Israel's PM has prostate cancer

BBC - Oct 29, 2007

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will have surgery for prostate cancer, but he added it had been caught early and he would remain in office.

Mr Olmert, 62, has led Israel since 2006 when Ariel Sharon had a massive stroke that has left him in a coma.

That sparked calls for more openness about the PM's health, as Mr Sharon's fall came at critical time for Israel.

Mr Olmert is preparing for a regional conference which the US hopes to host to promote Middle East peace.

His government's popularity has suffered in opinion polls after several high-profile corruption scandals and the inconclusive outcome of the 2006 war in Lebanon.
The causes of prostate cancer are not fully understood, but it is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer in men.

If found early, while still confined to the prostate gland itself, there are excellent chances of survival.

"I will be able to fulfil duties fully before my treatment and hours afterward," Mr Olmert said. "My doctors told me that I have full chances of recovery."

Right to know

At a surprise news conference in Jerusalem, Mr Olmert said he did not have to make the announcement at this time but had done so for the sake of openness.

"Citizens of Israel have right to know and I feel it is my public duty to let you know," he told the packed press gathering, which was shown live on Israeli TV.

Earlier ill health due to injuries meant Mr Olmert spent his own military career as an army journalist - which is unusual for future Israeli political leaders.

He joined parliament in 1973 at the age 28, briefly re-enlisting in 1979 to undergo an officer's course.

In 1993 he was elected as the first mayor of Jerusalem from the right-wing Likud party.

He left Likud when Mr Sharon split from the group to form the centrist Kadima party, whose main policy - now abandoned - was the unilateral withdrawal from Israeli-occupied territory to achieve separation from the Palestinians and promote secure borders.

Before the stroke that rendered him comatose, his second in three weeks, Mr Sharon had played down speculation about his ill health.

He had recently founded Kadima and was gearing up for an election campaign to win the party a mandate.