Decision ‘08

It’s Official: Winner, Olmert

And disengagement seems to be the mood of the Israeli public. Officials are lamenting the lowest turnout ever - at 63.2%, a figure that would have American officials dancing in the streets (60.7% voted in the 2004 election, a number that was considered unusually high). Olmert praised the comatose Sharon and offered a vision of a final chance for peace talks before Israel’s borders are irrevocably set:

Olmert, head of the Kadima Party, did not explicity claim victory, dedicating his speech instead to outlining his governing plans. He said he was ready for new peace talks and was prepared to make painful compromises.

“In the coming period, we will move to set the final borders of the state of Israel, a Jewish state with a Jewish majority,” he said. “We will try to achieve this in an agreement with the Palestinians.”

Addressing Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Olmert said: “We are prepared to compromise, give up parts of our beloved land of Israel, remove, painfully, Jews who live there, to allow you the conditions to achieve your hopes and to live in a state in peace and quiet.”

“The time has come for the Palestinians … to relate to the existence of the state of Israel, to accept only part of their dream, to stop terror, to accept democracy and accept compromise and peace with us. We are prepared for this. We want this,” he said.

Olmert said he would not wait for the Palestinians indefinitely. “It is time for the Palestinians to change their ethos, to accept compromise as soon as possible. If they manage to do this soon, we will sit and work out a plan. If not, Israel will take control of its own fate, and in consensus among our people and with the agreement of the world and US President George Bush, we will act. The time has come to act,” he said.

I’m not holding my breath waiting for the Hamas-led Palestinian parliament to meet Olmert halfway…

6 Responses to “It’s Official: Winner, Olmert”

1 Aaron Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Any word on what the coalition will probably be? Kadima’s got 28 of 120 seats, and the #2 party is Labour with 20, so Kadima would have to get at least two other parties to join them.
2 Mark Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
The latest I saw had Kadima with 29 - 32 seats, and Labor the most likely coalition partner…but I don’t know what party is behind door #3…
3 Aaron Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:17 pm
from the BBC:

The right-wing former ruling party, Likud, is trailing with just 11 seats - behind the ultra-Orthodox Shas, with 13, and the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, which proposes forcibly transferring Arab towns inside Israel to Palestinian territory, polling 12.

I doubt a Likud or Beitenu Coalition is likely.
4 A Blog For All Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:40 pm
Record Low Turnout In Israeli Elections?

This really doesn’t make any sense. Israel is facing serious and existentialist questions over what to do about the West Bank, settlements, and how to deal with Hamas, and the Israeli electorate sits on their hands and appears to be voting in lower n…
5 Aaron Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
I was thinking there was a record low because there are no more giants on the political landscape. Netanyahu has already had his chance. Same for Peretz. And Ehud Olmert is not the giant Sharon was.
6 Dennis Says:
March 28th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
You may have a point there, Aaron. It might also be a kind of tacit endorsement for the Kadima program. Rightists might not like the idea of giving up more settlements and leftists might not like the idea of unilateraly deciding on borders with the Palestinians, but they both may recognize that looks increasingly like the only way to go. Many of the far-flung settlements are simply untenable, and as Olmert indicated, it’s not just a question of Palestinian policy but of a Palestinian national ethos that needs to change if negotiations are going to be of any use.

I think that quote from Olmert says it all. The Hamas election was at least a clarifying moment. The Palestinians can engage in some real haggling or they can continue their half-century-long temper tantrum. But the Israelis have already made their choice and aren’t waiting.