I thought it couldn't be done.

Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has been implicated in so many slippery business dealings that he would give Crisco a run for its money. But I read today that the Israel Police recommended closing the investigation into Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's conduct in what is know in Israel as the Bank Leumi Affair.

The affair runs has its ins-and-outs but in short, Olmert is suspected, when acting as as Minister of Finance in the Sharon government, of trying to influence the sale of the controlling stake in Bank Leumi in favor of an associate, Australian businessman Frank Lowy.

The Israel Police, having looked at the evidence before them, has recommended closing the case. Israel's Attorney General, Meni Mazuz, will take the police's opinion into consideration as he manages the case against Olmert.

With everyone speaking of a credit crunch and the rating agencies busy downgrading corporate credit ratings, S&P today announced that it is raising Israel's rating for its long-term foreign currency sovereign credit to "A" from "A-", the long-term local currency rating to "AA" from "A+", and the short-term local currency rating to "A-1+" from "A-1." S&P reiterated its short-term foreign currency rating at "A-1". In addition, the long-term foreign currency outlook is "positive" and the long-term local currency outlook is stable. S&P also raised its transfer and convertibility assessment for Israel to "AA" from "AA-".

This a huge for Israel. Just five years ago, the Israeli economy was on the verge of economic collapse. Thanks to the reforms initiated and pushed through by then Finance Minister and former PM Benjamin Netanyahu, five short years later the Israeli economy is thriving. Lower taxes, privatization and cuts in government spending helped right the sinking ship that was the Israeli economy. These reforms have continued with the current Ehud Olmert administration, to his credit. He has continued to encourage the privatization of government and quasi-government monopolies. Take for example Aliyah (immigration to Israel). A recent government decision empowers private organizations like Nefesh B'Nefesh to take the lead in offering services to North Americans looking to move to Israel. This private organization has been more successful in the last five years than the quasi-governmental agency has been in the last 25.