Hamas War

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Taking Bets? Will Olmert Sit in Jail or Not?

By now everyone must have heard the news.
Court sentences Olmert to 6 years in prison; first Israeli PM ever to go behind bars
...as the headline reported in the Jerusalem Post.

Photo AFP
But he's only supposed to start serving his sentence on September 1st to give him time for appeals. And also to give the prison authorities time to figure out how to suitably imprison a former Prime Minister...
Tel Aviv District Court Judge David Rozen on Tuesday sentenced former prime minister Ehud Olmert to six years of prison time on conviction for two counts of bribery in the Holyland trial......The judge also delayed the arrest and imprisonment of all of the Holyland defendants, including Olmert until September 1.Rozen also imposed a fine of NIS 1 million while also ordering authorities to seize NIS 500,000 in funds accumulated by the former premier.
Referring to Olmert and the other defendants, the court said that "one who takes bribes is in the category of being a traitor - a person who embezzles and who betrays the faith invested in him, faith that without which, no proper public service could exist."


I really wonder if he'll really sit in jail. I have my doubts. I can imagine a creative sort of punishment which would forbid him to travel abroad but wouldn't restrict him in any other way.

Ehud Olmert is a very charming and personable man. If he does end up in jail, he will be the "model prisoner" and make lots of friends and followers.

I'm not sad that he, Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of the State of Israel has been convicted and sentenced to jail-time, because it is important to show ourselves and the world that nobody is above the law. And I hope I'm wrong about the actual punishment. I truly hope that he serves real time, just for principle of it.

Many of my friends are glad that Olmert is being punished as a criminal, because he is blamed for Disengagement, even though Ariel Sharon was the Prime Minister at the time. There is this widespread feeling that he deserves to suffer in This World for all that he did, the brutality used against Jews in Amona.


Hundreds of activists were injured - some seriously - as police forces violently stormed the hilltop community of Amona, bashed protestors and MKs, and demolished nine homes...One injured protestor said, "We were standing in the front line, with no intention of using violence or anything, and all of a sudden the police just rained down on us with horses and clubs...
If you were to bet on Olmert being jailed or not, what's your guess and why? Please reply in the comments, thanks.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shalom Batya,

I am not Israeli or a Jew.
But I do follow news of Israel, and I agree with what you say.

Knowing how things go in Israel, with release of 'terrorists'. well..
Olmert may not be a terrorist, per se, but being one in the higher realms of the Israeli society, and not just an ordinary citizen, I doubt he will do any time in prison.
well time to play the wait and see game.

s

Batya said...

s, yes, thanks
Even if jailed he'll be in the "hotel" wing, so only the ego will be punished.

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz said...

No, he won't. There is already talk that since he "knows so much", there will be a problem putting him in jail.

Batya said...

He is dangerously charming. Maybe more than Peres who never had the political smarts.