Ehud Olmert – News Stories About Ehud Olmert - Page 6

Dec 23, 2007 9:28 PM CST

Israel Plans to Expand Settlements

West Bank building plans do not help peace talks with Palestinians

(Newser) - The road to Arab-Israeli peace could take yet another detour, the New York Times says, after Israel announced plans today to seek funding for the expansion of two Jewish settlements in areas Palestinians hope to claim for a future state. The two sides are expected to meet tomorrow, but Palestine’...

US to Privately Grade Mideast Peace Plan

Dec 23, 2007 4:02 PM CST

US to Privately Grade Mideast Peace Plan

Critics question secret oversight; official says it avoids public blame

(Newser) - Washington will secretly score Israeli and Palestinian adherence to the "road map" peace plan and hash out results with each side, Reuters reports. US diplomats plan to report to the White House on Israeli settlement growth and Palestinian vows to curb militants, two keys to the peace deal—but...

Olmert Nixes Hamas Truce: 'This War Will Continue'

Dec 23, 2007 12:19 PM CST

Olmert Nixes Hamas Truce: 'This War Will Continue'

Says Palestinian militants must first cease attacks, recognize Israel

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert today refused to consider a truce with Hamas until the militant Palestinian group recognizes Israel and halts attacks in Gaza, reports the BBC. Olmert told government officials that Israel is gaining ground in stopping rocket attacks, of which 1,000 have hit Israel since Hamas...

Hamas Seeks Israeli Ceasefire

Dec 19, 2007 12:49 PM CST

Hamas Seeks Israeli Ceasefire

In unusual call to Israeli media, PM asks for end to strikes in Gaza

(Newser) - The leader of Gaza’s Hamas party, weary of months of Israeli airstrikes and sanctions, has appealed for a ceasefire through Israeli media, the AP reports. "The occupation should stop its attacks and siege." In return, Hamas PM Ismail Haniya said in an unprecedented phone call to an...

Al-Qaeda Rips Annapolis Talks

Dec 14, 2007 1:43 PM CST

Al-Qaeda Rips Annapolis Talks

Bin Laden's No. 2 accuses delegates of 'treachery' toward Palestinians

(Newser) - Al Qaeda's second-in-command condemned the Arab attendees at last month's Annapolis peace conference in an internet audio file posted today, the BBC reports. In the recording, Ayman Al-Zawahiri says the Arab leaders at the talks, in which most Arab countries took part, "were present as false witnesses to the...

Olmert: No Peace Likely in '08

Dec 2, 2007 3:38 PM CST

Olmert: No Peace Likely in '08

Israeli PM downplays chances for Annapolis success

(Newser) - Less than a week after promising to seek peace with the Palestinians by the end of 2008, Ehud Olmert says he doesn’t like the odds. “We will make an effort to hold speedy negotiations,” he said, “but certainly there is no firm timetable.” The remarks...

US Pulls UN Resolution on Mideast Peace

Nov 30, 2007 5:25 PM CST

US Pulls UN Resolution on Mideast Peace

Israeli uneasiness prompts withdrawal of draft document

(Newser) - Reacting to Israeli objections, the US State Department has withdrawn a draft of a UN resolution based on agreements reached at this week's Annapolis conference, Reuters reports. Israeli diplomats apparently were dismayed that the US did not consult them before putting the resolution to the Security Council yesterday, and involving...

Bush Vows Active Peace Role

Nov 28, 2007 5:56 PM CST

Bush Vows Active Peace Role

President pledges to keep up US engaged in Israel-Palestine talks

(Newser) - President Bush promised today that the US would remain an active player in the Middle East peace process. Having coordinated yesterday's pledge by the leaders for a treaty by the end of 2008, Bush joined Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a ceremony marking resumption of...

Olmert and Abbas Aim for Pact by End of 2008

Nov 27, 2007 12:29 PM CST

Olmert and Abbas Aim for Pact by End of 2008

Israel and Palestinians to hold bi-weekly talks, beginning Dec. 12

(Newser) - Standing with President Bush on US soil, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers pledged today to seek a peace agreement by the end of next year; the two sides will hold bi-weekly talks to that end beginning Dec. 12. The agreement creates a framework, the New York Times cautions, but...

Bush Begins Mideast Peace Bid

Nov 27, 2007 3:10 AM CST

Bush Begins Mideast Peace Bid

First international peace gathering since 1991

(Newser) - President Bush plunged headlong into the Middle East peace process yesterday, meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as representatives of 49 countries gathered at Annapolis for talks, the New York Times reports. “The United States cannot impose our vision but we can help...

