Israeli police said the accusations against Olmert, which include allegedly receiving illegal campaign donations worth tens of thousand of dollars from American businessman Morris Talansky, are serious enough and Olmert could face indictment this time and be forced to resign as premier.

Indeed, during the last few weeks as the brouhaha surrounding the accusations have been building up into a crescendo, Livni has been politically active in the ruling Kadima party in a way not seen before.

She has focused on stepping up recruiting efforts by taking hundreds of party membership applications from the ruling Kadima party headquarters. Livni also made personal calls to key party people on the eve of Israel's independence, something she hadn't done previously, in a bid to win their support for possible leadership of Kadima should Olmert be forced to resign.

But she is not the only one eyeing Olmert's seat. Rival contenders include Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz, who succeeded in securing 1,000 sign-up forms, and Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit who has started putting in the hard yards too.

And in a bid to further garner supporters the foreign minister has quietly distanced herself from the alleged corruption surrounding Olmert.

While key Kadima party members sprung to Olmert's defense and accused the investigations against Olmert of being politically motivated and called for a presumption of innocence until otherwise was proven, Livni at first kept silent and refused to rally around the embattled premier or give him any support.

This aroused a lot of anger among many Kadima heavyweights who called her an "ingrate" and warned that she would pay a price for her behavior.

Later, however, Livni, expressed veiled criticism of Olmert. "Every person needs a dream, some a backbone and a moral compass to guide him. Every state needs a dream, a purpose and a moral compass that unites the nation and guides its leaders."

Furthermore, it appears Israel's second female foreign minister (Golda Meir being the first), is also banking on recent opinion polls which have underlined her popularity with the Israeli public, to strike while the iron is hot as Olmert's approval ratings have slid to an all-time low single-digit percentage.

Her popularity is based on the fact she is regarded as genuine and sincere in wanting peace as well as is incorruptible in a country riddled with political corruption – an issue around which the next general elections will sharply focus. Additionally she is also well ahead of Sheetrit and Mofaz in the opinion polls.

In response to criticisms of her naked political ambition, Livni's supporters say that she is doing what she believes in and that her political ambition has centered on quiet diplomacy and determination as opposed to the oily wheeling and dealing style of Olmert and his cohorts.

Livni's sincerity in regard to being committed to peace has impressed some of her Palestinian negotiating partners with chief negotiator Saeb Erekat commenting that he thought she was genuinely interested in a fair settlement.

The 49-year-old mother of two sons has moved to the political left after originally being a member of former premier Ariel Sharon's hawkish Likud Party. Her parents were ardent Zionists who believed in Eretz Israel, or Greater Israel, and were also members of the pre-Israel Jewish terror organization, the Irgun Gang. The Irgun also counted former Israeli premier Menachem Begin among its ranks.

Livni, who worked for the Mossad for many years and who is a lawyer by training, claims she did not enter politics to push a feminist agenda but to help find a solution to the seemingly intractable Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"But now I see that there is a connection between conflict resolution and empowering women," Livni said in Vienna at a May 2007 conference, titled, "Women Leaders: Networking for Peace and Security in the Middle East."

She argued that women offer traits needed to resolve such a conflict including the ability to explore common interests rather than seeing conflict as a zero sum end game. She also argued that women were better at multi-tasking as well as being more empathetic than men.

But it is precisely these qualities that are perceived as weakness in the macho environment of the Middle East and in an Israeli society that worships its military, and looks down at conscientious objectors as people who are perceived to be "soft on the Arabs."

Many Israeli leaders, including the late Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish terrorist, have come from a military background and their ability to ascertain Israel's security in the rough neighborhood has been one of their strengths in winning over Israeli voters.

If Livni is to have a chance of leading the Jewish state and perhaps helping guide the country to a more peaceful path, she will have to succeed in persuading Israel's militaristic society that being prepared to compromise and negotiate is not weakness, but quite the opposite and takes enormous reservoirs of both strength and courage.