Over the weekend former Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke at a conference organized by the Jerusalem Post in New York City. As the the video above shows the crowd did not support his argument that a Palestinian state is in Israeli self-interest.
From the settler-affiliated news service Arutz Sheva:
Speaking to an audience of thousands of Jews and supporters of Israel in New York Sunday morning – in front of a crowd shouting both cheers and jeers – former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that he supported the “new politics” represented by both Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Bayit Yehudi head Naftali Bennett. Their way of doing things “deserved to be strengthened,” although he had no desire to run for office again.
With that, Olmert reiterated his long-standing policy of a major Israeli withdrawal from much of Judea and Samaria, saying that recent declarations by Binyamin Netanyahu showed that the Prime Minister concurred with his opinions. “I am the realistic one,” Olmert said. “Bibi is saying today what I was saying then.” Israel, he said, could not continue “to rule over a million people without giving them democratic rights” without becoming internationally isolated. “In order to preserve Israel we must renew dialog with the Palestinians,” he said.
(h/t Ira Glunts)
Give some credit to the NY Times for making sure its readers, Jewish and non-Jewish, are aware that Israel’s Jews are victims of Palestinians and not as the occupiers and ethnic cleansers of the Palestinians.
“All of the leaders of Europe came to the home of the Prime Minister [his home after the attack] and congratulated Israel for attacking the Hamas in Gaza” — Ehud Olmert
This is about as believable as most of the rest of what Olmert says. Although I believe that Netanyahu and Olmert are actually pretty close in what they would offer the Palestinians — not real sovereignty.
I wonder if Peter Beinart still refers to Olmert as an example of a good liberal Zionist Israeli politician (as opposed to Netanyahu).
Words, words, words — altho welcome words from a (former:natch!) big-shot. I much doubt he speaks for, or in accord with the deep thought and desires of, N’yahu or ther others. When he (or any other (former) big-shot) proposes either [1] that Israel withdraw from OPTs, roll-back all existing settlements, or the like or [2] USA, UNSC, EU apply force to Israel to do these things — because Israel will not do them as acts of free will — then it will make sense to listen. As with the EU-19 mere words are small comfort.
Whats worse with this video?
People booing the aspect of peace-talks or the screaming olmert-demagogue?
Olmert is quite right. It is in Israel’s own true best interests to get out of the West Bank.