President Bush Asked to Enter Israel Politics

One of our TAP Ambassadors, The Chief Political writer of The Jerusalem Post, Gil Hoffman provides excellent insight into President Bush's directly getting involved in Israel politics. Asking the coalition and especially Avigdor Lieberman and Eli Yishai, to support Prime Minister Olmert, so he can stay in power and make every effort towards peace.

Earlier in the day, before Ramallah, Former Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu had an extensive and extended conversation about Iran and beyond, at the King David hotel with the President.

Remember, The Prime Minister of Israel said again today, If Terror Doesn't Stop, including Any Rockets from Gaza, Their is No Deal!

Here are tonight's insights from Gil:

US President George W. Bush blatantly intervened in Israeli politics at Thursday's working dinner at the Prime Minister's Residence, calling on the politicians there to support Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Bush spoke at length with Shas chairman Eli Yishai and Israel Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman.

"Take care of Olmert, so he will stay in power," Bush said. "He's a strong leader. Israel politics is like karate, that you never know when the next chop will come."

Yishai told Bush it would be a mistake to sign an agreement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, because it was impossible to make peace with half a nation. He said Israel could not compromise on refugees or Jerusalem.

Lieberman was less critical of the Annapolis process in his comments.

The Shas chairman spoke about the need for exchanges of territory and populations.

Olmert made sure that Strategic Affairs Minister Lieberman spoke to US security officials about Iran at the meal.

The prime minister received good news Thursday when polls were published that found a majority of Labor supporters wanted party chairman Ehud Barak to break his promise to remove his party from the government upon the publication of the Winograd Report on January 30.

A Dialog poll published in Haaretz reported that 61 percent of Labor voters wanted the party to remain in the coalition. A Dahaf poll in Yediot Aharonot that asked the same question put the figure at 56%.

As a precaution in case Labor did leave, Olmert met with United Torah Judaism MK Avraham Ravitz on Tuesday and promised him NIS 173 million for haredi educational and cultural institutions and to support Ravitz's proposal to give tax benefits to organ donors.

Olmert surprised participants at the dinner when he said it was not the appropriate occasion to discuss the fate of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard.

The meal was attended by eight ministers, Mossad head Meir Dagan, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yuval Diskin, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other top American officials.

Olmert asked Bush to pardon Pollard when he met with the president on Wednesday, but he was turned down.

Pollard's wife, Esther, said she was disappointed that Olmert refrained from discussing her husband on Thursday, because in Judaism redeeming captives trumped any other issue.

She also said she was not impressed by Olmert raising the issue a day earlier.

"That's not how a serious quest is made to secure the release of an Israeli agent in peril after 23 years in jail," Esther Pollard said. "It's not something you casually bring up and then leak to the press. It reeks of a feeble attempt to discourage the massive public outcry for Jonathan's release. That's the best possible sign that the effort is succeeding and the Jewish people needs to redouble its efforts and press even harder to bring him home."

Every member of the Jerusalem City Council signed a letter urging Pollard's release, which was hand delivered to Bush by Mayor Uri Lupolianski on Wednesday.

And Yishai gave Bush a letter from Esther Pollard and another from Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef asking for Pollard's release.

The rabbi said that if Bush answered his request affirmatively, he would be blessed with a long life.

"One of the most important mitzvot in Judaism is redeeming captives," Yosef wrote. "At this opportune time, I offer my humble request on behalf of the Jews of Zion that your excellency release our brother, the prisoner Jonathan Pollard, who is serving a sentence for spying on behalf of the State of Israel. His health is deteriorating."

Ravitz hinted that the gesture could be a sign that UTJ would be wanted in Olmert's coalition.

Contributed by Tom Weiss
The Ambassadors Project
Director General
The Ambassadors Report
Show Host & Executive Producer
Talkline - USA
Correspondent