A day after the Talansky testimony against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Ehud Barak - currently his government ally but soon-to-be his political rival - has called a sudden press conference for 1:30 PM. His options include taking Labor out of the government and thus bringing about early elections, working to form a unity government with Netanyahu and without Olmert, or simply calling on Olmert to resign.
The press conference is being called following testimony by New York businessman and philanthropist Moshe Talansky yesterday, in which he detailed how he gave Ehud Olmert gifts and loans totalling some $300,000 over the course of several years. Talansky explained that Olmert always wanted the money in cash, that at least some of it was used to fund fancy cigars, pens, or personal vacations for Olmert and his family, and that the "loaned" money was never repaid, despite requests by Talansky.
Talansky said he gave Olmert the money because "I loved him" and because he saw him as a true Jewish patriot who would save Jerusalem.
Olmert himself has not denied receiving money from Talansky, but said it was given directly to his aides Shula Zaken and Uri Messer. Talansky said that Olmert was present on at least one occasion of money-giving. Olmert has also said that the money was used to fund campaign expenses or deficits.
Olmert's aides say he is not considering resigning or temporarily suspending himself. "There is no reason for such extreme reactions based merely on one man's testimony, without even a cross-examination," one aide said.
Reactions from Labor
A top Labor Party member, Minister Ami Ayalon, said Olmert must resign immediately.
Another top Labor member, Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, hinted today that new elections could be in the offing. "I don't rule out new elections," he told Voice of Israel Radio, "but I think we should wait to hear what Barak has to say. I'm sure he will speak clearly."
"Given the public situation of today," Ben-Eliezer said, "the Prime Minister must get up and give explanations to the nation. This is something that cannot be ignored... We are not afraid of elections even tomorrow morning, but the political and military situations demand very broad national thinking. It is first and foremost Kadima's responsibility to decide how to react."
Labor MK Shelly Yechimovitch said that Labor can no longer grant legitimacy to Olmert by remaining in a government he leads. Her party colleague Yoram Marciano, on the other hand, says Olmert is far from having been found guilty.
Three MKs in Olmert's own party - Ze'ev Elkin, Amira Dotan, and Marina Solodkin - have called upon Olmert to step down.
Barak's Options
Army Radio reported that Barak is seeking to somehow topple the present government and then form a new one with the Likud.
Others speculate that new elections within three months - the minimum time needed - could benefit Barak, in that Netanyahu's lead in the polls has shrunk and Kadima unprepared to field an alternative to Olmert.
Meretz Man: Leaders Must Return to Modest Life-Styles
Prof. Amnon Rubenstein, a former Cabinet minister from the far-left Meretz party, said today that Israel had awoken to "a very sad day... Israel is undergoing a moral and public crisis." He called on all political leaders to abandon their lifestyles of "posh hotels" and vacations. Rubenstein expressed his hope that Israel would "return to the days when political leaders lived modestly and in order to serve the public, not themselves."
Tal Zilberstein, a former campaign manager for Ehud Barak and now a top Olmert press advisor, warned Barak not to preach ethics to Olmert. "Barak is not exactly a stranger to the culture of envelopes and cash," Zilberstein said. The State Comptroller found that Zilberstein himself was heavily implicated in the Barak campaign financing scandal of the early 90's.