HAIM RAMON INTERFERES WITH STATE MATTERS

The former Labor politician who joined Kadima, and later disgraced himself after he committed sexual harrassment, has been revealed maintaining contact with Saeb Erekat, and was spotted in conversation with shady types at the American Colony Hotel in east Jerusalem:

(Israelnationalnews.com) Ex-Justice and Interior Minister Chaim Ramon advised top PA negotiator Saeb Erekat in a private conversation that it would not be worth the PA’s while to enter into direct talks with Israel - in direct contrast with the official Israeli position. MK Michael Ben-Ari says the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) must investigate the matter.

An unidentified man contacted Israel Radio, saying he overheard the conversation in the Jerusalem Colony Hotel [note: it's actually called the AMERICAN Colony Hotel] dining room three weeks ago. From his detailed reenactment of the talk, it appears that he was able to record it, but he refused to confirm or deny this detail.

Ramon was a controversial left-wing Knesset Member of the Labor Party for more than two decades, and switched to Kadima with Ariel Sharon after the Disengagement from Gush Katif. He resigned from the Knesset a year ago, two years after he was convicted of indecency with a female soldier who asked to be photographed with him.

According to the witness, who said another person was with him at the time, the conversation took place less than two feet away from him.

Ramon reportedly said clearly that he was sent to speak with Erekat by President Shimon Peres. “He said in these words: ‘I was sent by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres,’” the man, whose voice was electronically garbled during the broadcast, related.

The witness said, “It was perfectly clear throughout the conversation that Ramon was sent to advise the Palestinians how to conduct the proximity talks and that it would be pointless to enter the direct talks because in any event Netanyahu will not agree to grant anything to the PA.”

“For instance,” the witness recounted, “Erekat said that the previous prime minister [Ehud Olmert] offered to have 50,000 or 60,000 Arab refugees enter Israel, but the PA demands 100,000 or 200,000. Ramon said that if you [the PA] did not agree then to Olmert’s offer, there is no way that Bibi [Netanyahu] would agree to more. So Erekat said, ‘So what do you propose?’ and Ramon said, ‘Not to enter the direct talks; you won’t get anything anyway.’”

The witness also said that Ramon told Erekat that “if the PA wants more checkpoints to be removed, it must do X, Y and Z.” However, interviewer Ayala Hasson did not ask him to elaborate on what steps Ramon told Erekat must be done.

That's okay, because I think I've heard enough already. If this is true, it tells that even out of parliament, Ramon is one of those kind of people who's a menace, doing everything possible to embarrass the PM into appeasement tactics. And if Shimon Peres is involved, that suggests he still hasn't changed.