is frequently called 'terrorism' but this term is meant to frighten off a majority while hitting a small minority. One can fuel their fire by continuing administering mayhem (has the same effect as terrorism, indeed IS terrorism, this time applied by a government instead of condoned in the very most by a government, that may have been preventing it as well). Apart from the ritualistic mumbojumbo that is offered in many videos it is mainly a way to kill off one owns anger, which has to fade away instead of refueled. I thought once Shimon Perez understood this, Yitschak Rabin certainly did. Both manifold of sides need to cool down, and identify the fireburners.

If you're going to do red and black, put the red over black.

I have been away for several days, and I did not have a chance to reply to your previous comments about Former Mayor Rudolph Guiliani. You may wish to read closely his biography by "googling" the name RUDOLPH GUILIANI on your computer, and especially his early childhood.

Perhaps I will hear on the United States radio that our Secretary of State (Foreign Minister) Condoleezza Rice has entered the Oval Office in the White House and dragged President George W. Bush outside of the White House. I believe that the worst mistake that Prime Minister Olmert made was to select a person like Tsipi Livni to be the Foreign Minister in his Government. Tsipi Livni is a thirty-eight old woman with very little political or military experience who is ready to take over the Israeli Government , even if she has to pull the rug out from those who elevated her. That is called loyalty?

Israel does deserve someone with leadership. We, in the US have to wait for 2 years. If Israel can get better leaders in the case of , G-d forbid, another war breaks out, then they will need it just at that time. A strong leader can prevent clashes also. My advice to Olmert is to rapidly put the onus on Hamas and Abbas and pressure them to the table....if he cannot do that NOW then step down.

Speaker of PA Legislature: Kill Every Last Jew & American (IsraelNN.com) In a televised address to a packed mosque, the Acting Speaker of the Palestinian Authority's Legislative Council called for the killing of every last Jew and American. His speech and murderous prayer were delivered in an unidentified packed mosque and broadcast on an official PA-controlled television station. According to a recording and transcript of the April 20th broadcast, translated and provided by Palestinian Media Watch, PLC Acting Speaker Ahmed Bahr called the Jews "the cancerous lump... in the heart of the Arab nation." He predicted that "America is on its way to disappear. America is wallowing [in blood] today in Iraq and Afghanistan. America is defeated and Israel is defeated, and was defeated, in Lebanon and Palestine." Adopting the open-palmed gesture of Islamic prayer, as did his audience, the PA official intoned: "Allah, take hold of the Jews and their allies, Allah, take hold of the Americans and their allies.... Allah, count them and kill them to the last one and don't leave even one." This is not Bahr's first appeal for genocide of the Jews and Americans. Just one week earlier, on April 13th, Sudan television broadcast a fiery sermon delivered by the PA legislator in a Sudanese mosque. At the conclusion of his remarks, the Sudanese worshipers opened their palms in supplication and Bahr prayed: Oh Allah, vanquish the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, vanquish the Americans and their supporters. Oh Allah, count their numbers, and kill them all, down to the very last one. Oh Allah, show them a day of darkness. Oh Allah, who sent down His Book, the mover of the clouds, who defeated the enemies of the Prophet ? defeat the Jews "...we are eager for death..." - PA Speaker Ahmed Bahr and the Americans, and bring us victory over them."

It says a lot when all alternatives to Olmert is worse. Yes he screwed up royally, but he also gave in to the populat demand of the people and the conniving IDF. The military almost staged a coup, that is in the findings, though in a different language. Livni, Peretz, Halutz and Olmert will have to go, there is no other way, but then you have only two losers(Netanyahu, Barak)or a corrupt Peres to choose from. Maybe the President, if he espaces the rape charges,could step in as a care taker PM. It is sad when even that sounds as an option.

As Foreign Minister Livni should go to the Regional Conference on Iraq while it might serve many advantages for future relations of Israël in the region: 1) Iraq never signed a cease fire treaty since 1948, but it might be that they will when; 2) Livni proposes some constructive hand reaches to aid more stability in the region, which; 3) will give an immediate toughening in her position, both at home and abroad. Of course, Israël cannot be very detailed in steps to be taken while time is running out since the meeting is held tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Perhaps a hand reach from Tel Aviv might do as well. Livni needs to grab the inertia of the current sway of things to enforce the best future possible: normalization of relationships. Then internal affairs might be able to cool down, rendering them more controlable, then perhaps appeasable. After all, WB & Gaza matters could have been conducted the same way as the Lebanon war was, so it leaves opportunities for a new leadership

But there os no consensus on what should have been done.

Yes you all like to string up the Prime Minister but what would YOU have done differently??????????

Sometimes, you don't know what you've got till it's gone. For all these people screaming he needs to go, Who do you want to see in his place? Many know what they don't want, but as to what they do want, they havn't a clue.

Livni ,too late . You should share the blame , you are part of it all. Your political carreer is over . Olmert, you are not alone!

Those that are now shouting at Olmert were shouting with Olmert during the war with Hizbollah. What hypocrisy, they want to gain points - I agree with Olmert (and I do not even like him) Political gains that show no responsibility and a shifty character at best. Where are the honest politicians that stick by their actions and mistakes and take responsibility and the consequences for them??? I will not vote for these cowards, nor respect them for it. They are the worst possible leaders and not to be trusted.

this is great news for Israel! Ehud Olmert is a terrible left winger who has done no good for Israel. When Kadima is in power, the terrorists are not afraid. This will change when Benjamin Nettanyahu is elected P.M. Things will start changing for the better soon.

According to Olmert we're all fakes being paid by Likud to criticise him. He doesn't understand that people can care for Israel without financial remuneration.

