JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, facing a widening corruption probe, announced Wednesday that he will not compete in his party’s leadership primary in September. The move will effectively end his tenure and is likely to complicate efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal before President Bush leaves office.
Olmert, 62, who has been under growing pressure to resign, continued to insist he was innocent of the corruption charges. He said he was choosing the public good over justice for himself.
“I was forced to defend myself against relentless attacks from self-appointed fighters for justice who sought to depose me from my position, when the ends sanctified all the means,” he said.
In a live television broadcast from the backyard of his official residence in Jerusalem, Olmert said he would step down as soon as his Kadima party chooses a new leader in the primary set for Sept. 17.
Olmert’s term was originally set to end in 2010.
In Washington, White House press spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Bush spoke to Olmert just before his announcement. “He wishes him well and will continue to work closely with him while he remains prime minister.”
Israel and the Palestinian Authority, whose influence is limited to the West Bank, renewed peace talks at a U.S.-sponsored conference in Annapolis in November, after a seven-year hiatus. More recently, Israel has renewed indirect peace talks with Syria, with the latest round of Turkish-mediated negotiations concluding today.
Olmert said he would continue to push for peace as long as he is in office, but it appears unlikely that Israel will make any major decisions on concessions to either Syria or the Palestinians until a new government is formed.
The front-runner to replace Olmert is Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who has been in Washington this week for talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei.
Olmert’s successor as party leader does not face an easy road to the top office. If he or she succeeds in forming a coalition, Israel could have a new government by the end of October. Otherwise, the country would hold new elections, probably early next year, and Olmert would remain in office until then as head of a caretaker government.
