Olmert Issues Ultimatum to Rival Parties
Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that political rivals must agree to a plan to withdraw from large parts of the West Bank if they want to join a government led by his Kadima party — widely expected to win elections next week. Olmert’s comments in a newspaper interview gave the clearest signal yet of how the next Israeli government will look if Kadima wins Tuesday’s elections. The centrist Kadima holds a wide lead in opinion polls, but will need help from smaller parties to form a majority coalition in parliament. Full Story