Speaking with the Washington Post over the weekend while attending the Saban Forum, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert evaded questions seeking to ascertain if he plans to join the race in the upcoming general election in Israel. For former prime minister boasted how he jogs daily and is in good health, avoiding a direct response to the question.

Commenting on the United Nations General Assembly decision to welcome the PA (Palestinian Authority) as a non-member observer nation, Olmert failed to meet the challenge, to stand by Israel’s side as the international body once again voted against the State of Israel. Olmert used the prestigious media forum to lash out against the policies of the current administration instead of lashing out against the United Nations.

Olmert stood firm in his defense of US President Barak Obama, who he labels a staunch ally of the State of Israel, accusing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his cabinet of “showing its gratitude” to the White House by announcing the construction of 3,000 housing units in areas viewed as “occupied” by the United States. He called the prime minister’s move a “slap in the face” to the US president.

In his pro-US remarks, the former prime minister failed to utter a word of condemnation for the UN move, which was approved by an overwhelming majority of the anti-Israel international body.

Citing the need to immediately renew the diplomatic process with the PA, Olmert stated “I’m not a Palestinian patriot, I’m an Israeli patriot. Time is running out not for the Palestinians – for Israel. And the sooner we reach an agreement that would determine that there are two states, for two nationalities, for two peoples, the better it is for Israel.”

Despite Abu Mazen’s inability to advance any process among his constituents and losing control of Gaza to Hamas, Olmert called him Israel’s true partner, placing the blame for failure in the diplomatic arena squarely on the shoulders of Israeli leaders, not Ramallah.

Regarding his tenure in the political arena, Olmert added his most painful decision ever was when he told the PA he would agree to international sovereignty over Har HaBayis and other holy sites, a move that was rejected by the PA Baruch Hashem.

Both former Prime Ministers Olmert and Ehud Barak made unprecedented concessions to the PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) but the latter rejected their overtures. Now, they accuse the current administration of destroying the momentum and halting diplomatic talks with the PA.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)