Former Israeli prime minister here for Federation

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert engaged a crowd of nearly 400 Jewish Federation supporters with a speech that ranged from humorous to serious Sunday evening at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah. While there were no solicitations during the event, it was designed to kick off the Federation’s 2010 fundraising campaign.

Campaign Chairwoman Miriam Scharf introduced Olmert, who, in addition to serving as prime minister from 2006 until March 31 of this year, was mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003.

Olmert defended the outcome of the 2006 Second Lebanon War he prosecuted against Hezbollah.

“Some Israelis says we lost the war,” Olmert said. “We lost the war so much that, for the first time in 62 years, a war ended up with a unanimous U.N. Security Council resolution, entirely in favor of Israel,” Olmert said. “There is an international army in the south. Hezbollah has not had the courage to shoot even one bullet across the border in three years. It’s never been so quiet and secure, as a result.”

Olmert said Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah “still hides in his bunker, and believe me, he knows why.”
He also spoke of the conflict with Hamas in Gaza earlier this year in context of attacking the United Nations’ so-called “Goldstone Report,” which accused both sides of war crimes.

“Goldstone is a biased report,” Olmert said, complaining “There is no reference” to Hamas’ rocket barrage that preceded Israel’s attacks in December and January that killed as many as 1,400 Palestinians.

“We will have to fight this report,” Olmert said. “They may refer this to the international tribunal in The Hague, and they will try to make me a war criminal. They will try to issue arrest warrants across the world, and we will have to deal with it with a great deal of intensity. I hope the United States will prevent any Security Council resolution on it.”

Urgency on Iran
Olmert got some laughs with quips about the New York Yankees and President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize.

“He is the only person ever to win the Nobel Prize without ever doing anything to deserve it,” Olmert said. “You must be impressed with the power he projects, so that he gets a prize for what he may do.”

Olmert said Obama was not naive, but that, like all U.S. presidents, he felt a need to start the Arab-Israeli peace process over from scratch. Olmert urged Obama to cut to the chase and take a harder line on the Palestinian Arabs and, above all, Iran.

“Prepare your fallback position now,” Olmert said. “You have to be ready to act the morning after the failure” of talks with Iran over its nuclear-weapons program. And yet Olmert cautioned that even that should not necessarily trigger “a comprehensive military attack on Iran.”

He mentioned two potential economic sanctions as alternatives: Preventing Iranian businessmen from traveling to Western countries, and cutting off Iran’s supply of refined petroleum. (Iran can refine just 15 percent of its annual fuel needs domestically, Olmert said)

But Olmert cautioned that even such a non-military approach would have negative repercussions for the West.

“I only hope he (Obama) remembers that the Iranians are not naive,” Olmert said. “They are smart, brutal and prepared to pay a painful price to establish themselves as the next nuclear power. Therefore, time is of the essence.”

Last moment
Olmert’s visit to greater Kansas City was not publicly announced in advance, due to security restrictions.

“We were seeking out a spectacular speaker to bring together Jewish community members, and Prime Minister Olmert fell into our laps at the last moment ... we just found out about his availability a few weeks ago, and jumped at the opportunity to host his visit here,” said Gail Weinberg, Federation’s director of financial resource development. “No fundraising was done at the event. It served two very important purposes: One, to thank our current donors, and, two, to build awareness as we kick off our 2010 Annual Community Campaign.”

Olmert chatted privately Sunday evening with about 30 major donors before his speech to the larger group.

Olmert faced several accusations of corruption during his premiership. On Aug. 30, he was indicted on a variety of fraud-related charges in connection with three out of the four corruption-related cases standing against him, One involves the receipt of gifts from U.S. businessman Morris Talansky.

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