Yoel Marcus-24/07/2007

Yoel Marcus, (Haaretz)

"The "Valley Parliament" is not an elected legislature. It's a bunch of Jezreel Valley residents who get together every once in a while at Kibbutz Yifat to chew the fat and talk politics. Last week, they invited Ehud Olmert for a chat over munchies and malt beer. It was here, at this informal meeting, wearing a sporty T-shirt, that Olmert dropped a political bomb: He announced his intention to run for chairman of the Kadima party and prime minister in the next elections.

As someone who once said that a prime minister doesn't need an agenda, Olmert took everyone by surprise by choosing this particular forum to unveil the outlines of a political agenda for the continuation of his reign - shelving the convergence plan and reaching a long-term agreement with the Palestinians that will require "tough decisions." Ariel Sharon, in his day, spoke about "painful unilateral concessions," because he didn't see a partner for an agreement on the other side.

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