Ehud Olmert, former prime minister of Israel, has blamed the current PM,
Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to prevent the October 7, 2023 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which triggered a deadly war in the middle east.
In an interview with AFP, Olmert said that US President Donald Trump must intervene in the current situation and tell Netanyahu, “enough is enough.” He asserted that the United States has more influence on the Israeli government “than all the other powers put together,” and that Trump could “make a difference.”
“This is it. I hope he (Trump) will do it. There is nothing that cannot happen with Trump. I don't know if this will happen. We have to hope, and we have to encourage him,” the former prime minister added.
The US has remained a key ally of Israel. It has approved billions of dollars for selling weapons and military equipment to Israel, often using its veto power in the UN to shield Israel from international pressure.
Olmert served as prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009.
He also suggested that Israel should denounce the continuation of the war in Gaza as a "crime" and insisted that a two-state solution is the only way to end the conflict.
He added that while the international community initially accepted Israel's argument of responding to the October 7 attacks as an act of self-defense, this perception shifted when Netanyahu, instead of ending the war in March, chose to intensify military actions in Gaza.
Netanyahu "has his personal interests, which are prioritized over what may be the national interests," Olmert charged.
"If there is a war that is not going to save hostages, that cannot really do more than what has already been done against Hamas—and if, as a result, soldiers are getting killed, hostages may be killed, and innocent Palestinians are being killed—then, to my mind, this is a crime," Olmert said.
"And this is something that should be condemned and not accepted," he added.
The Hamas attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. The Palestinian militants abducted 251 hostages, 54 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead.
Future plan to end decades-old middle east conflict:
Olmert, along with former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al-Qidwa, is planning to end decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians by creating a Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
According to the plan, both sides would swap 4.4 per cent of land. Israel would retain some parts of the West Bank where Israeli settlers already live. In exchange, the Palestinians would receive territory for a future Palestinian state that is currently part of Israel.
Ahead of a meeting this month in New York, co-hosted by France and Saudi Arabia on steps toward recognizing a Palestinian state, Olmert said the plan is “practical, doable, relevant, valid, and real.”
Al-Qidwa, who will present the plan with Olmert at a conference in Paris on Tuesday organized by the Jean-Jaurès Foundation think tank, told AFP that the proposal is “the only realistic and workable solution.”
However, he said people in both Israel and the Palestinian territories still need to be convinced—especially while the war continues.
“The moment the war comes to an end, we will see a different kind of thinking. We have to move forward with the acceptance of coexistence between the two sides,” he said.
He also noted that serious progress is not possible under the current Israeli government or the Palestinian leadership, led by President Mahmud Abbas, who has been in power for 20 years.
“You have to get rid of both. And that is going to happen,” he added, calling the Palestinian leadership “corrupt and ineffective.”