Prime Minister Ehud Olmert AP PHOTO

Olmert defiantly declared after the report's release April 30 that he would not quit, despite the inquiry's conclusion that he showed flawed judgment in ordering and directing the conflict.

But newspaper editorials and commentators demanded that he step down, saying he had lost the confidence of the Israeli people. The report "contains not even one lenient word to which the prime minister could cling in order to prolong his term," the Haaretz newspaper said in an editorial.

Ahead of the April 30 report, the embattled Israeli leader had been working hard in recent weeks to shore up support within his coalition government.

In a sign of trouble, a junior Labor Party minister, Eitan Cabel, announced through a spokesman that he intended to resign later in the day to protest the government's failures in the war.

It was not clear whether other members of Olmert's broad governing coalition would follow suit. Olmert's Kadima Party and Labor Party are the two biggest partners in the coalition.

"It would not be correct to resign, and I have no intention of resigning," Olmert said in a brief televised statement from his office.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 5, 2007
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