Word: olmert
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...political response to the resignation of Israel top military man, Lt. General Dan Halutz, is a portent about a coming shakedown in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet...
...reacted with gentlemanly relief, praising the outgoing Chief of Staff as "brave and courageous" even though Halutz was the strategist behind Israel's ill-conceived summer war in Lebanon, since which the public had been clamoring for his ouster. Ministerial sources told TIME that Halutz tendered his resignation to Olmert on Sunday but didn't bother informing his immediate superior, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, until late Tuesday night. Peretz's office promised secrecy to allow Halutz time to break the news to his troops, but then immediately leaked the news...
...Halutz's bypassing the defense minister was a sign of his disdain for Peretz, these sources said. Olmert shares the general's disdain for Labor Party leader Peretz, a former trade unionist and neophyte in security matters. The prime minister pointedly declared before choosing a new military chief, he would consult with retired and active generals - not with his defense minister...
...Olmert must have been grateful for the timing of Halutz's resignation because it took over the front page from an embarrassing story about criminal investigations of Olmert - possibly three of them - over allegedly fraudulent deals that occurred while he was finance minister...
...Emerging from a three-hour session with Ms. Rice, the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert then met with supporters of his Kadima party and made it clear that he would negotiate with a Palestinian "national unity" government only if it recognized the state of Israel, renounced violence and respected previous accords Palestinians had signed with the Israelis...