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Livni Calls for New Elections

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

After Ehud Barak called yesterday for Ehud Olmert to resign or take a leave of absence as prime minister, Tzipi Livni, Israel’s foreign minister, called for him to prepare for new elections. The way she formulated her statement is interesting since she would be the likely person to become the next prime minister if Olmert resigned, but new elections were NOT called. It’s interesting that she specifically didn’t call for his resignation, and called instead for new elections. Perhaps she doesn’t want to be seen to be too grasping for political power since calling for new elections doesn’t necessarily entail Olmert resigning. Though everyone knows that this is what she meant.

As usual in Israeli politics, people seem to be performing Kabuki dances which reveal a slight amount of their true intention and mask the rest.

I realize that Olmert is the consummate Israeli political survivor, and have never, till now counted him out no matter how dire the crisis he faced. But this one seems insurmountable. With a fellow Kadima minister now calling for him to go (albeit indirectly) this will give other Kadima MKs a heksher to join in the chorus. Olmert will eventually go. When and how remains to be seen.

I’m deeply apprehensive about who will assume the leadership. If Netanyahu, all is lost. I don’t even want to think about how dire the situation will become on all counts. If Livni, there is hope. As I’ve said here she seems to be a principled moderate. One also has to give her respect for traveling a long way from her family legacy as a doyenne of the nationalist far-right. Olmert in some senses was a pragmatist who never had the courage of his convictions. Livni is a pragmatist who just might have the courage of hers. The jury’s out on that one. Barak is a hopeless case as are Labor’s chances of doing well in the next election. The party seems to be a doddering corpse. It will be lucky to gain 5 seats in the next Knesset. The battle, unfortunately, is for the political center. The left is virtually lost. Though if Labor disintegrates this might bode well for Meretz which might pick up a few seats.

Haim Watzman of South Jerusalem believes that Bibi will be Israel’s next prime minister. He may be right thought I hope to God he’s not. I think that if Olmert will step aside and allow Livni to take over and she can lead the country for six months or so and gain political traction and display leadership skills, she just might win over enough Israelis that she could get elected in her own right. It would not be easy since Bibi and Likud would be breathing down her neck and formidable adversaries. Anyway, this is my dream. It’s a pragmatic dream rather than a visionary dream. But it’s a far better dream than the nightmare of another bout of Bibi.

I watched a Haaretz video which makes a new claim that Uri Messer had access to a Talansky bank account from which he withdrew huge amounts of cash at will. The account contained over $350,000 according to the report. I can’t find any trace of this story in any of the Israeli English-language press. The story must be in Haaretz’s Hebrew language version. Stuff like this will sink Olmert. I’m astounded at not only his venality, but the sophomoric ways in which he concealed his money-grubbing. For an Israeli prime minister to be such a venal Keystone cop is embarrassing to say the least.

Tags: barak, livni, messer, olmert bribery scandal, talansky, Top Olmert Aide Puts New Pressure on Him to Quit
Posted in Mideast Peace | 3138No Comments »Livni+Calls+for+New+Elections2008-05-30+05%3A23%3A58Richard+Silverstein

Olmert Bribery Investigation Becoming Bad Burlesque

Sunday, May 18th, 2008

THe more you read about the Olmert bribery investigation and get to know the cast of characters, the more it resembles a very bad opera or perhaps even burlesque. There’s the former Orthodox rabbi, Morris Talansky, become bag man for a prime minister. The former rabbi once recruited muscle to intimidate a disgruntled business partner at a Manhattan topless bar called, aptly enough, Scores.

ABC alleges that Talansky may have bribed Olmert to erect a speed bump on his son’s Jerusalem street. Was everything for sale when Olmert was mayor of the city? Even speed bumps??

The police question a billionaire Las Vegas gambling tycoon, Sheldon Adelson, who supports Olmert’s political rival Bibi, about whether the current PM solicited business from the tycoon on behalf of the ex-rabbi turned mini-bar king.