Bush Meets With Olmert, Abbas

Nov 26, 2007 4:01 PM CST

Bush Meets With Olmert, Abbas

Bush jump-starts peace talks a day ahead of Annapolis summit

(Newser) - On the eve of the Mideast peace summit, which begins tomorrow in Annapolis, President Bush held separate talks with Ehud Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas today in the Oval Office, reports the Washington Post. Between meetings, Bush thanked both leaders for participating in the talks and said he was “optimistic”...

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Nov 25, 2007 4:12 PM CST

Computer Game Lets Players Try Virtual Peace

Peace center will distribute games to Israelis, Palestinians during US talks

(Newser) - A computer game that promotes peace in the Middle East will be distributed to Palestinians and Israelis this week while their leaders meet in the US to negotiate, the Associated Press reports. “PeaceMaker” players choose roles as Israeli or Palestinian leaders and respond to attacks from the opposing side....

Bush's Palestine Play Doomed

Nov 25, 2007 8:00 AM CST

Bush's Palestine Play Doomed

Prez's late peace push faces bigger problems than Clinton's failed effort

(Newser) - George Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, is making a last-minute push to broker Arab-Israeli peace, but with much steeper odds, says Reuters' Arshad Mohammed. Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ehud Olmert are all unpopular, especially compared to their 2000 counterparts—Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Ehud Barak. “When Clinton tried...

Mubarak Gives Peace Talks Thumbs-Up

Nov 20, 2007 6:33 PM CST

Mubarak Gives Peace Talks Thumbs-Up

Egyptian prez on board for next week's Annapolis summit

(Newser) - Saying "Now is the right time for a comprehensive peace," Hosni Mubarak today endorsed next week's Middle East summit in Annapolis, the Times reports. The Egyptian president's backing boosted hopes that more Arab states will take part. “Obviously we would hope that Egypt’s position will be...

Olmert Releases 441 Palestinian Prisoners

Nov 19, 2007 9:23 AM CST

Olmert Releases 441 Palestinian Prisoners

Israeli PM courts Arab support ahead of next week's peace talks

(Newser) - Ehud Olmert today requested the release of 441 Palestinian prisoners and promised to stop building new settlements on the West Bank, in the hope of bolstering Arab enthusiasm for upcoming talks on Palestinian statehood. But the gesture was received coolly: Mahmoud Abbas had asked for 2,000 prisoners, and the...

Cops Raid Gov't Offices in Olmert Fraud Inquiry

Nov 11, 2007 10:05 AM CST

Cops Raid Gov't Offices in Olmert Fraud Inquiry

Israelis probe PM's perks, appointments

(Newser) - Israeli police confiscated documents from 20 sites today as part of a probe into fraud allegations against PM Ehud Olmert, reports Reuters. Some 100 department of fraud officers stormed the trade and industry ministry, the Jewish National Fund, and private law offices, among others. Olmert is accused of securing an...

Abbas: Palestinian State Possible by 2009

Nov 5, 2007 9:50 AM CST

Abbas: Palestinian State Possible by 2009

Palestinian president speculates on statehood before Bush leaves office

(Newser) - The Palestinians and the Israelis can broker peace before George Bush leaves office in January 2009, Mahmoud Abbas said today in a press conference with Condoleezza Rice. The Palestinian president parroted a statement last night by Israeli PM Ehud Olmert. Putting the leaders on the same page is an achievement...

Rice to Proceed, Cautiously, With Mideast Talks

Nov 1, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Rice to Proceed, Cautiously, With Mideast Talks

Low expectations for weekend trip, with little concrete progress

(Newser) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders this weekend in order to create a document of joint principles as a prerequisite to a peace conference expected later this month. For fear of killing the conference before it begins, the document will contain few hard-core specifics, instead...

Olmert Has Prostate Cancer

Oct 29, 2007 7:07 AM CDT

Olmert Has Prostate Cancer

Diagnosis won't interfere with work, Israeli PM promises, as peace talks loom

(Newser) - Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has prostate cancer, he announced today, and will undergo minor surgery to treat it. He said his medical condition is not life-threatening and would not affect his ability to govern. “From what my doctors have told me, this is a microscopic growth that can be...

Israel Foils Plot to Kill Olmert

Oct 22, 2007 3:39 AM CDT

Israel Foils Plot to Kill Olmert

Palestinian prez ordered Fatah elite force to attack, say Israeli officials

(Newser) - Israel thwarted a plot by Fatah militants to attack a convoy carrying Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to the West Bank town of Jericho in August, AFP reports. Plotters reportedly included members of an elite group directly under the command of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Three men were arrested by Palestinian...