Olmert was prime minister during Operation Cast Lead in which Israel Defense Forces killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and wounded more than 5,300. Olmert is also responsible for implementing the siege on Gaza, now well into its third year. The siege has plunged more than 80 percent of the population into abject poverty.

CAIR-Chicago, along with a diverse coalition of over 30 organizations, is calling on area residents concerned about the humanitarian welfare of innocent civilians in Gaza to attend a mass rally to protest Israel's attacks.

Ariel Sharon’s decision to leave the Likud Party and form a new centrist party has led many to praise the Israeli Prime Minister. Jesse Jackson writes, “At the same time, Sharon and Peres deserve Palestinian counterparts in reaching for new and higher ground” and praises Sharon’s “pursuit of peace” (“At last, tiny springs of hope in the Middle East, Dec. 13”)