The billionaire diet king, S. Daniel Abraham, is accused of stuffing cash into cases of Slim Fast and having them delivered by Olmert’s New York limo driver to Olmert’s hotel during his visits to the Big Apple. Talansky admits to having personally paid Olmert’s $5,000 hotel bill. Not to be outdone, Bibi Netanyahu has also admitted that his admirers (or worse) paid at least one of his London hotel bills. Prime ministers and would be prime ministers certainly go in style and on their friends’ tab.

It’s comforting to know that while Adelson is an ardent right-wing supporter of George Bush, Abraham is a big supporter of Democrats including Hillary Clinton. Sleazy conduct seems to be an bipartisan proposition when it comes to Ehud Olmert. It makes you long for the days of David Ben Gurion, Golda Meir and even Menachem Begin. Perhaps some of their ideas may’ve been corrupt, but they never were.

Tags: daniel abraham, olmert bribery, sheldon-adelson, slimfast, talansky
Posted in Mideast Peace | 31224 Comments »2008-05-18+07%3A54%3A19Richard+Silverstein

Adelson Questioned About Olmert Bribery Case, Talansky Lies About Business Interests

Tuesday, May 13th, 2008

Haaretz reports today that Israeli police are widening their bribery investigation, questioning gaming magnate and Likud supporter Sheldon Adelson and others about solicitations that Ehud Olmert may have made on behalf of Morris Talansky and his Israeli business interests. They are attempting to establish a quid pro quo that would explain Talansky’s cash contributions to Olmert and more firmly establish the bribery case against the latter:

The focus of the investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continued on Tuesday to focus on the search for any quid pro quo that Olmert might have provided to U.S. businessman Morris Talansky in exchange for the hundreds of thousands of dollars he is suspected of giving to Olmert.

Police questioned billionaire U.S. businessmen Sheldon Adelson and S. Daniel Abraham in connection with the investigation…

Real estate tycoon Adelson on Tuesday provided a sworn statement to detectives. Police believe that Olmert wrote to him and at least one other major hotel owner and asked them to buy mini-bar refrigerators for their properties made by a company in which Talansky had a stake at the time. Talansky himself is thought to be behind the letter, which did not result in purchase orders.

In a video interview featured at the Haaretz website, Talansky claims he has never had any Israeli business interests and would have no reason to want to bribe Olmert:

I emphatically deny that I had it in my mind to do any business in Israel. It never crossed my mind to do business here. I don’t own any land. I don’t own any buildings. I don’t own any factories. I never built anything here. Never, never, never was that my purpose. I have one apartment [in Israel]. That’s all I had.

In fact, the N.Y. Times and other publications have established that Talansky was a partner in an Israeli satellite company and sued the Israeli government because it refused to allow the company to do business with Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela. The above passage also makes clear that Talansky owned a company (which I assume was Israeli) manufacturing and distributing hotel mini-bars.

The above statement of course is entirely disingenuous since these days people own stakes in companies and don’t necessarily have to own land, build buildings or own factories in order to do business in Israel.

I hope the Israeli police realize they have a highly combustible, temperamental and potentially mendacious witness on their hands. Add to this, Talansky’s mafia-like interactions with past business associates. Not to mention that he is an Orthodox rabbi (in name only I presume). Can one think of a more impeachable witness? And to think that this is the type of American Jew that Israeli politicians so eagerly embrace. I only hope that Olmert will need Talansky to make his case more than the police will to make theirs. To put oneself in the hands of someone of Talansky’s stature is rolling the dice with the legal fates.

If one needed any further evidence of Olmert’s scuzziness, witness his attempt to place the blame for any potential culpability on the head of his former law partner, Uri Messer, rather than himself. It’s truly a tawdry performance. All I can say is that a nation gets the leaders it deserves. Let us hope that Israel will free itself of Olmert soon and not choose an even worse leader in Bibi Netanyahu.

