ABSTRACT
Ehud Olmert got off to a magical start: he presided over a large and disciplined faction, the media showed him favor, the opposition was shrunken and divided, while the coalition numbered seventy-eight MKs. Olmert also continued to engage in negotiations, adopting the most submissive posture ever displayed by an Israeli Prime Minister. He declared his readiness for an almost-complete withdrawal from Judea, Samaria, and the Golan Heights. Olmert failed to halt the Gaza takeover by Hamas, following which the inhabitants of Israel's south became hostages of the terror organization, exposed to its missiles and rockets. In June 2008, yet another investigation was launched, this time surrounding suspicions that Olmert had financed private flights for himself and his family with funds he had received through deceptive charging of public bodies. Olmert's parting interview also marked this heir's final separation with his ideological home.
