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Israeli Prime Minister Won't Run Again

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The Washington Post

Published: July 31, 2008

JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, facing a widening corruption probe, announced Wednesday that he will not compete in his party's leadership primary in September. The move will effectively end his tenure as premier and is likely to complicate efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before President Bush leaves office.

Olmert, 62, who has been under growing pressure to resign, continued to insist he was innocent of corruption charges. He said he was choosing the public good over justice for himself.

"I was forced to defend myself against relentless attacks from self-appointed fighters for justice who sought to depose me from my position, when the ends sanctified all the means," Olmert said.

In Washington, White House press spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush spoke to Olmert just before his announcement. "He wishes him well and will continue to work closely with him while he remains prime minister," Johndroe said, adding that relations "have been exceptionally close and cooperative" during Olmert's tenure.

Israel and the Palestinian Authority, whose influence is limited to the West Bank, renewed peace talks at a U.S.-sponsored conference in Annapolis in November, after a seven-year-hiatus. More recently, Israel has renewed indirect peace talks with Syria, with the latest round of Turkish-mediated negotiations concluding on Thursday.

Olmert said he would continue to push for peace as long as he is in office, but it appears unlikely that Israel will make any major decisions on concessions to either Syria or the Palestinians until a new government is formed.

The front-runner to replace Olmert is Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was at the State Department when Olmert made his announcement. Livni was preparing to begin a 90-minute meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.

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