Israel PM scandals seen as 'sign of weakness'

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JERUSALEM, Jul 14(AFP):A senior minister from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's party said today that Israel's foes view the multiple corruption investigations into the embattled leader as a "sign of weakness."

"Many of our enemies consider these affairs as a sign of weakness in Israel, and in my opinion security is the most

important thing," Transport Minister Shaul Mofaz told public radio.

"Iran is trying to get a nuclear weapon, Hezbollah is rearming, and the truce with Hamas is fragile. We have to prove that we are strong," said Mofaz, who is expected to run for leadership of Olmert's Kadima party in September.

The Israeli media has been abuzz with speculation that Olmert's political career will soon be over in the wake of the

latest corruption investigation to be launched against him, which was announced Friday.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is viewed as the front-runner in the party leadership election, but Mofaz, a former defence minister and army chief, is also jockeying for the top job, along with other senior ministers. It remains unclear whether Olmert himself will seek to run again.

In the sixth criminal probe to be launched against Olmert he is accused of billing the state and different private organisations for the same airline tickets when he was Jerusalem mayor and trade minister.

He is also accused of using the ill-gotten gains from speaking tours to finance family travel.