Word: knesset
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...when a tank accidentally rolled over his leg - he had been trying to free it after it got stuck in desert sand - his military career ended. Following a long rehabilitation, he entered politics, winning election as mayor of Sderot and later as a Labour Party candidate to the Knesset. Believing the conflict prevented Israel from addressing pressing domestic issues, he joined "The Eight," a group of lawmakers dedicated to ending occupation altogether...
...long, sallow countenance that makes him look as if he is in a constant state of mourning. In person, he exudes a relaxed, backslapping warmth, but even those close to him say he can get prickly. "He always has to have the last word," says Etti Livni, a former Knesset member and close friend. Says Aliza: "He's a hunter. It's hard to win an argument with him. But how many times can you lose an argument and still be Prime Minister...
Olmert is a scion of the Israeli right, which long subscribed to the vision of creating "Eretz Ysrael," extending from the Mediterranean Sea to the banks of the Jordan River. Olmert's father served in the Knesset in the 1950s as a member of the Herut Party, a forerunner of the right-wing Likud. Ehud studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was elected to the Knesset in 1973 as the youngest Likud member. Olmert launched crusades against corruption in professional soccer and, later, against organized crime. Israelis credit Olmert's generation with bringing transparency to the clubby...
...Sharon's prodding, Olmert agreed to run again for the Knesset. Though Olmert was only 34th on the Likud's list of candidates, a reflection of his weakness in the party, Sharon made him Deputy Prime Minister. In that role Olmert acted as Sharon's foil, floating trial balloons before Sharon signed on to them--the most notable being the plan to evacuate settlers from the Gaza Strip last year, an idea first proposed by Olmert in a newspaper interview in 2003. But despite Olmert's loyalty, friends say, he never felt accepted by the Israeli leader. Sharon excluded Olmert...
...bill. As President of the Palestinian Authority, Abbas, a member of Fatah, has to contend with the radical Islamic government of Hamas, which won the Palestinian elections in January. And Olmert must rig up a coalition government with potentially troublesome partners to secure a majority in the Knesset. Until he does that, say advisers, he will not move into Sharon's office. But putting a coalition together is just a start; political observers in Jerusalem say that Olmert's plans to "disengage" with the Palestinians?by pulling out some Jewish settlements from the West Bank and creating permanent borders...