Pressure on Olmert Intensifies After Day of Testimony by American Fundraiser

[News and Analysis] Legal and political experts say that while a day of testimony by the American who is the key witness against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not produce the smoking gun, it did significantly intensify Olmert’s plight – both politically and legally. Morris Talansky revealed how each of his frequent visits to Olmert over the years was marked by the transfer of a cash-filled envelope containing anywhere up to $8,000. Olmert had expressed his preference not to receive checks. Talansky estimates he gave Olmert at least $150,000 over a 15-year period, some of which were contributions and some of which were loans – none of which were ever repaid by Olmert. Although identifying the specific benefits Talansky would have had to receive in order to make bribery charges stick, the American’s testimony painted a picture filled with other infractions, such as failing to report or account for the large sums of money. Even if Olmert’s legal team is able to fend off criminal indictments, most pundits believe the political damage is already lethal. Newspapers are filled with stories of imminent demands by his colleagues for Olmert to step down and a poll taken immediately after Talansky’s testimony showed 70 percent of the population disbelieving the prime minister. Analysts at The Media Line caution that it is unlikely that an Olmert resignation will come quickly, nor will the senior cabinet members in the Olmert government be willing to give up their own seats in order to topple the Olmert coalition.