At least the Palestinians would know they have a "Serious Partner in Peace". rgards

The trouble with sucessive Israeli Governments is their "Unwillingness" to end the "occupation", coupled with endless corruption. How can the Palestinians ever find a "Partner in Peace" while Israel can,t find a government that can last longer than a football season. Regards.

It was clear from the very beginning that Livni had waited for long for an opportunity to overthrow Olmert. She profits from the fact that the Winigrad report is only published partially and is especially not dealing with her grave failures as FM. Her betrayal of Olmert is disgraceful and a shame. For many months Haaretz was carefully proposing Livni as a possible successor of Olmert. The idea behind it is the hope, that Livni would finally realize the promise to run away from Judea and Samaria. This wishful thinking must be stopped and the whole Kadima episode must come to an end. Kadima has in a very short period of time done immense damage to Israel and her security. Tzipi Livni is part of that fiasco and must come down as well.

Lebanon has been destroyed in the last war and many Leb lost their lives, homes, businesses... Do you think Hezbullah will repeat the same mistake and kidnap Israel's again in future? if no, then Israel won the war for sure.

What Israel needs now is a new leadership. For the past few years, the leadership has been declining. What happened to all the Isaac Rubin's or Shimon Perez's? I truely believe that Israel would be in a better situation, internationally and security, if the Labor Party came back into control. Mind you, I truely believe that Peretz has to step down as well. I am a Palestinian-Israeli that wants to have confidence in the Israeli Government!

So long as tne next immediate leader follows up on the innitiative to solve the Palestinian impasse with dignity and fairness, Olmert may resign. Short of that, it doesn't really matter if he stays or goes, because we will be back to square one and that means giving the new leaders a chance to commit foul play again. So, how about we get what is right done. Create good neighbors with good intentioned peace and open Israel's knowhow to the amazing Arab markets and for the next 100 years and more, Israel will be immersed in dealing with how its people will grow in success and happiness doing what they do best: creating financial successes from its own creativities; creativities the Arabs will be craving for and doing so also will create harmony and understanding. We can then put wars and military buildups on the back burner for a while and enjoy lifting the spirits of families without always worrying about the possibility of attack... The world craves for peace...let's do it...

This sad state which we find ourselves in now,is worsened at thought of the saviour waiting in the sidelines... Shimon Peres. Will somebody advice him that enough is enough both for him and especially for us.

Don't forget about the Winograd Testimony Transcripts that must be published by court order. There will be plenty of references to Livni and her substandard FM performance. The testimonies cover the full range (both halves) of the Winograd Report. The Interim Report states boldly that the Final Report will have *much* to say about Livni (in August). Olmert's political capital ran out. Livni's political situation is that she is running on borrowed time. I hope they both have a miserable retirement.

Olmert finds himself in the same position as the Lebanese PM Sineora - Both unwanted by a majority of their people and both want to hang on to their seats. There are, however, some major differences: (1) The US Ambassador is not rushing to Olmert's residence to show support. (2) The UNSC has not convened to declare that Olmert is the democratically elected PM and that the world should stand by him. Olmert must feel jelous of Sineor(it)a! May be Olmert can get some Western sympathy if he sheds a tear or two?

It makes no difference as to who is the Israeli PM so long as the barbaric policy of taking land from the Palestinians is not overtuned.

ARE YOU SURE YOU DONT MEAN THE UK??? OR EVEN OZ???????

Probably the PM has formed a committee to read talk-backs and so on. He cannot spare his own arrogant scrutiny for the likes of us, mere morals.

"All The Rats Are Jumping Ship"

What an insult to the people and to Israel. It is the people who DON'T WANT OLMERT (and peretz). And this time, I doubt that the will of the people will not prevail. This is NOT a Katsav situation. Olmert's actions were not a crime, they were a horrible mistake!

wrong century. We do not even have to get off the footpath when you walk by or wear funny clothes.

I am not sure, whether for "sheep" No. 1 (Israeli voters) that is really something to cheer on (if he is very hungry, the "wolf" sometimes won't even spare the own "sheep"...). But as "sheep" No. 2 (Palestinian civilian population) I would be really worried now....

einstein believed in trial and error and he is the most admired person of the century . he seemed good hearted and liberal and a person like einstein would be better for israel .olmerts problem is he is not a humble and basic jew his intelligence is not great enough at this stage . israel needs geniuses .

The modern day 3 stooges : Olmert, Livni nad the outrageous one called Peretz.There is something magic about the chairs they sit on, which they don't want to leave, so take the chair with you and leave, get LOST!!!!.

Zipi Livni "The Slence of The Lamb" She is no less to blame then Olmert Peretz and Halutz.

You think you have problems? Look at us in the US. We have a real dog for a President. His Vice-President is even worse.

...is in thinking that Israel is a European country transported into the Middle East. It isn't. It's a Middle East country ruled by European-looking powerbrokers; people who happen to be Jewish rather than Muslim, and who dress very expensively. So it is a world of power and influence based on corruption, cronyism, the triumph of appearance over substance, and a disrespect for the rule of law. It's just that they don't have the trappings of your typical Middle East ruling class, and so everyone pretends that they Must be Different. But deep down? No better (and, admittedly, no worse) than neighbors like Jordan or Lebanon or even - Gosh! - Iran.

Your attempts to survive by appealing to the fears, greed and opportunism of your fellow MKs, are only debasing your Office further.

You wrote: "What is needed now is for all Jews who love Israel to pressure Shas and Lieberman to leave the coalition so that new elections may take place now." Dear Rabbi Lazaros, it is not enough to love Israel to pressure Israeli political parties. In order to do this you should LIVE in Israel, PAY TAXES in Israel, SERVE IN THE IDF in Israel. By the way if Ms. Livni is an extreme leftist (in according to you) then Peace Now must be the Antichrist himself.

That is what you people are all about. Just keep stabbing each other on the back!