Olmert's Silence Speaks Volumes

Today's interrogation was the eighth time that Olmert has been questioned by police - in the process setting a new personal and political record for Israeli premiers.
What a difference a couple of days can make.

On Monday, the eve of Rosh Hashana, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert gave an extensive interview to the daily Yediot Aharonot in which he tossed more than a few bombshells, from publicly stating that Israel should give eastern Jerusalem and the Golan to the Arabs, to mocking the idea that the Jewish state could possibly bomb Iran to prevent the latter from building nuclear weapons.

It was the kind of rambling performance that makes one wince with embarassment that such a person could possibly serve as head of Israel's government.

But as much as Olmert may have found his voice when talking to the reporters from Yediot, he seems to have fallen silent today when he was visited by police investigators looking into allegations of corruption against him.

According to media reports, Olmert "refused to respond to questions" when the police asked him about a particular case that has come to be known as the "Rishon Tours Affair" (in which Olmert is accused of using state money to pay for his family's vacations overseas).

Today's interrogation was the eighth time that Olmert has been questioned by police - in the process setting a new personal and political record for Israeli premiers.

But his silence speaks volumes - and only underlines how crucial it is to the future of the country that the Olmert regime become a thing of the distant past as soon as possible.

A sad day for Israel

The Jewish people deserve better.
Sometimes, a picture says it all - much better than words could possibly do.

The news today in Israel is dominated by - what else? - Ehud Olmert's resignation. This evening, at 7:30 pm local time, the Prime Minister will meet with President Shimon Peres and formally notify him of his decision to leave his post.

Whatever one thinks of Olmert - this is a sad day for the Jewish state. Our task as a people is to serve as a Light unto the Nations, a bastion of justice and righteousness for all to emulate - and now we must watch as our head of government resigns under a cloud of corruption scandals and allegations.

It has been said that a nation gets the leaders they deserve. But I beg to differ - because I think the Jewish people deserve better and the people of Israel deserve better.

We deserve a leadership that will stand firm and proud and defend the nation and its interests, one that will not cower before others. And we deserve leaders who walk in faith with G-d and uphold the highest ideals of honesty, and integrity.

We really do deserve such things - but the way it looks right now, we'll probably have to keep waiting a bit longer until we get them.

Loose Lips...

from a journalistic point of view, the information is clearly newsworthy and very current. But as Jews, as Israelis - don't they realize the damage such an article could cause?
There is an absolutely astonishing article in Ha'aretz today, one that signifies just how mightily irresponsible Israel's left-wing mainstream media can be.

"Israel asks US for arms, air corridor to attack Iran", screams the headline, clearly suggesting that the Jewish state is making preparations to hit Teheran's nuclear facilities.

The article goes on to list some of the weapons systems that Israel requested from Washington, as well as revealing details of some of the security discussions between the two countries.

Reading the article, one can only wonder why on earth the paper chose to publish such things. What were they thinking?

Certainly, from a journalistic point of view, the information is clearly newsworthy and very current. But as Jews, as Israelis - don't they realize the damage such an article could cause? After all, loose lips sink ships, as the old saying goes.

If Israel is indeed planning to strike Iran is anyone's guess. But better to keep Iran guessing, than to telegraph the play to them in advance, don't you think?