Political analysts in contact with former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are reporting that he is not going to announce his final decision regarding a possible reentry into the political arena in Israel until knowing the outcome of the US presidential elections, Maariv reports.

They feel that if President Obama is reelected, it will significantly increase the chance of Olmert’s return since Mr. Olmert enjoys good relations with the US administration, as was seen during Operation Cast Lead. During the past years, during the current administration in Israel, relations between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the White House have been strained at best.

The analysts feel that if Obama is reelected he will apply enormous pressure on Netanyahu to restart talks with the PA (Palestinian Authority) and this would be the perfect segue for him to make his reentry into the political arena, on the backdrop of increasingly strained Israel/US relations. Olmert would be perceived as the great hope for finally reaching a true agreement with the PA, with former Kadima leader Tzipi Livni at his side, a foreign minister who also enjoyed a warm reception from leaders in the American and European communities.

Olmert is also waiting for a definitive response from Livni, who has not announced if she is willing to take the number two slot on his list.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)