Does the fact that George Bush called Olmert “an honest guy” yesterday tell you something about the judgment of our soon-to-be-ex-president??

Tags: olmert bribery investigation, sheldon-adelson, talansky
Posted in Mideast Peace | 31172 Comments »2008-05-14+01%3A19%3A55Richard+Silverstein

Olmert Chief Witness Married to Deputy Attorney General

Friday, May 9th, 2008

I don’t know if you could ever find a stranger conflict of interest in Israeli law and politics. Ehud Olmert’s former law partner and business associate, Uri Messer, is presently singing to Israeli police and the attorney general about his involvement in the funds Morris Talansky raised for Olmert. From what I’ve read, all funds collected were passed on to Messer who then appropriated them. That’s why Messer is such a crucial figure in the investigation.

Ynet and my blog reader Amir have noted that Messer is married to Davida Lachman-Messer, the deputy attorney general. I’ve never heard of a a chief witness in a bribery investigation being married to a senior officer in the investigating agency. Wow, is that a conflict if there ever was one! Here in the U.S. this would be a perfect opportunity to appoint a special counsel in order to remove the conflict from the AG’s office. Or else you’d have to completely quarantine the deputy AG from involvement with the case. And how could you?

I wonder how, or if Israeli law deals with such an issue. I’m hoping S, a former lawyer and reader of this blog, can enlighten us on this.

S has translated the relevant portions of Israeli penal law dealing with bribery charges:

Israeli Penal Code (1977):

Bribery Offenses:

290. (a) A public servant who receives a bribe in return for an action related to his work – is punishable by a [maximum] sentence of 7 years or 7 years and a fine of 10,000 Liras.

(b) In this section, “public servant” – including an employee of a corporation performing a public service.
…

293. In bribery offense, it is irrelevant –

(1) if it was money, or something with monetary value, or service or another benefit;

(2) if it was given for the commission or an omission of an action, delay of an action, expediting an action, slowing an action, giving preference or discrimination;

(3) if it was for a specific action or for general favoritism;

(4) if it was for an act by the receiver of the bribe or for the receiver’s influence on another person;

(5) if it was given by the giver of the bribe or by another; if it was given to the receiver or to another person on behalf of the receiver; if it was from the outset or in retrospect; or if the person benefiting from the bribe was the receiver of another person;

(6) if the receiver’s status was one of authority or service; if it was permanent or temporary or it was general or for a specific purpose; if it was for pay or without pay; if it was in volunteer work or fulfilling a legal duty;

(7) if it was received in order to stray from the obligations in fulfilling the receiver’s duties or if it was for the performance of an action that the receiver was obligated to perform according to law.

I’m a little unclear as to whether or not there’s a contradiction between sections 290 and 293 in that 290 requires “an action in return for” the bribe. While section 293 seems to say it doesn’t need to be in return for various types of actions. But other Israeli readers tell me that section 290 is more relevant and there doesn’t need to be a specific quid pro quo for a crime. However, the prosecution will have to prove that the money went directly into Olmert’s pocket rather than into his election campaign (as the statute of limitations would’ve run out on this crime). That’s why Messer is crucial to the case.

Tags: Attorney Messers testimony complicates matters for PM, davida lachman messer, olmert bribery case, talansky, uri messer, ynet
Posted in Mideast Peace | 3111No Comments »2008-05-09+19%3A41%3A44Richard+Silverstein

Olmert Will Resign If Indicted

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Morris Talansky, Olmert’s bag man (?), in Jerusalem Tuesday (Daniel Bar-On /Jini)

The end of Ehud Olmert’s prime ministership, if not his political career, is nigh. Today, the gag order was lifted on his bribery case and he told the nation that if indicted, he would resign. It seems almost impossible that Olmert will not be indicted (though it’s still a slim possibility). If so, it would likely mean the end of the career of a politician who had nine lives, if not more.

