Early in February, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was a guest on Israeli TV Channel 2’s popular “Friday Studio” talk show. On it, he gave a comprehensive interview about the faltering diplomatic negotiations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Decked out in a dark, meticulously tailored suit and a blue tie, Olmert spoke at length about his personal conversations and the relationship of trust that he was able to build with Abbas during their long meetings at his private home in Jerusalem. He also revealed new information about a plan which the security establishment prepared under his guidance, to evacuate the Jordan Valley in the event that an agreement with the Palestinians is signed.
Even if it wasn’t stated explicitly, Olmert appeared on that prestigious show as the leader of the Israeli center-left and the person who would face off against Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections. His complicated legal problems weren’t even up for discussion, following a pattern that Olmert had stuck to intently over the last few years. He would only be interviewed about diplomatic issues, and he would be a constant presence in the political discourse, as someone who was planning to step back into the ring very soon. The same thing happened in January at an event at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Olmert referred to Netanyahu as an “idiot” for not making peace. The same thing happened also at other events at which Olmert was invited to lecture about diplomatic issues, as if he were perhaps holding in his hands the formula that could resolve the conflict.
That was the public face of Ehud Olmert during the past few years. He ran a low-volume campaign to return to the Prime Minister’s Office, he met regularly with key political and defense figures and managed his trial as if it were taking place in some parallel universe. With considerable adeptness, Olmert was able to roam the political-public-media world as if there were no criminal cloud hanging over his head, threatening to bring him down. The political and media milieu close to Olmert helped him to foster this status because it also regarded him as the alternative to Netanyahu, especially since there was no one else in the center-left who could really fill that role.
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