Vice Prime Minister Chaim Ramon (Kadima) is being discussed as the replacement for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert if the current corruption probe forces him to resign, an Israel Today journalist said Wednesday morning. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is considered to be the next in line to be Prime Minister, but Defense Minister Ehud Barak bitterly opposes her, and the Shas religious party prefers that a woman not lead the government.

However, Vice Prime Minister Ramon faces the problem of his conviction for forcefully kissing a woman soldier, although the court decided his act was not an issue of "shame," effectively allowing him to be a Cabinet minister. He also has been the prime mover in the program to divide Jerusalem between Israel and the proposed new Arab state. Shas has threatened it will quit the coalition if the issue is discussed directly with the Palestinian Authority.