Or even better: There are only 13 million Jews in the world out of a total of 6.25 billion people. By Olmert’s logic, we shouldn’t be living anywhere in the world. After all, many of our enemies have been saying just that for the past 3,000 years. Why should the modern State of Israel be any different from, say, Spain of the 16th century, or England of the 11th century, or Germany of the mid-20th century?
Ehud Olmert’s statements belong more in the lexicon of an Ehud Barak, a Yossi Beilin, or a Shimon Peres. They do not belong in Likud. What Olmert has proven by these statements is that, whatever his accomplishments (or lack thereof) in his previous positions, he fully deserves the 34th place slot he was awarded in the most recent Likud primaries. He does not deserve the senior ministerial position he has been granted in the current government.
It is no secret that Olmert is one of the new guard that Sharon is apparently grooming to succeed him as head of Likud. If Olmert indeed takes over the party when Sharon retires, he will lead Likud to the same political wasteland to which Peres and Beilin have led the Left, based on the same nonsensical ideas. And if the Likud rank and file elect him as their next leader, they will fully deserve the same ignominy.
It is high time that Ehud Olmert finally admit what has become obvious to many — that he belongs in the Labor Party or in Yossi Beilin’s Yahad party, where he can do far less damage to the State of Israel than he is doing in Likud.