Haaretz reveals that Long Island Orthodox Jewish fundraiser, Morris Talansky, funneled “hundreds of thousands of dollars” into Olmert’s coffers in the 1990s while he was mayor of Jerusalem and a government minister:

Long Island Jewish American mogul and millionaire financier Morris Talansky, who is suspected of bribing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, is described by acquaintances as a man who keeps his business affairs out of the spotlight.

Although he is a known fundraiser for and contributor to Jewish causes in the United States and Israel, nobody seems to know how he made his money. Moreover, though he has participated in dozens of public events, his photograph cannot be found on the Internet.

Olmert appears to claim that the funds were used for political purposes. It appears that the police believe Olmert used the money for himself.

One should add that Ehud Olmert is not the only Israeli politician suspected of corruption. Ariel Sharon’s son Omri, is serving time in an Israeli prison for political corruption. Most of Israel’s recent prime minister’s have been accused of similar activities.

Talansky is an interesting, if shadowy figure. Though he was trained as an Orthodox rabbi, he seems to have turned to non-profit Jewish fundraising. He spent 20 years as executive director of the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center. As the Orthodox hospital is located in Jerusalem, Talansky engaged Olmert numerous times to speak at charity events on its behalf:

Talansky makes some of his money by fundraising and consulting for Israeli and Jewish charity organizations. Among other things, he held a key post in the New Jerusalem Fund’s U.S. office; in the past, he also raised money for the ORT network.

However, Talansky made his name largely due to the funds he raised as executive director of the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center, which solicits overseas donations for the Jerusalem hospital. A Jewish activist in Brooklyn said Talansky was “the main New York activist for Shaare Zedek. In his heyday, he raised millions of dollars for the hospital.”

“He didn’t bother with small contributions, he went for the big ones,” the activist added.

It was during this period that Talansky met Olmert, who, during his 10-year term as mayor of Jerusalem, was frequently featured at Shaare Zedek dinners and other fundraising events sponsored by the medical center.

I too have been a fundraiser for Jewish non-profits. I suspect, without any direct proof, that Talansky may’ve introduced Shaare Zedek’s wealthier donors to Olmert and persuaded them to become donors to his political career. [UPDATE: The Forward seems to confirm this notion.] It is very flattering for a certain class of wealthy American Jew to hobnob with Israeli politicians, as it would be for a wealthy American to hobnob with presidential candidates.

It is also possible that Talansky may’ve had a financial motivation if he took a cut of every donation given to Olmert by a prospect the former referred to the latter. Though it is possible that Talansky had personal wealth of his own in those days to give to Olmert, as a salaried Jewish fundraiser I don’t know where he would’ve found such wherewithal. It seems more likely to me that Talansky would’ve been a conduit rather than the source of funds.

After reading this N.Y. Times story Talansky looks more and more like a character from opera bouffe or a bad Mafia spoof. He meets unsavory characters at Manhattan topless bars and solicits them to beat up on deadbeats who’ve cheated him in business deals. Yup, Rabbi Moshe Talansky frequents topless bars. A fellow Manhattan lawyer calls him the “Lawyer’s Full Employment Act” because he’s so litigious. He even sued for alleged breach of contract a Jewish museum which had hired him as a fundraising consultant and fired him after a few months. My guess is he never showed up and never raised a dime.

Olmert’s top aide listed Talansky in her schedule as “the laundryman.” “Bag man” would’ve been closer to the truth. Given Talansky’s history are we surprised Olmert agreed to resign if indicted? Imagine how many more skeletons might be rattling around in Talansky’s closet.

Ynet claims that Olmert’s former law and business partner is cooperating with authorities against him. Not a good sign which perhaps explains the doom and gloom emanating from the PM’s office.

A couple of questions are going through my mind. I haven’t heard of any motive for Talansky’s alleged contributions or bribes (except for the scenario I advanced above). Did he get anything in return or was he doing it out of friendship to Olmert? Can there be a bribery conviction if the police can’t point to a benefit Talansky got in return for the funds?

