Israeli PM Ehud Olmert to step down

Photo pool/Getty Images In a (somewhat) surprising move, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced that he will resign after his ruling Kadima Party chooses a new leader on September 17. And who might be replace Olmert, both from party ranks and in the next nationwide election? Check out FP’s list — which we compiled ...

593624_080730_olmert5.jpg
593624_080730_olmert5.jpg
JERUSALEM - JULY 30: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announces his intention to resign as Prime Minister of Israel on July 30, 2008 in Jerusalem, Israel. Embattled Prime Minister Olmert will step down from office in two months time when his Kadima Party chooses a new leader from it's scheduled leadership vote on September 17. Olmert said he will stand down because his family is being hurt by the corruption allegations against him. A corruption inquiry as well as criticism of his handling of recent conflicts have put pressure on Olmert to resign. (Photo pool/Getty Images)

Photo pool/Getty Images

Photo pool/Getty Images

In a (somewhat) surprising move, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced that he will resign after his ruling Kadima Party chooses a new leader on September 17.

And who might be replace Olmert, both from party ranks and in the next nationwide election? Check out FP’s list — which we compiled more than a year ago. Our friend Ehud was able to hang on longer than we thought.

Updated for today, we might add Shaul Mofaz, the transportation minister, to the mix. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is still the most likely to succeed Olmert — at least within Kadima — but the hawkish Mofaz could use the Iranian threat to his advantage. Beyond that, there’s no telling whether other parties will be able to push for a general election that could unseat Kadima.

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.