Israellycool

Contrary to the Free Gaza tools’ claims that Israel backed down from threats to deny them entry to Gaza only after we realized we could not operate outside of Israel’s territorial waters, the real reason has emerged.

And in another flying pig moment, it looks like soon-not-to-be Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a correct decision.

A boat carrying 27 far-left protesters docked in Gaza Wednesday morning, after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reversed course and decided against barring the vessel’s entrance.

This was the third small boat chartered by the US-based Free Gaza movement that has sailed from Cyprus to Gaza to draw attention to the Israeli blockade of the Strip.

Two other boats that set sail together in August were also let in by the Israeli authorities, who wanted to deny the protesters publicity.

Government officials said that a decision was taken “at the highest governmental levels” a number of days ago to stop this new boat and arrest the protesters.

But Olmert - after consultations with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi - changed the decision at the last moment, apparently concerned about the negative publicity.

Representatives of the National Information Directorate, as well as the media specialists at the Foreign Ministry, who were preparing for the boat to be intercepted at sea, were not involved in the consultations.

One senior government official said Israel’s decision to let the boat pass was made after it became clear exactly who and what were on the boat.

He also said Israel “wants to keep these agitators guessing, and not play into their hands.”

The official said that the decision to let the boat in Wednesday was made on a one-time basis, and did not represent a blanket policy. He added that no decision has been made whether Israel would allow the boat to sail back, as it did in August.

Now if the government would only take my advice. Which they don’t seem to be doing at this stage.

Olmert’s spokesman Mark Regev, meanwhile, said that the protesters and organizers of the boat were not the only ones who wanted a “free Gaza.”

“We are also interested in freeing Gaza,” Regev said. “We want to free the civilian population of the Gaza Strip from the authoritative, totalitarian, Taliban-type regime that is oppressing it.”

Acknowledging that the protesters and organizers of the boat want a “free Gaza” makes it sound like this is really all they want. We should be mentioning that really what they want is a”free palestine”, meaning the end of the state of Israel.

This one’s just begging for a caption.

Olmert has finally resigned.

He will be sorely remembered.

I am of course referring to Ehud Olmert, who will say goodbye to the Prime Ministership after Tzipi Livni likely garnered more than 40% of the vote in the election for the new Kadima leader, negating a second round of voting.

I am happy with the result in the sense that it spares us more Olmert. The downside is it gives us Livni.

Meanwhile, I would like to ask my Israeli readers and anyone who follows events in Israel closely: In your opinion, was Olmert Israel’s worst ever Prime Minister?

I think you can guess my answer.

Update: Betrayed by the exit polls! Now it looks like the results were closer than predicted, with Livni not having achieved the 40% minimum, and Mofaz even gearing to appeal the results. Which for all intents and purposes means Olmert is not stepping down just yet.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Dumbo.

Today, lame duck Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met if-it-walks-like-a-duck-and-talks-like-a-duck PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday pledged at a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israelis and Palestinians would try to seal a peace deal this year in line with a target set by Washington.

“We have to complete the Annapolis process this year - this year,” Olmert, grasping Abbas in a handshake and using his other hand to gesture to the Palestinian leader, said emphatically in English as they posed for photographers at talks in Jerusalem.

The prime minister was referring to U.S.-sponsored Palestinian statehood talks that began at a conference in Annapolis, Maryland last November after a seven-year breakdown. Both leaders pledged to continue the talks until the end of the year, despite Olmert’s plans to step down after a September primary in his Kadima party.

Olmert spokesman Mark Regev said after the meeting that significant progress had been made in the talks but there are still considerable gaps between the two sides. He would not elaborate on the differences and gave no direct answer when asked if Olmert broached the idea of an interim agreement at the meeting.

Palestinian officials were not immediately available for comment.

During the meeting, Olmert protested Abbas’ recent meeting with notorious Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, whom Israel released in July as part of a prisoner swap with Hezbollah.

The prime minister told Abbas: “You are not a man of terror, and I didn’t expect you to meet with such a despicable killer as him.” (Yeah, that’s the job of the Israeli government -  ed.)

So to summarize..

Olmert: “You are not a duck so stop meeting with ducks.”

Abbas: “Quack!”

IDF: “Incoming Qassam…..duck!”

Me (to Olmert and Abbas): You’re despicable!

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Krusty the Clown.

Thanks to CJ Run for working out what I was looking for, but couldn’t quite work out myself

Just when you thought the foreign press photographers couldn’t make Ehud Olmert look any goofier..

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to make a surprise statement to the public from his official residence tonight at 8 P.M Israel time.

According to Ha’aretz:

Political sources said they believed Olmert may announce that he will not run in an upcoming leadership contest in his Kadima party, scheduled for September 17.

Although Ynet offers another alternative:

The prime minister became enraged with the actions of the coalition and the Labor Party earlier in the day, and has previously threatened to dismiss ministers who vote against the government’s directives, but it is unclear whether his announcement will pertain to this matter.

Here’s hoping it’s the first.

Updates (Israel time)

6:58PM: Hmm…

Israeli media sources speculated Olmert was planning to announce either that he will not run in the Kadima primary election in September, or that he will step down right away.

Tellingly, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is currently in Washington, announced that she will be holding an unscheduled press conference two and a half hours after Olmert’s.

8:13PM: Olmert says he won’t be running in the upcoming primaries, and will resign as soon as a new leader is chosen.

..or perhaps just a Freudian slip

(hat tip: Laura)