New York Gets a Slimy New Consul

Aryeh Mekel, Israel's fairly effective consul in New York, is being removed to make way for a replacement, Olmert's own spokesman and media advisor, Asaf Shariv. Asaf Shariv back in Israel had worked to target journalists who wrote critical pieces about Olmert by leaking defamatory stories to the press about them. He of course has no diplomatic background but that's not the point. As a reward for his "service" another figure in the Kadima Mafia is being rewarded with a political appointment and his past service may fit him for a role similar to that practiced by Collette Avital who similarly collected information on opponents of the Oslo Accords and worked to silence them.