Olmert, Ehud

born Sept. 30, 1945, near Binyamina, Palestine [now in Israel]

Israeli politician who served as mayor of Jerusalem (1993–2003) and as prime minister of Israel (from 2006).

Olmert's parents were members of the Irgun Zvai Leumi, a militant Jewish group that fought for the establishment of Israel. In the mid-1950s and early '60s, Olmert's father, Mordechai, served in Israel's Knesset (parliament) as a member of the Herut Party, a political outgrowth of the Irgun and a precursor of the Likud.

Olmert attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he received both bachelor's (1968) and law (1973) degrees. In 1973 he became Israel's youngest Knesset member, elected as a part of the right-wing Likud led by Menachem Begin. In the Knesset Olmert established a reputation for fighting organized crime and corruption in sports. He rose within Likud, particularly after 1983, when Yitzḥak Shamir replaced Begin as party leader and prime minister. In 1988 Olmert was appointed minister without portfolio and was responsible for relations with Israeli Arabs; in 1990 he became minister of health.

In 1993 Olmert left national politics and was elected mayor of Jerusalem, defeating six-time incumbent Teddy Kollek; he was reelected in 1998. In 2003 Olmert was recalled to national politics by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who appointed him vice prime minister and minister of trade and industry. Olmert became one of Sharon's closest political advisers and was a chief architect of Sharon's policy of withdrawing from some of the Israeli-held territory in the Gaza Strip and West Bank and forcibly removing Jewish settlers there.

In January 2006, after Sharon was debilitated by a massive stroke, Olmert became acting prime minister. In March 2006 he led to victory Kadima—the centrist party Sharon had established in 2005 by breaking away from the Likud—and was confirmed as prime minister the following month after forming a coalition government. Olmert promised to continue Sharon's policies of disengagement from Israeli-occupied areas and of setting permanent borders between Israel and the Palestinians by 2010.