Haaretz: As acting (Israeli) PM, Olmert can make all urgent decisions

Analysis: As acting PM, Olmert can make all urgent decisions

By Ze'ev Segal, Haaretz Correspondent

The Basic Law on the Government states that if the prime minister is temporarily unable to discharge his duties, the deputy prime minister will take his place. According to this constitutional law, the acting prime minister is given all the authorities of the prime minister, in every area and on every subject, so that any necessary decisions can be made. The acting prime minister is authorized to make all prime ministerial decisions, whether urgent or not.

The law does not determine the conditions under which the prime minister would be unable to fulfill his duties, but the circumstances of last night are among the most likely for this to occur.
The decision was made by the attorney general, but only after consulting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's physicians. The doctors will also determine when the prime minister will be able to return to his duties.

The Basic Law says that if 100 consecutive days have passed since the acting prime minister has taken on the position of the prime minister, and the prime minister has not returned to his job, the prime minister will be considered permanently unable to discharge his duties.

In such a case, on the 101st day, the government is dissolved. After consulting with the political parties represented in the Knesset, the president must appoint a Knesset member to form a new government within seven days in the above circumstance and within 14 days in the case of the prime minister's death.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/666383.html

According to the Wikipedia bio of him, it sounds like he'll continue the "new centrism" - giving it the benefit of the doubt, for now -- of Sharon's...

I'm not Israeli or Jewish, but as someone with a lot of interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I've been following Israeli politics for some time.

Ehud Olmert is the former mayor of Jerusalem who was considered a centrist member of the Likud - one of their most moderate members, who during the Camp David peace talks, as mayor of Jerusalem, was willing to cede Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinians. Who has spoken often about the need to separate from the Palestinians and he is quite a bit more dovish than Sharon, though not as dovish as Amir Peretz, the Labor Party leader, or the left-wing Meretz Party. He helped orchestrate the creation of Kadima and is Deputy PM because of his close relationship with Sharon. It was long thought that he'd be Sharon's chosen successor, despite being quite a bit more dovish than Sharon.

After the collapse of the Labor Party in the last election, I had come to think that Olmert would be the eventual Prime Minister to bring peace. Following what looked like Sharon's move to the center and the resurrection of the Labor Party, I became more unsure of this, but it looks like this might well happen now.

If the analogy is permitted in this context. But what I mean: coming from the power structure, yet able to make long-overdue changes...

It could all turn out to be an act or he could just be ineffective. Plus it isn't even clear that he's going to become the Kadima leader, although it seems likely. And if picked he might lose the election to either Peretz or Netanyahu.

...so we'll get some sense of him, and his "administration," this winter/spring...

Here's a reasurring quote to hear:

“I am sick and tired of hearing from stupid settlers that Gaza and Jerusalem are the same, Gaza and Jerusalem are not the same. They never were. There are priorities. And I am not prepared to look at Gaza and Jerusalem and Shilo and Beit El and Ofra as if they were all on the same level. Nor am I prepared to accept the argument that if I pull out of Gaza, I am necessarily willing to pull out of Jerusalem. This is nonsense and I won’t have any part of it.”

Later he says:

“I meant to say that those who argue that if I pull out of Gush Katif I will definitely pull out of every part of Jerusalem are using a stupid argument.”

http://www.jewlicious.com/index.php/i-rarely-agree-with-ehud-olmert-buthe-calls-some-settlers-uh-stupid/

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There's also this: http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/1508/edition_id/16/format/html/displaystory.html

And this profile:

http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=1678

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Less savory is this profile on Wikipedia; it appears he's had some legal issues in the past:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehud_Olmert

Especially if he's willing to stand up to U.S. Neocon craziness! (But we'll see about that...)

I don't know much about Israel... I just know things are not going well. Maybe change will be a good thing.

...or not, depending what happens after Sharon. We'll find out in the weeks ahead...