VIDEO: IDF Reservists and Parents of Dead Soldiers Disrupt Olmert Speech at Kadima Gathering
Like a general in search of troops, Olmert gathered 2000 of what were supposed to be his Kadima loyalists for a New Year's Ball and began delivering a string of self-congratulatory platitudes that distinctly suggested he was living on another planet from the rest of us. With a poll showing that only 7 percent of Israelis still want him to be Prime Minister (and most of that 7 percent probably live in Tel Aviv and rarely venture out of cafes), Olmert delivered a delusional speech full of quotes such as;
"Kadima is today the most important political force in the country...Kadima has had no major failure in the last Knesset...the public's feelings towards the war do not reflect its real achievements...the nations of the world understand the great achievements of this war."
As Olmert was addressing the crowd claiming that Israel is stronger than ever under him and Sharon's Disengagement plan made it that way, a number of IDF Reservists and parents of dead soldiers began to disrupt his speech raising banners, chanting protests and demanding he resign.
In the video you will see the father of a dead Golani soldier holding up the Golani flag and saying that Olmert doesn't care and doesn't know what he's doing, while another father shouts that Olmert should resign; as a Kadima party member attempts to violently assault them.
Slogans are chanted especially.
"Olmert Habayta. Olmert Go Home."
While the cameras turn to the audience ignoring Olmert's speech, Olmert breaks into his speech to say that, "this is a democracy and I recognize there are many different opinions but the majority agree with me."
(A somewhat better video which I've been unable to download is available here after the commercials... )
As it turns out many of the supposed Kadima faithfull were elderly Russian Jews who had been bused in, without being told where they were going, and began to leave once the shouting began making the evening even more of an embarassment.
(While the material has been extensively covered in the Israeli Hebrew language press, very little of it seems to be appearing in the English language press aside from brief articles describing them as hecklers, which I find rather odd. Where the Hebrew language Arutz Sheva has a video and a detailed story, the english language one just seems to have a brief mention describing them as 'hecklers' but then A7 has gone increasingly downhill for the last year or so.)