Livni: Olmert must resign; opposes new elections

[oberliner]

Foreign Minster Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must resign in the wake of the harsh criticism in the Winograd report on his handling of the Second Lebanon War, making her the most senior Israeli official for call on him to quit.

"I told him that resignation would be the right thing for him to do," she told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Olmert.

Livni said that new Knesset elections would be a mistake, and she would oppose the nomination of a prime minister from another party.

"The public has lost faith in the government," she said. "We must restore it immediately."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/854673.html

[bemildred]

1. Livni's time has come

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According to Livni, in all her activities she has always preferred the quiet working methodology over blatant headlines (she has filled a ministerial role in seven ministries within a very short timeframe) - and this applied to the war as well.

She voted against the Air Force's aerial operation in Beirut's Dahia neighborhood along with Minister Avi Dichter. She opposed the destruction of two empty houses, one of them the private home of Nasrallah, which according to Livni could not have led to a victory but did obliged Hizbullah to escalate its bombings and launching of long-range missiles at Haifa. The bombing was carried out at the whim of the generals, riding the waves of glory.

She suggested that Olmert end the fighting after the initial phase. She didn't make similar proposals later on. According to her, what could have been achieved on Thursday could not have been achieved on Sunday. Israel's power of deterrence was at stake.

She opposed the extension Olmert gave the army to continue fighting 60 hours after the ceasefire resolution was reached. The 60 hours that were given to the IDF were also given to Hizbullah; it could continue bombarding the home front with missiles.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3394700,00.html

[Eugene]

2. Israel's Olmert rebuffs deputy's call to resign

Source: Reuters

Israel's Olmert rebuffs deputy's call to resign
02 May 2007 16:07:48 GMT
Source: Reuters

JERUSALEM, May 2 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
rejected on Wednesday a call by his deputy and Foreign Minister
Tzipi Livni to resign, a senior official told Reuters.

"He said I am in a personally uncomfortable position, but I will
not shirk my responsiblity and will fix all the mistakes," the
official quoted Olmert as telling lawmakers of his Kadima party
in a closed-door meeting in parliament.


Link: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L02725802.htm