It was a rare sight to see an Israeli premier on the defensive when charged with aggressions against the Palestinians that violate every norm of human decency. Nevertheless it is what exactly television viewers saw at press conference held in Sharam El-Sheikh a few days ago in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert participated.
While covering the event, a leading international television channel noted that Olmert resorted to defending Israeli actions in his meeting with President Mubarak who reiterated his disapproval of the Israeli hostilities in Ramallah, and pointed out that the repeated aggression of Israel against the Palestinians would not help peace efforts. Another news channel said that a public apology from an Israeli premier is not a common event, referring to Olmert having to apologize for the Israeli attack on the West Bank city of Ramallah that resulted in the death of several innocent civilians.
It was apparent from the beginning of the interview that Mubarak would not accept any kind of baseless charge against Egypt. On the other hand, the Israel premier had to listen to the Egyptian stand on the Israeli excesses that were never conducive to a peace.
Olmert’s defensive stand apparently diminished his popularity amidst his own supporters. His public image further suffered a jolt when he declared in Germany that Israel possessed nuclear weapons. This disclosure is contrary to the hitherto ambivalent stand adopted by Israel with regard to its nuclear capability. His image has further been tarnished with the recent charges of corruption against him.
The Israeli premier is not the only top Israeli leader reeling under serious charges of corruption and sexual assault. The president of Israel, Moshe Katsov, was also charged with sexual harassment of women employees in his office. Another charge against Katsov was the granting of amnesty to some criminals, a misuse of his presidential privileges.
Investigations are underway on Olmert allegedly accepting bribes running to half a million dollars in connection with some sleazy real estate deals and the granting of municipal licenses in Jerusalem.
Another high placed dignitary who is facing charges of raping a teenage girl is the current justice minister, Haim Ramon, a close associate of Olmert.
The chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, is another top brass member who has come under fire for his shady stock market dealings on the eve of the Israeli Army’s campaign against Lebanon. Shortly before he ordered the army to march into the neighboring country, he sold out his stocks in the share market to avoid the likely loss following a crash in the market caused by the country’s involvement in the war. The chief of staff profited greatly while the general public suffered hugely from the sharp fall in the stock market following the defeat in the war.
Olmert’s diminishing popularity, and his disclosures of the country’s security secrets, and above all his failure to teach lesson to the Hezbollah in Lebanon, are a few of the factors that point to his fall. His strong rival and former premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, has not been sitting idle. Netanyahu is now striving to capitalize on Olmert’s diminishing popularity with the hope that he can drive out Olmert from the prime minister’s office if early elections are held.
Whatever course the internal squabble for power may take, it will not offer any change to the policies of the Israeli government. The brutal suppression of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and colonization of the Palestinian lands by evicting the original inhabitants from their homes and farms is obviously an integral part of Israel’s basic policies.
The struggle for power in Israel has nothing to do with its political objectives and geographical ambitions. The racial outlook of the political parties in the Jewish state will remain unchanged. They differ only in external manifestations of their race-based nationalism.
The political leaders in Israel, whichever party-label they may carry, should realize that peace and security in Israel, or in any other country for that matter, could hardly be achieved by military strength. It can be realized only with negotiations driven by a strong will to achieve the goals of peace and coexistence.