Olmert will claim the funds were meant for political purposes, which still might’ve been illegal but at least not bribery. Does Olmert have to prove that he used them for political purposes? What if neither the police nor Olmert can actually document with certainty what he actually used the funds for?

Tags: bribery, olmert, political-corruption, shaare zedek hospital, talansky
Posted in Mideast Peace | 31081 Comment »Olmert+Will+Resign+If+Indicted2008-05-09+05%3A23%3A01Richard+Silverstein

Ehud the ‘Gazlan’?

Tuesday, May 6th, 2008

For those who don’t know, gazlan in Hebrew means ‘robber.’ So did he or didn’t he? Did Ehud take wads of cash from Long Island investor and rabbi, Morris “Moshe” Talansky, when the former was mayor of Jerusalem? The NY Post reports a potential bombshell story claiming that Talansky is singing to Israeli detectives as I write this:

A Long Island mogul is at the center of a sensational bribery scandal that could bring down embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, The Post has learned.

Millionaire financier Morris Talansky – who runs an investment firm out of his home in Woodmere – allegedly passed money to Olmert while the politician was mayor of Jerusalem in the ’90s, sources said.

In a highly unusual move, Israeli authorities have barred the country’s media from publishing Talansky’s name – revealed now in The Post – saying it could hamper their investigation. Israeli media has referred only to the involvement of an “American businessman.”

Talansky is apparently set to sing to Israeli authorities about his alleged role in the scheme, sources said. “It looks serious, and it looks like they have a state witness” in Talansky, one source said.

Talansky – a philanthropist and political contributor to everyone from Rudy Giuliani to Bill Clinton – is in Jerusalem, where he has an apartment, preparing to head to a closed-door court hearing as early as today, sources said.

The 75-year-old was earlier questioned about the alleged scheme almost immediately after arriving in the country for Passover, and he implicated Olmert, sources have said. It was unclear what the alleged payments to Olmert were for, but sources said they involved hefty amounts of cash.

Talansky repeatedly appears – sometimes under the nickname “The Laundry Man” – in the logs of financial dealings kept by Olmert’s longtime aide, Shula Zakan, a source said.

The gag order on reporting the story in the Israeli press is a highly unusual procedure for a financial crime. This to me indicates that the case is a very serious one since similar past corruption investigations did not result in such orders.

Olmert currently has three investigations hanging over his head including a claim that he purchased a Jerusalem home at below market price and another claim that he helped a financial supporter in his attempt to buy a newly privatized Israeli bank.

All of this is slightly odd considering that Olmert is a trained lawyer. You would expect such a savvy operator to know how to stay out of trouble. But it appears the lure of the good life may have been too great.

In light of all of this, yesterday’s post about the post-Olmert Israeli political landscape becomes a little more urgent.

There are a few other tidbits online about Talansky. Samson Blinded reports that Talansky is a rabbi. The right-wing blog also laughably labels him a “Jewish traitor.” Apparently, Talansky was among a group of investors who sued an Israeli defense contractor because a spy satellite he invested in was prohibited from providing data to Hugo Chavez. Talansky is also listed as executive vice chairman of Israel’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center. He has also donated funds to Shaare Zedek. From his political donations, he largely supports Democratic candidates though he has a special fondness for Rudy Giuliani.

GIven the dearth of reporting on this, I’ve yet to see what motive Talansky might have to bribe Olmert, though the former does have many Israeli investments and seeking favor for one of them might’ve been a suitable motivation. Or Talansky might’ve just liked Olmert and wanted to help his political career financially.

Tags: israeli corruption investigation, olmert resignation, talansky
Posted in Mideast Peace | 3104No Comments »Ehud+the+%27Gazlan%27%3F2008-05-07+00%3A21%3A57Richard+Silverstein