Member of Knesset Dov Khenin (Hadash), chairman of the environmental lobby, cited the environmental concerns regarding the Holyland apartment scandal. Now that bribery in the construction and zoning of the sprawling Jerusalem luxury apartment complex has been confirmed by Monday’s convictions, MK Khenin stated that environmental concerns should not be forgotten. “It all started from a small group of environmental activists determined to protest against the monstrous construction program which was already in its early stages,” he stated. “Olmert repeatedly exploited his power and connections for decades to get rich but had escaped time and again from punishment,” he said.
Environmental protest in Holyland, Jerusalem (Photo: Green Course)
A court convicted former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of taking some $150,000 in bribes from real estate developers when he served as mayor of Jerusalem, a ruling that effectively dashes any hopes Olmert had for returning to high office. The conviction Monday was splashy news in Israel, and even though the legal proceedings had dragged on for two years, it still came as a surprise for many to learn that, for the first time, a former prime minister may now be heading to prison.
If he goes to jail, Olmert will join a former Israeli president, Moshe Katsav, who is serving a seven-year sentence for rape. Olmert was one of 13 defendants in the case, which centered on the construction of a hilltop luxury high-rise apartment complex in south Jerusalem called “Holyland Park,” which critics consider an oversized eyesore. Announcing the verdict in a Tel Aviv courtroom, Judge David Rosen said that Olmert had lied to the court and that the case exposed cozy dealings among cronies in a city hall that grew more and more corrupt.
A lawyer by profession, Olmert began his political career in the 1970s as a right-wing legislator. He served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003 and as PM from 2006 to 2009, staying in office in a caretaker capacity until after a general election that brought right-winger Netanyahu to power. As PM, Olmert waged deadly war against Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008.
