Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has declared himself "indestructible" as he awaits the outcome of investigations into the Lebanon war and corruption scandals that could determine his political future.
Ehud Olmert. Photo: Reuters
"According to opinion polls, I am not popular. I was and I will be again," Mr Olmert said in an interview published today in the French weekly L'Express.
Asked if he was worried by recent scandals in Israeli public life, the veteran politican said: "I am indestructible. I have been here for 35 years and I have survived everything."
Mr Olmert's approval rating has plunged to single digits since an inconclusive war against Lebanon's Hizbullah guerrillas last year.
A government-appointed panel investigating the conduct of the Israeli government and military in the 34-day conflict, during which the armed forces failed to stop daily rocket attacks on Israel and repeatedly bombed Lebanese civilian targets, is to release interim findings this month.
Israeli authorities are also looking into real estate deals Mr Olmert made three years ago and whether he acted improperly as finance minister in 2005 in the sale of the government's controlling interest in a commercial bank.