03.04.2019

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert

As Israel is headed towards a high stakes election and its Prime Minster is facing indictment, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joins the program. Moves to indict him when he was in power prompted his resignation, and he then went to prison on charges of corruption. He weighs-in on the fate of Israel’s latest leader.

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UNCHARTERED TERRITORY?

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE THREATS TO INDICT THE SITTING PRIME MINISTER ON THE CHARGES OF CORRUPTION AND WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

WELL, VERY BRIEFLY, SINCE I WROTE ABOUT IT IN MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY FOR MORE THAN 900 JUST BRIEFLY, I WAS CHARGED ON ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT TOOK PLACE MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, LONG BEFORE I BECAME PRIME MINISTER.

I DON'T WANT TO GO INTO THIS AS I SAID, HE NEVER ADMITTED OR ACCEPTED.T THAT'S NOT THE CASE.

EVERYTHING THAT NETANYAHU IS INDICTED FOR, MAJOR INDICTMENT, IS THINGS THAT TOOK PLACE WHILE HE IS PRIME MINISTER, MAJOR THINGS.HERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO EVENTS.

I WAS NEVER CHARGED NOR ACCUSED NOR INDICTED FOR ANYTHING THAT WAS DONE WHILE I WAS PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.

OKAY.

SO WE SEPARATED THE SORT OF PRIME MINISTER MANDATE.

UNDER THE LEGAL THREATS, YOU HAD NO MORAL MANDATE TO MAKE CRUCIAL DECISIONS.

WOULD YOU SAY THE SAME OF HIM AND WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE CORRECT ORDER OF PLAY?

I GUESS YOU'LL SAY THAT HE SHOULD RESIGN.

BUT HE'S NOT GOING TO RESIGN.

HE DENIES THESE ALLEGATIONS.

NUMBER ONE, I WANT TO SAY THAT NOT ONLY THAT HE SAY THAT I SHOULD RESIGN, HE WAS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE CONSPIRACY THAT BROUGHT ME DOWN.

WITH AMERICAN MONEY THAT WAS GIVEN TO HIM BY MAJOR AMERICAN FIGURES THAT TRIED TO BUY THE ELECTIONS IN ISRAEL AS THEY TRY TO BUY THE ELECTIONS IN AMERICA.

THIS IS A PART OF A STORY WHICH WILL STILL BE TOLD ONE DAY.

THIS IS ABOUT NETANYAHU'S PAST PERFORMANCE.

I DON'T WANT TO PASS JUDGEMENT ABOUT THE POSSIBLE INDICTMENT OF THE PRIME MINISTER.

THIS WILL BE DONE IN THE HEARING AT THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND THE BUT WHAT I DO WANT TO SAY IS WHAT NETANYAHU IS DOING NOW IN ORDER TO PROTECT HIS POLITICAL CAREER.

IN ORDER TO BETTER THE POSSIBLE CHARGES AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM IS SERIOUSLY ENDANGERING THE BASIC FUNDAMENTAL VALUES OF DEMOCRACY THAT WE PRACTICED IN ISRAEL SINCE THE PROCLAMATION OF ISRAEL.

HE'S ATTRACTING THE POLICE AND THE PRIME MINISTER.

HE IS BETTING AGAINST ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OF THE COUNTRY AND HE'S ALSO TAKING ALL KINDS OF STRANGE, ONE SHOULD SAY, EVEN DANGEROUS STEPS SUCH AS THE ALLIANCE OF THE JEWISH POWER.

HE IS TRYING TO POLARIZE THE STATE OF ISRAEL BETWEEN THE LEFT

About This Episode EXPAND

Christiane Amanpour speaks with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and journalist Yonit Levi about the complex state of affairs in Israeli politics; and discusses protecting journalists with Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. Walter Isaacson speaks with Steven Johnson, author of “Farsighted,” about how we make the decisions that matter most.

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