American politician: Olmert must resign

New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind

TEL AVIV – A U.S. politician is calling on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign, stating Olmert's premiership is "dangerous" for the Jewish state and his alleged mismanagement of the war in Lebanon this past summer harmed American interests and U.S.-Israeli relations.

"Olmert is a disaster on all levels and must resign immediately," Assemblyman Dov Hikind, D-Brooklyn, told WND.

"You won't hear the White House say it, but the U.S.-Israeli relationship is absolutely not the same as it was before the Lebanon war. Olmert's complete mismanagement resulted in an Israeli loss to a few thousand Hezbollah guerrilla fighters. America now doesn't see Israel as this great Middle Eastern superpower it can depend on."

(Story continues below)

Hikind this month took out full-page ads in major Jewish newspapers across the U.S. calling on Olmert to step down "for the sake of Israel and the Jewish people."

Hikind's ads slam Olmert for Israel's failure to stop the regular firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip into nearby Jewish cities and for petitioning for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, which runs alongside the Jewish state's major population centers.

States the ad:

"Albert Einstein is quoted as saying, '"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results."

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has become an expert at failing over and over again and expecting success instead. He has failed in Lebanon, in Sderot, in Gaza. He is weak when he should be strong, demonstrating ineptitude and incompetence in the face of growing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria. Olmert is arrogant, refusing to acknowledge and apologize for the defeat in Lebanon.

Since Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip last summer, rockets have been regularly fired into nearby Jewish communities, killing Israeli civilians and prompting widespread panic. In Sderot, an Israeli city about three miles from the Gaza border, nearly 50 percent of children have been staying home from school for fear of rocket attacks, according to recent reports.

The Israeli Defense Forces reportedly has petitioned for a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip to stem the rocket firing, halt the regular smuggling of weapons from neighboring Egypt and dismantle the terror infrastructure in Gaza.

Instead, Olmert earlier this month agreed to a cease-fire with the major Palestinian terror groups in Gaza. The truce called for a halt of smuggling activity by Palestinians and a cessation of rocket attacks launched by militants in Gaza aiming at nearby Jewish communities in exchange for Israel withdrawing its ground troops from the Strip and halting anti-terror activity in the territory.

In accordance with orders from Olmert, the IDF removed its troops from Gaza, but at least 31 rockets have been fired from the Strip since the cease-fire was imposed.

WND reported the IDF has been instructed by the government here not to open fire or take any action against militants who are discovered launching rockets into the Jewish state, according to senior military officials.

In a series of WND exclusive interviews conducted immediately after the cease-fire was finalized, leaders of the four largest Palestinian terror groups in Gaza said the new truce will be used to smuggle weapons into Gaza; reinforce and train "fighter units"; and produce rockets for a future confrontation with the Jewish state.

IDF officers and Knesset members have stated the cease-fire is indeed allowing Palestinian terrorists time to reload and smuggle weapons into Gaza.

Lebanon war 'disaster of unimaginable proportions'

Hikind said Israel's war in Lebanon this past summer was a "disaster of the most unimaginable proportions."

"Israel had a green light from Washington to smash Hezbollah and it failed miserably. Under Olmert's leadership the IDF was restrained from winning," said Hikind.

Hikind said he has hosted Olmert at his New York home and at several U.S. events and that his ads were not a personal attack on the Israeli prime minister.

""I know Ehud Olmert, and I like him as a person, but his tenure as prime minister has been one of abject failure. He is going from crisis to crisis and just trying to survive. He'll do anything to stay in power. Olmert does not have what it takes to lead Israel: integrity, decisiveness, determination, vision, strength and skill."

"Olmert's desperation does not permit him to recognize the futility of unilateral disengagement as he continues with his delusional fantasies about giving up the West Bank, which will be forged into the same terror breeding ground that Gaza has become."

Hikind said he is worried for both the U.S. and Israel if Olmert is in power during any future confrontations between the Jewish state and an Arab country.

A number of commissions here and many leaders of the IDF publicly have blamed Olmert's government for Israel's losses in the summer.

Israeli military officials tell WND that from the start of the Jewish state's campaign in Lebanon July 12, the IDF petitioned for the deployment of up to 40,000 ground troops to advance immediately to the Litani River and from there work their way back to the Israeli border while surrounding and then cleaning out Hezbollah strongholds under heavy aerial cover. The Laitani is about 18 miles from the Israeli border, encompassing the swath of territory from which Hezbollah fired most of its rockets into northern Israel.

But Olmert, at first, only approved aerial assaults, they say. After Hezbollah retaliated by firing large numbers of rockets into Israel, the Olmert government approved a smaller ground offensive of up to 8,000 soldiers who, according to military officials, were not directed to advance to the Litani. The IDF was charged with cleaning out Hezbollah's bases within about three miles of the Israeli border.

IDF leaders told WND they suffered in "very specific" ways on the battlefield because of a lack of sufficient ground troops. They cited instances in which they claimed there were not enough soldiers to surround key villages, such as Bint Jbail in southern Lebanon, allowing Hezbollah fighters to infiltrate cities after the IDF began combat inside the areas.

After nearly four weeks of fighting, Olmert's cabinet in August approved the larger assault the IDF had petitioned for, authorizing about 40,000 troops to enter Lebanon and advance to the Latani River. The IDF estimated it would need about three days to reach central Lebanon and another four to six weeks to successfully wipe out the Hezbollah infrastructure in the areas leading back to the Israeli border.

But less than three days after the Israeli army was given a green light to advance, a cease-fire was imposed, and the Jewish state suspended operations.

In one of the most serious charges against Olmert, military officials told WND on several occasions during the Lebanon war that while heavy diplomacy seemed to be gaining momentum, such as during Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visits here, the IDF was asked by the political echelon to halt most operations and troop advances for up to 36 hours while negotiations ran their course.

Military leaders charge some troop battalions, instructed to hold positions outside villages but not to advance, became sitting ducks for Hezbollah anti-tank fire, which killed at least 35 Israeli soldiers.

---

Related offers:

Definitive work on Mideast – available only here!

"Everlasting Hatred: The Roots of Jihad"

"The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)"

"Israel in Crisis"

"Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict"

Perfect gift! Compass that points to Jerusalem

---

Previous stories:

Olmert 'restraining' Israeli military in Gaza

Olmert holding back 'crucial' military operations

Criminal charges recommended against Olmert

Ex-army chief: Olmert must resign

'Desperate' Olmert resorting to radical moves

Olmert sent soldiers 'needlessly' to their deaths?

Olmert's government will fall, says Jumblatt

Terrorist: Olmert's statements embolden us

PM Olmert implicated in questionable land deal

Olmert: We must evacuate Jews

Exit polls: Olmert to become next Israeli PM