Olmert: more open to negotiate
2006-01-08 08:31
Jerusalem - Acting Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, is facing the first test of his peace intentions - whether he will allow Palestinian voting in Jerusalem in the January 25 parliamentary elections.
A "no" could derail the balloting, "yes" might harm Olmert's chances of winning the Israeli election March.
Several weeks ago, Israel threatened to ban voting for the Palestinian parliament election in Jerusalem, even by absentee ballots cast at post offices in the city.
Israeli officials are also not allowing any election activity, including campaigning, in Jerusalem because of the Palestinian electoral participation of the Islamic militant Hamas, which calls for Israel's destruction.
Israeli security forces have clamped down on campaigning in Jerusalem, detaining Palestinian candidates for questioning and confiscating campaign material.
Political analysts speculate that, if Olmert were elected Israel's next leader, he could be more amenable to negotiating a peace deal with the Palestinians than his ailing mentor Ariel Sharon.
Olmert, 60, was thrust into the seat of Israeli prime minister when Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke on Wednesday.
Olmert most likely candidate
If Sharon does not recover, Olmert is the most likely candidate to lead the prime minister's centrist Kadima Party into the March 28 election, and is seen as a strong contender for the Israeli premiership.
According to international political analysts, Olmert has, in the past four years, been Sharon's trusted point man, often floating proposals in public that later became policy.
They cite the best clue to Olmert's view on Jerusalem as the path of the wall which currently separates Israel from Palestine.
As vice premier, Olmert helped chart the barrier segment that cuts off most of east Jerusalem, claimed by the Palestinians as a future capital, from its West Bank hinterland.
The barrier also slices through Arab neighbourhoods of the city, leaving 55 000 of the 230 000 Palestinian residents of Jerusalem on the West Bank side.
Now, the fate of Jerusalem is the first major issue he'll have to deal with while standing in for Sharon.
- AP