As Israel turns 60, Olmert's words on peace raise questions of sincerity

On a day when Israeli Prime Minister would have liked to focus solely on the 60th birthday of the State of Israel, his political future came increasingly under fire, as the leader found himself at the center of a corruption probe. Olmert is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal campaign funds from a U.S. businessman while still mayor of Jerusalem as he prepared to stand for the position of prime minister.

Olmert's response to the latest round of allegations was decisive, with the already embattled PM saying that, if Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz indicts him, he would resign. Such a clear-cut retort came as a surprise to many people and was perhaps an attempt by Olmert to show complete assuredness of innocence.

Some are less than convinced. This is not exactly Olmert's first go-round with accusations of impropriety. In late 2007, the Prime Minister was enmeshed in a scandal involving the privatization and remains a suspect in at least two other cases of illegal activity. Already facing serious political opposition within his own party and an abysmal public approval rating, a new criminal charge was the last thing Olmert needed. The open door of his political career seems to close by the moment.

Regardless of the outcome of his most recent controversy, Olmert seems ill-suited to successfully lead his country toward a more prosperous, peaceful future. At 60, Israel has become an economic power beyond even the wildest dreams of its founders, but it faces tremendous political and security opposition. Clear, then, were Olmert's motives in stating that 'It is peace, not war, that we aspire to and crave.'

Less clear, however, was the prime minister's sincerity. This is a man who has repeatedly vowed to reduce the number of checkpoints that slow the mobility and douse the economic prospects of Palestinians living in the West Bank and halt the expansion of Israeli settlements in Palestinian-controlled areas, only to have the facts on the ground clearly and undoubtedly rebuke his pledges. In short, Palestinians and millions of objective onlookers throughout the world interpret Olmert's words with a great deal of skepticism.

So regression-oriented is Olmert that he would not offer the security detail customarily extended to foreign heads of state when former U.S. President Jimmy Carter recently stopped in Israel during a trip to the Middle East for talks with Hamas and a series of other stakeholders in regional peace. Naturally, Carter's decision to meet with Hamas raised eyebrows of Israeli and U.S. policymakers alike, but his interest solely lied in enhancing the currently stagnated state of diplomacy between Israel and its neighbors. As such, it seems strange at best and blatantly disrespectful at worse, that Olmert would not provide security for the Nobel Peace Laureate.

Israel has been a state for sixty years. It will be a state for sixty more. For the peace and prosperity of Israelis and their neighbors, Ehud Olmert is not the right leader. His run-ins with the law and absolute inability, or unwillingness, to follow through on his word, engender mistrust within even the most pro-Israeli leaders abroad, not to mention a majority of citizens at home. Even prior to a potential indictment from the Israeli AG, Olmert would do right by his country mates to step down. To constituents, this would represent the best gift their PM could potentially give on this, their 60th birthday.