Ehud Olmert heads an "outgoing government," in the language of the Basic Law on the Government, which will continue to fulfill its tasks "until the new government is formed." … Elections are expected to be held about three … months from now, after which coalition contacts aimed at forming a new government will be conducted. The law allocates a long time for these discussions, so we can estimate the lifespan of the present government to be about half a year. …
The law does not formally restrict the activity of the prime minister and the ministers in such circumstances, or limit the transitional government to dealing with ongoing activities only. A long period of transition reinforces the vital need for an active government that is not involved in "maintenance work" alone. …
None of this permits the Olmert government, which is supposed to act with restraint and reasonableness, according to the above-mentioned court ruling, to sign a long-term diplomatic agreement. But its status enables it to conduct diplomatic negotiations, and perhaps even to agree to the outlines of an agreement . . . Access the full article>>