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"In his stammering weakness and confusion, the prime minister is undermining the State of Israel and, worst of all, he is undermining the walls of isolation that were so diligently built around Hamas," Netanyahu told reporters, referring to Olmert's decision not to reject the Hamas-Fatah deal outright.

Olmert's retort:

"This is the man who propped up Hamas and revived it. He is the one who freed Sheikh Yassin and gave Hamas the option to thrive thanks to the silly business that happened when he was prime minister," an Israeli official quoted Olmert as saying. He was referring to Netanyahu's release of jailed Hamas founder and mentor Ahmed Yassin in 1997 -- a move to mollify Jordan after Israeli agents mounted, and botched, an attempt on the life of Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal in Amman.

Given Katsav's legal troubles Likud's insistence of Olmert's ineffectiveness or bungling will only grow.