Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 09/2008

PolicyWatch #1393: Olmert's Announcement Fuels Uncertainty in Israel

David Makovsky

July 2008

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert announced yesterday that he will not compete in his party's September primary and will resign as premier once a new leader is elected. The move ends Olmert's two and half years as Israeli premier, a post he took up after Ariel Sharon's debilitating stroke in January 2006. High-profile allegations of financial wrongdoing have cast a shadow over his administration in past months, and until recently, he pledged he would only leave if there were a formal indictment. His announcement comes at a critical time for Israel and will certainly lead to sense of uncertainty about the future.