Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday told faction members in the presence of the media that the party must function as a unit, unified and strong, and decisions must not be made under duress.

Among those seated at his side was Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, whose body language was enough to reveal her disapproval with Olmert’s remarks, as Livni and other senior party officials feel the time has come to move to party primaries to elect a new leader and then to national elections.

The prime minister added he has much to say and he will do so at the proper time but for now, the party must remain a functional unit for the good of the nation.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)