Confidant Tells AP: Olmert To Resign Within A Week
Israeli leader to resign 'immediately' after vote
By JOSEF FEDERMAN - 6 hours ago
JERUSALEM (AP) - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will step down immediately after his party chooses a successor this month, a confidant said Thursday, shooting down speculation the Israeli leader would try to linger in office for months.
The announcement means that Israel could find itself racing to form a new government in as little as a week. And it raised new questions about Washington's stated goal of brokering an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement by year's end.
Olmert, who is battling a corruption investigation, announced in July that he would resign some time after his Kadima Party chooses a new leader in a Sept. 17 primary.
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