Do it for the rabbi. Olmert thanks God in press conference, to appease Shas spiritual leader – Roni Sofer, YNet
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert knows that any diplomatic progress towards a two-state solution could topple his government. Therefore, he used even the joint press conference with US President George Bush to reinforce his coalition partners and convey implied messages to Minister Avigdor Lieberman and to the Shas ministers. Olmert addressed Lieberman directly and made it clear that his role in the current coalition has not yet ended, and that it still faces important decisions. He reminded Lieberman that his party is a partner not only to diplomatic issues but also to what he characterized the State of Israel’s deterrence, hinting at Iran. The prime minister said that he hopes all his coalition partners will remain in place, adding that he does not wish to face a political crisis. He praised the government as a stable one and said it is working in very broad areas and has showing considerable achievements, with Lieberman’s party being part of these efforts in the “economic, diplomatic, security, and deterrence” spheres. Everyone knows that the government reached impressive achievements and the Israel Our Home party is a partner to these achievements, Olmert said. He then added that the State of Israel must engage in a serious peace process and cannot give up on it. Olmert’s words were more than a hint and a response to the messages published earlier in the name of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who was reported to say that there should be no negotiations with the Palestinians at this time. To address this, Olmert chose to switch to Hebrew and said:
Thank God that I can conduct diplomatic negotiations when Bush is one of my partners. Thank God that we can conduct diplomatic negotiations when the world’s largest power is led by such friend of Israel. We have no interest to postpone the negotiations to a time when, Heaven forbid, we shall have changes on the Palestinian front, and we have no reason to delay the talks when we have such great assistance from the world’s greatest power, led by a man who has a fair commitment to Israel’s security.
For the sake of peace, Olmert also praised Foreign Minister Livni, who called on him to quit following the interim Winograd report, while it is still unclear what she will do upon the publication of the full report soon:
At the head of the negotiations team we have the foreign minister. She holds immense responsibility. We cooperate fully. I’m certain she will be able to guide the talks in a way that promotes Israel’s interests.
