Ehud Olmert served as Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009, capping a career in Israeli public life spanning more than four decades. First elected to the Knesset in 1973 at the age of 28, becoming its youngest member at the time, he was re-elected eight times and held a succession of senior national and municipal offices before leading the government. Since leaving office he has remained an active participant in public debate on Israeli politics and the pursuit of peace in the Middle East, writing and speaking widely both in Israel and internationally.

He became Acting Prime Minister in January 2006 following Ariel Sharon's incapacitation and led the newly formed Kadima party to victory in that year's general election, taking office as Prime Minister in May 2006. His premiership encompassed the 2006 Lebanon War and the launch of the Annapolis peace process in 2007. Between 2006 and 2008 he held 36 negotiating sessions with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, presenting a detailed proposal for a two-state agreement covering territory, security arrangements and the status of Jerusalem.

Before reaching the premiership, Olmert served two terms as Mayor of Jerusalem, from 1993 to 2003, winning election in 1993 and re-election in 1998. He had earlier held office as Minister without Portfolio from 1988 to 1990 and as Minister of Health from 1990 to 1992. On his return to national government in 2003 he was appointed Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, also serving as Minister of Communications and, from August 2005, as Acting Minister of Finance.

A lawyer by profession, Olmert holds degrees in psychology, philosophy and law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of Searching for Peace: A Memoir of Israel, published by Brookings Institution Press in 2022, and writes as a columnist for the Israeli daily Haaretz. In recent years he has worked with Nasser al-Kidwa, former Foreign Minister of the Palestinian Authority, on a joint Israeli–Palestinian peace proposal presented to audiences and policymakers internationally.