Ehud Olmert is resigning . . . . sometime. The Jerusalem Post reports that, by law, he will remain prime minister until a new government is formed, which means (1) Kadima has to hold its primary in September to choose a new leader, (2) Kadima will then be given a period of time to form a new coalition government, and (3) if a coalition cannot be formed, there will be a general election in Spring 2009 to elect a new government.
So Olmert could still be prime minister for a while — long enough to do more legacy-leaving damage. Kenneth Levin summarized the legacy so far in a front-page essay in The Jewish Press yesterday.
The New York Sun has a more optimistic slant, viewing his resignation as opening the possibility of a return to a self-confident Israel. Its editorial today concludes as follows:
Visitors to Mr. Olmert’s office the day after he officially acceded [Ariel Sharon] in May 2006 heard him say that the second stage of the "disengagement" — meaning the West Bank — was scheduled for December. Then an Israeli soldier was kidnapped and taken into the Gaza Strip. Two months later Hezbollah attacked and killed an Israeli army patrol, kidnapping two more soldiers. . . . Gaza became a launching pad for rockets, and the appeal among Israelis of Mr. Olmert’s plan to do in the West Bank what had been done in Gaza began to fade.
The next Israeli government will inherit the remains of these policies. It is a time to remember that through much of its history, Israel has inspired millions at home and abroad. It has rarely done this with a retreat. It has done it with its commitment and daring, with its willingness to base its actions on the rightness of its cause.
We have no doubt that an Israel that acts and advances will inspire the world anew, not to mention its own people. And that whoever is elected premier will have the good will of not only the Diaspora but of the Americans who have comprehended the idea of a Jewish restoration in Israel since the founding days of our own republic.
Ed Lasky has the Obama connection here.