Ehud Olmert was always an unlikely prime minister for Israel. Only the twelfth person to serve in the post, he follows a long list of war heros turned politicians - mostly men with significant military experience. Sharon, Barak, and Netanyahu all distinguished themselves in the Israel Defense Forces. Even Yitzhak Rabin, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, was a 27-year I.D.F. veteran and its chief of staff. Olmert, on the other hand, has made his way through politics without any great military experience - and so far, the Israeli public approves.
In a poll released today, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth found that two thirds of the Israeli public approves of Olmert's handling of the current crisis. Lacking a military record, however, doesn't bode well for everyone. Olmert's defense minister, Amir Peretz, didn't fare so well in the polling. Only 21 percent of Israelis think he is appropriate for his position. Israelis might be right--Peretz is something of an oddity for the role. The leader of the Labor party and a former trade union boss, he is also a member of Peace Now, a movement in Israel that describes itself as "Israeli pacifists for Palestinian self-determination within 1967 borders." Quite a resumé for the civilian director of the country's military.
With specific regard to Lebanon, more than half of Israelis want continued aerial assaults, about a quarter think ground forces should enter Lebanon, while only 10 percent believe that Israel should negotiate with Lebanon or Hezbollah. Only time will tell if Olmert can hold onto such strong support, or whether his numbers will drop as the conflict continues.
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