Ehud Olmert faced pressure from colleagues and political rivals to resign yesterday after police released details of a corruption investigation into the Israeli prime minister, the fifth such inquiry since he replaced Ariel Sharon in 2006.Olmert is suspected of illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the US financier and political donor Morris Moshe Talansky, and possibly other foreigners, beginning in 1993 when he first ran to be Jerusalem's mayor and later when appointed as minister of industry, trade and labour in Sharon's government.While Sharon also weathered bribery allegations as prime minister, only to be forced from the helm by a massive stroke, Olmert's colleagues and rivals are growing increasingly nervous about the number of scandals that now dog him.Ronit Tirosh, a member of Olmert's centrist Kadima party, said she wanted "very much to believe him" but was uncomfortable about the investigation.
Ehud Olmert faced pressure from colleagues and political rivals to resign yesterday after police released details of a corruption investigation into the Israeli prime minister, the fifth such inquiry since he replaced Ariel Sharon in 2006.
Olmert is suspected of illegally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the US financier and political donor Morris Moshe Talansky, and possibly other foreigners, beginning in 1993 when he first ran to be Jerusalem's mayor and later when appointed as minister of industry, trade and labour in Sharon's government.
While Sharon also weathered bribery allegations as prime minister, only to be forced from the helm by a massive stroke, Olmert's colleagues and rivals are growing increasingly nervous about the number of scandals that now dog him.
Ronit Tirosh, a member of Olmert's centrist Kadima party, said she wanted "very much to believe him" but was uncomfortable about the investigation.
