In releasing 200 Palestinian terrorists, including murderers, Olmert is not just abasing himself before Abbas.  He's testing the waters for his big legacy to Israel.
It’s a mistake to think that the Olmert government’s mass release of terrorists, including some involved in murder, is simply an exercise in supine toadying to Abu Whatsisname.  For Olmert, Barak and Tzipi Livni, this was a test case.  Could they get the Israeli public and professional opinion in the security establishment to overlook the release of murderers?
Olmert's prisoner release passed with barely a public murmer.
The security establishment was divided in its opinion.  That was sufficient for Olmert to ram the decision through.  With the security establishment diffident on the issue, the public protest was limited to those who assume—correctly—that releasing terrorists encourages terror rather than peace.  The release passed with barely a public murmur.
This means that Olmert has been entirely successful and is now well placed to grant his most enduring legacy to the Israeli people:  Marwan Barghouti.
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