Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert defended his record as leader Thursday night and said he remains hopeful that peace will come to the Middle East.
As prime minister, Olmert, 64, came under fire for his handling of the 2006 war against Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia and the three-week war launched in 2008 to remove the Palestinian Hamas group from the Gaza Strip after its violent takeover of the coastal territory occupied by Jewish settlers and soldiers. The assault drew condemnation from around the world because of the high number of civilians killed.
"Israel was being attacked on a weekly basis from Lebanon," Olmert told an audience of more than 900 who filled Memorial Chapel. "The question I ask people who would criticize is this: What would you be inclined to do if it had been your country under attack?"
As for the massive assault against the Islamic group Hamas, in which more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed, many of them civilians, Olmert said he had an obligation to defend Israel from "brutal terrorists." He also apologized for the civilian casualties, saying "we wish it never happened."
Olmert spoke for more than an hour in a speech that featured tough words about his two-state plan for peace and the nuclear threat posed by Iran. He also sprinkled his comments with a touch of humor, including his appearance at Union.
"I never knew you existed until I was invited," he told the crowd at the start of his talk. "As I was coming up from New York, I wondered, where am I going, what am I going to see tonight?"
The lecture by Olmert sparked passionate debate on campus, with some faculty and students opposed to the former leader's visit. Several dozen protesters picketed outside the chapel; inside, three people were removed after repeatedly heckling him. Extra security was on hand.
Will Friedman ’10, president of the Speakers Forum, sponsor of the talk, acknowledged the controversy, but told the audience it was important to bring speakers like Olmert to campus because of Union's history as a "promoter of free speech.
"We are excited to have a former head of state come here," he said.
In introducing Olmert, Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, recounted some of the criticisms leveled against Olmert.
"History will judge Mr. Olmert," Berk said. "But before historians write books, we at Union have an opportunity to hear Mr. Olmert in his own voice."
Before the lecture, Olmert met with the media in Old Chapel. He also dined with a group of students in Everest Lounge.
Olmert served as prime minister from 2006 until early 2009, when he resigned after being indicted on corruption charges dating to when he was Jerusalem mayor and Cabinet minister. He pleaded not guilty last month to charges of illegally accepting funds from an American supporter and double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad.
Due to limited seating, the lecture was open only to the campus community. Those with a Union ID card were permitted to bring one guest.