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| Israel's PM has prostate cancer | Israel's PM has prostate cancer |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said he will have surgery for prostate cancer, but 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | If found early, while still confined to the prostate gland itself, there are excellent chances of survival. |
| 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 his stroke, Mr Sharon had insisted he was in good health. He had recently founded Kadima and called elections to give it a mandate. |