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Olmert Says Israel Must Quit More Occupied Land
by Jonathan Saul
- Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had to give up parts of the occupied West Bank and quickly set a border with the Palestinians .
- "In order to ensure the existence of a Jewish national home, we will not be able to continue ruling over the territories in which the majority of the Palestinian population lives," he said on January 24.
- Hinting that Israel would act alone to set a border if talks failed, Olmert said he hoped Wednesday's Palestinian election would deliver a government ready to follow a U.S.-backed peace road map.
- "The most dramatic and important step we face is shaping the permanent borders of the state of Israel," Olmert said. "We would prefer an agreement. If our expected partners in the negotiations in the framework of the road map do not uphold their commitments, we will preserve the Israeli interest at all costs," Olmert said.
Can Israel's New Center Hold
by Yossi Klein Halevi
- Within Kadima, the most outspoken opponent of unilateral withdrawal in the West Bank is Avi Dichter, the recently resigned head of the domestic security service Shin Bet.
- "You can't compare the West Bank to Gaza," Dichter explains. "There was no security need to remain in Gaza, except to protect the settlers. We weren't protecting the state from Gaza. But that's not at all the situation in the West Bank. Gaza is not close to major [Israeli] population centers; the opposite is true in the West Bank. If Hamas maintains its ties with Iran and continues terror, they will lose the West Bank. There's no chance we will allow the West Bank to become a kingdom of terror."
- The Israeli evacuation of four West Bank settlements last August evacuated settlers but kept the Israeli army in the area. Still, Dichter rejects even that model as a self-inflicted wound at a time when fighting terrorism, rather than encouraging Israeli infighting, should be the priority. "The only relevant criterion for determining evacuations should be security," he notes. (The New Republic)
Fruits of Disengagement
by Yaakov Amidror
- We must admit that Israel itself contributed greatly to Hamas’ electoral success by pulling out unilaterally from Gaza. Flight at a time of war and abdication of basic principles at a time when terror continued unabated brought tremendous success to those responsible.
- More than 80 percent of Palestinians believe Hamas and its terrorism forced Israel to withdraw from Gaza. What Israel's believe is "determination" is interpreted in Gaza as "weakness." (Ynet News)
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The Wages of Unilateralism
by Moshe Arens
- While many had given their unreserved approval to Sharon's unilateral withdrawal project, and others felt that the jury was still out regarding the wisdom of this move, history handed in its verdict last week - it was no more than a piece of foolishness. The Hamas victory, a blow to the chances for peace in the area, and an increased threat to Israel's security interests, is the direct result of that ill-conceived and misbegotten project.
- How did so many Israelis, a nation of intelligent and politically alert citizens, fall for this plan?
- Hubris. What is unilateralism if not hubris - arrogance and disregard of others. The proponents of disengagement proudly announce that we are going to take our destiny into our own hands, that we are not going to wait for partners for peace, that we are going to unilaterally determine Israel's borders, and that the Palestinians can stew in their juices behind the fences we are rushing to complete.
- The unilateral withdrawal experiment has failed, but those who carried out this experiment want a chance to continue experimenting with Israel's future. To have disregarded the Palestinian perception of an Israeli unilateral withdrawal and the subsequent effect on Palestinian behavior was unpardonable.
Israeli Defense Chief Calls for Second Disengagement
by Ofer Shelah
- For Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, the possibility of a stalemate reinforces the need for a "second disengagement" — a withdrawal from broad swaths of territory in Judea and Samaria, leaving them to Palestinian control while the main settlements blocs remain under Israeli control, protected by the security fence. Such a border, he believes, would enable Israel to enjoy maximum security as it waits for a Palestinian partner to emerge.
- "We have to take our destiny into our own hands," he told the Forward. "Security-wise, things may be relatively quiet until the dust settles. But I doubt whether there will be someone to negotiate an agreement with in the near future."
- Sources close to Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insist that he would prefer a negotiated agreement to unilateral moves. But he said last month that he would consider a second unilateral disengagement if talks are impossible. That now seems inevitable . (Forward)
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