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Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attending special cabinet session in Jerusalem on Wednesday. (AP)
Last update - 21:58 02/05/2007
Livni: Olmert must resign; opposes fresh elections
By Yossi Verter and Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies

Foreign Minster Tzipi Livni said Wednesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must resign in the wake of the harsh criticism in the Winograd report on his handling of the Second Lebanon War, making her the most senior Israeli official to call on him to quit.

"I told him that resignation would be the right thing for him to do," she told reporters after an hour-long meeting with Olmert.

"It's not a personal matter between me and the prime minister - this issue is more important than both of us," she said.
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But a short time later, Olmert again indicated that he would not resign.

Livni said she would oppose the nomination of a prime minister from another party, and expressed confidence that Olmert's resignation would facilitate the establishment of a different government without sending the nation to the ballot box.

"I think that general elections would be a mistake. Israel needs stability. If the prime minister decides to resign, the Knesset can put together [another] government. I believe that we need a broad government that can cope with the challenges ahead."

She also indicated that she would run for the leadership of the party.

"Kadima needs to choose its leadership in a democratic manner, in primary, and when the time comes I plan to submit my candidacy," Livni said. "Now is the time to restore the public's trust in the government."

Livni said that she had supported the decision to launch a military operation on July 12, but had voted against an escalation of hostilities. She also said there had been no coordination with the Prime Minister's Office during the war.

After the press conference, Israel Radio reported that Olmert's strategic aide Tal Zilberstein had said that there is no choice but to fire Livni as early as Wednesday evening, following Livni's call for Olmert to resign.

A senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said in response to Zilberstein's statement that the prime minister is not rushing to do anything. However, the official did not deny the remarks, but said that Olmert would now work to fix the failings found in the Winograd interim report.

The official maintained that "the problem was not Olmert's, but Livni's."

At an emergency Kadima meeting Wednesday called after Livni's news conference, Olmert signaled he intended to soldier on.

"I intend to implement the recommendations of the [war] report down to the last detail," spokesman Jacob Galanti quoted him as saying.

"I am in a personally uncomfortable position, but I will not shirk my responsiblity and will fix all the mistakes," a senior official quoted Olmert as telling Kadima legislators at the closed-door meeting. The official declined to be named.

Ahead of her meeting with Olmert, Livni aides rejected a report that she would threaten to resign as foreign minister if the prime minister stayed on, saying that she had no plans to quit "for the present."

Olmert and his aides were highly critical Tuesday night of what they said was Livni's open and active role in efforts within Kadima to remove him.

Pro-Olmert MKs work to rebuff resignation calls

Senior Kadima MKs affiliated with Olmert recalled Tuesday that former Likud prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Yitzhak Mordechai in 1998 because Mordechai was busy establishing the Center Party while still occupying the post of defense minister as a Likud MK.

Olmert and his aides believe that his political survival, at this stage, depends on identifying the source of the rebellion within Kadima, rather than focusing on public opinion.

"Tzipi always claims to be clean, nice and fair, but she is doing something that is unacceptable: A senior minister, who serves as deputy prime minister, is undermining him [Olmert] openly and working - through her associate, faction head MK Avigdor Yitzhaki - to recruit MKs who will vote no-confidence against him in the faction," an aide to Olmert said.

"In no properly functioning government in the world would such a phenomenon be acceptable. If Livni wants to undermine [Olmert], she should resign and carry out her plans as an MK."

