Ehud Olmert

Ehud Olmert (Hebrew אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945 in Binyamina, Israel) is an Israeli politician ( Kadima ) and was from April 2006 to March 2009 Prime Minister of Israel. The official business he conducted as early as the evening of 4 January 2006, following Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke. On 11 April 2006, Sharon was declared formally unfit to govern.

From January 18, 2008 - April 13, 2008 he was Minister for strategic reconnaissance.

21 September 2008 Olmert announced his resignation from the post of prime minister, he had already announced in July. He remained until the formation of a new government led by Benjamin Netanyahu on 31 March 2009 in office and led a transitional government. In early July 2012, he was found guilty of breach of trust by a court in Tel Aviv. It was the first time that a former Israeli prime minister was convicted.

Life

Olmert comes from a Russian immigrant family. His father Mordechai Olmert grew up in China. 1933 emigrated to the ancestors in the then British Mandate of Palestine. Olmert's father served in the IDF as an officer in an infantry combat unit and was a military correspondent for the Army Journal BaMachane. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with degrees in psychology, philosophy and law. He himself practiced as a lawyer.

Olmert is with the artist Aliza Olmert, which has close ties to the Israeli peace movement, is married and has four children. He speaks Hebrew and English.

On October 29, 2007 Ehud Olmert announced in Jerusalem that he was suffering from prostate cancer. In April 2009, a deterioration was observed, which made immediate emergency treatment.

Policy

Olmert was the Likud first elected to the eighth Knesset in 1973, that he was the youngest at 28 years Member of Parliament in Israel. He was re-elected seven times in a row. He was represented in the Standing Orders, constitutional, judicial, state control, Außen-/Verteidigungs-, financial, and Erziehung-/Kultur- Innen-/Umweltausschuss. His party, he served as treasurer. 1999 called Olmert, Ariel Sharon out as party chairman of the Likud, but failed in the internal party elections. Because he resented the many Likud members, he moved to one of the rear list places only just entered parliament.

In the years 1981-1988 Olmert served as the Knesset with the third highest seniority senior officer in the prestigious Foreign and Security Committee. During his career as a member of the Knesset, he served as Minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Yitzhak Shamir ( 12 Knesset/23. Government ) responsible for minorities, later he became Minister of Health (24th government). His time as Minister of Health is remembered because of he initiated far-reaching reforms of health care.

Mayor of Jerusalem

In November of 1993, Olmert hit his legendary rival candidates Teddy Kollek and was adopted by a majority of 60 % mayor of Jerusalem. During his first term, the status of Jerusalem by opening of the Har Choma district, an ancient tunnel under the Temple Mount became known to the public interest. Olmert defended at this time the position of Greater Israel, including the integrity of all of Jerusalem under Israeli control and refused any concession from the Palestinians, who claim east Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. This ideological orientation was also reflected in his policies. Consistently, he led a harsh policy of expatriation of Palestinians through from the eastern part of the city. Olmert claims for itself claim to have taken many initiatives and improvements of large urban projects in attack. During his nine years in office Olmert sought to the development and improvement of urban education system, the largest and most expensive in all of Israel. In addition, the infrastructure has been improved with great physical effort.

Ehud Olmert announced in November 1998 after the introduction of a law that prohibits members of the Knesset, at the same time to hold public office, be Knessetmandat back - he was re-elected as mayor of Jerusalem, with a majority of 62 %. After his re- election to the Knesset he gave in February 2003 from his position as mayor.

Industry, Trade Minister and Deputy Prime Minister

In February 2003, Ehud Olmert was appointed (16th Knesset, 30 government ) for Industry and Commerce Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. From 29 September 2003, he was Minister of Communications. In this role, he supported the Sharon plan to withdraw from parts of the occupied territories. He moved like Sharon on the ideology of a Greater Israel and advocated that the Israeli state determines its borders unilaterally final. Olmert was considered a close confidant of Ariel Sharon and was regarded as his mouthpiece.

On 7 August 2005 he took over after Netanyahu's resignation was additionally in charge of the Treasury. After the founding of the Kadima Party by Sharon and Olmert joined Likud in the party. On 16 January 2006, the party delegates Olmert chose as chairman of the Kadima.

Prime minister

After Ariel Sharon's severe stroke on 4 January 2006 Olmert took office as prime minister first interim basis. Although he does not have his father's Image Sharon and his occasional arrogance is accused, he won the 2006 election and was confirmed as prime minister. On election night, he told supporters in Jerusalem: I 'm ready to give up the dream of a Greater Israel. This meant that the borders of Israel until 2010 he wanted to commit definitively without cooperation with the Palestinians, even by a task of settlements in the West Bank, which would have affected about a third of the 240,000 settlers. Having had the situation is worsening since the election of Hamas in the Palestinian territories where civil war similar, offered Olmert - for one year - negotiations that should have his so-called convergence - plan basis. It was the Palestinians an independent state offered, inter alia, against the consent of the major territorial losses, which seemed predestined by the unilateral demarcation of the border by the border fence erected by Israel and the expansion of some settlements.

Winograd Commission

After completion of the Lebanon War, the Winograd Commission was established in Israel. She checked the events of the campaign and threw Olmert in a report " serious failure " before. The opposition demanded that his resignation as Prime Minister, which was immediately rejected. It was " impossible to put the blame on just one person ."

Allegations of corruption and condemnation

Against Olmert run on corruption investigations. It should be clarified whether Olmert has in his time as trade and industry minister, from 2003 to 2005 helped people to higher offices and a friend favored by the investment department of his Ministry. In another case of buying a house in a posh residential area of Jerusalem is being investigated at an unusually low price. Familiar Olmert said to the information had been deliberately scattered by members of the opposition to harm the Middle East peace process. End of 2007, Olmert was questioned by the police for his role in the sale of the Israeli Bank Leumi in 2005, the procedure was terminated shortly thereafter.

After a determination tactical news blackout in early May the accusation was 2008 that the U.S. businessman Morris ( Moshe ) Talansky (Hebrew מוריס ( משה ) טלנסקי; * ~ 1933) bribes allegedly paid to Olmert. Olmert rejected the accusation in a press conference back: "I look at each of them in the eye and say that I put never bribe and never even a single Agora [ smallest Israeli currency unit ] into his own pocket. " He had donations from Talansky get, which had been handled correctly. Olmert further stated that he had never received kickbacks. In the event of an indictment against him, he announced to resign from his post as Prime Minister. Due to the recent allegations of three members of the Pensioners' Party Gil had withdrawn from the coalition.

After the end of May 2008, additional details about Talanskys payments had become known, Defense Minister Ehud Barak called Olmert to resign. Otherwise, led by Barak Labor Party Avodah would leave the coalition government, which Olmert would lose its majority in parliament. The final break the coalition could end of June 2008 to be averted by Olmert presented his resignation as party leader of Kadima in September 2008 in view. Then said the Labor Party not agree to a case brought by the opposition request to dissolve the Knesset. On 30 July 2008, Olmert announced that he would not want to apply again for the Kadima chair. On 21 September 2008, he resigned from the post of prime minister. He remained until the formation of the successor government business leader in office. New elections were held on 10 February 2009. After Benjamin Netanyahu could form a government, he was sworn in on 31 March 2009 as Prime Minister.

30 August 2009, Olmert was indicted by the Prosecutor's Office in Jerusalem because of corruption in three cases. Among other things it illegal acceptance of donations and the double billing of travel expenses and the preference of business partners was blamed. The trial began on September 25, 2009, the Jerusalem District Court.

Beginning of July 2012, the court acquitted him in two of the three points free; one count he was found guilty of infidelity. The court considered it proven that Olmert was concerned in 2002 funding for a construction project. This was managed by his friend and confidant Uri Messer. In the two other counts - Acceptance of payments for a U.S. businessman in the amount of $ 600,000 as well as incorrectly billed travel expenses to charity - he was acquitted.

He received a one-year suspended prison sentence and a fine in the amount of approximately € 15,000. Another corruption case against Olmert to the so-called Holyland affair ended March 31, 2014 Olmert may lodge an appeal against the verdict.