Some Kadima sources said that if Livni resigned, she would receive broad public support, and this would increase her chances of taking over the premiership and the leadership of Kadima from Olmert
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  1.   Olmert and Livni 02:12  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 02/05/07
  2.   Both go home!!! 02:31  |  Stright 2 the point 02/05/07
  3.   Livni and Everyone Else Understands Its Time For Olmert To Resign 02:40  |  Shepherd 02/05/07
  4.   She should leave with him... 03:04  |  Ben 02/05/07
  5.   Livni reperesented Israel poorly at the UN and was not a team pla 03:27  |  r 02/05/07
  6.   Livini should be quiet 03:55  |  Omran 02/05/07
  7.   Oh-Oh!, if Livni resigns, 2nd Vice Premier is SHIMON PERES!! 04:20  |  Dr. L. Brnd 02/05/07
  8.   disgrace 04:51  |  zvi 02/05/07
  9.   Not knowing the politics 05:12  |  Ben 02/05/07
  10.   Israeli government is like the Bronx Zoo ..... 06:14  |  Tom 02/05/07
  11.   Olmert and Peretz Government to "reform" the Government? 06:48  |  Mike 02/05/07
  12.   4 Tom 07:18  |  Cherice 02/05/07
  13.   Devious, furious Olmert 07:36  |  Esther 02/05/07
  14.   Great! 07:46  |  Ali 02/05/07
  15.   #1 Lazaros 08:41  |  CuttheBS 02/05/07
  16.   Are you reading this Ehud ? 09:05  |  Observer 02/05/07
  17.   #10 Tom, where you make your mistake.... 09:44  |  Johnboy 02/05/07
  18.   Resignation by Olmert 09:58  |  Realist 02/05/07
  19.   Winograd report 10:04  |  Sahron 02/05/07
  20.   The three STOOGES 10:05  |  M 02/05/07
  21.   trial +error 11:00  |  zichron 02/05/07
  22.   Getting rid of the "donkey" and letting in the "wolf"..... 11:04  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/05/07
  23.   OMRAN telling the dhimmi yahud to keep quiet.Sorry 11:07  |  PETER SM 02/05/07
  24.   Livni is the problem?? 11:08  |  S 02/05/07
  25.   Livni 11:16  |  Alma 02/05/07
  26.   Response for Observer #16 11:28  |  Esther 02/05/07
  27.   ~17 johnboy MAKES MAY JOKES !!! CONFUSES WOOD AND TREES 11:29  |  paul harris 02/05/07
  28.   Israel`s PM 11:35  |  Andrew Watson 02/05/07
  29.   Olmert vs Sineora 11:38  |  Joker 02/05/07
  30.   Livni Doomed: Testimony Transcripts in Less Than 2 Weeks 11:53  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 02/05/07
  31.   The balagan resuling from Winograd 11:53  |  Barrie G 02/05/07
  32.   So Long As The Palestinian Issue Gets resolved, Olmert May....... 11:56  |  Markus 02/05/07
  33.   Government reform 11:59  |  Mohammed 02/05/07
  34.   All of you here, just imagin this... 12:05  |  Tamir Gaza 02/05/07
  35.   Livni stabbing the PM in the back 12:10  |  Jonathan S 02/05/07
  36.   #10 Tom 12:14  |  Labhras 02/05/07
  37.   Bring back Bishara and let him lead 12:19  |  Labhras 02/05/07
  38.   Response to Esther #26 12:24  |  Observer 02/05/07
  39.   This is great news! 12:29  |  Alex Johnson 02/05/07
  40.   Political Hypocrisy by Kadima 12:44  |  Josh 02/05/07
  41.   Livni should resign -not quit 12:48  |  Sal 02/05/07
  42.   Livni out 12:52  |  Sher 02/05/07
  43.   An opportunist? This will not garner the respect of the public. 14:50  |  Virginia 02/05/07
  44.   What was the answer???????? 14:55  |  Ronnie Wolman 02/05/07
  45.   Yes there is a Consensus to Oust Olmert 15:01  |  Ronnie Wolman 02/05/07
  46.   Livni must go 15:02  |  marco 02/05/07
  47.   And whom would be better than Olmert? 15:10  |  Phillies Wright 02/05/07
  48.   PAL.apologists listen to the Pal.speaker "peace partner" 15:11  |  PETERSM 02/05/07
  49.   WHO would lead if war broke out now or in summer? 15:15  |  The Equalizer 02/05/07
  50.   Jonathan S (Post No. 35) 15:36  |  Johnny Weintraub 02/05/07
  51.   Swiss (Dino) 15:44  |  Johnny Weintraub 02/05/07
  52.   Dear, the black over red ensemble really must go. 15:47  |  Fashion consultant 02/05/07
  53.   @48 riposted; the only thing to fear is fear itself 16:00  |  marco 02/05/07
  54.   "functioning" - a key word 16:11  |  Kate 02/05/07
  55.   Yitzhaki and Livini - Judas twins 16:15  |  Omran 02/05/07
  56.   Olmert should resign now, and be replaced by.. 16:18  |  Tosefta 02/05/07
  57.   Tosefta - Livni and Peres 16:28  |  Mark Lincoln 02/05/07
  58.   The interim plan - resign and stay put! 16:28  |  Omran 02/05/07
  59.   Tragedy of Israel 16:28  |  Sidney 02/05/07
  60.   The difference between Moshiach and Olmert.... 16:32  |  Toronto`s Finest 02/05/07
  61.   A banana republic? 16:48  |  Michael N 02/05/07
  62.   It depends on who makes the decision (Mark Lincoln #57) 16:51  |  Tosefta 02/05/07
  63.   The whole government has failed - New Elections now 16:57  |  Zev 02/05/07
  64.   The mess called Israel 16:59  |  Gerald 02/05/07
  65.   Rabbi, #1 17:19  |  Salonius 02/05/07
  66.   LIVINI IS JUST AS BAD AS OLMERT AND PERETZ AND MUST NOT 17:22  |  JERRY 02/05/07
  67.   Where did Olmert get his Chutzpah 17:22  |  the cohen brother 02/05/07
  68.   # 51 Johnny Weintraub 17:29  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/05/07
  69.   #60, Toronto`s Finest 17:29  |  Salonius 02/05/07
  70.   Tosefta and Lincoln`s sandbox 17:31  |  FOX 02/05/07
  71.