Olmert: Israel will leave more than 4 West Bank settlements

[Gimel]

Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that Israel would unilaterally evacuate many more settlements in the northern West Bank than the four mentioned in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, Army Radio reported.

"The four settlements the government intends to evacuate in northern Samaria within the framework of the disengagement plan will not be the only ones," the radio quoted Olmert as saying during a tour of the West Bank separation fence.

If the process achieves its goals, he added, "the government will evacuate many settlements, not just voluntarily, in order to stem the daily conflict with the rest of the world."

Sharon's disengagement plan calls for a complete Israeli evacuation of the Gaza Strip, and the removal of the four West Bank settlements of Ganim, Kadim, Sa-Nur and Homesh.

Continued...

[theboss]

1. Interesting

Sharon may find himself with a civil insurgency on top of everything else, but this is a good step.

[IA_Seth]

2. A great step

I hope someday there is no need for this forum!

Not that I wouldn't miss y'all....

[bemildred]

3. Haaretz: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was "furious" about Olmert's comments

Stay tuned:

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/464023.html

The story has a couple other interesting comments.

[IA_Seth]

4. Honesty

I was torn between happy/concerned by this:

"In the future there will be a need to evacuate more settlements in Judea and Samaria - not because it's just, but because there is no choice if we want to remain a Jewish and democratic state," Olmert's office quoted him as telling settler leaders during a tour of the West Bank separation fence.

On one hand, its great to see them speak honestly about the need to evacuate the settlements, however to say that the reasoning is "not because it's just" concerns me. I guess I think doing it because "it's just" is a better reason. Do they not see the justice in this?

It is interesting to point out that Olmert said that they have no choice to do so if they want to remain a Jewish and democratic state...Do they read DU? We just went round and round about that within the last month or so down here....

[bemildred]

5. Politics is never about justice.

I am not convinced that Mr. Olmert and Mr. Sharon are
not merely playing their parts in a predetermined script here,
for example to bring the settlers around to supporting Jabba.
We will see how large their disaffection from each other really
is in due course.

[Gimel]

6. It also made today's headlines

in the Jerusalem Post (print edition). I think Sharon is always furious about being up-staged, and that Olmert has a tendency to talk a bit too freely. He is not the Prime Minister.

The article at JPost.com contains some more of his comments. The train may be headed that way, and in speaking to the settlers like this, he was giving them warnings. His comments were politically unwise, I think.

[bemildred]

7. Mr. Olmert was remarkably "candid", although the ideas are far from new.

That always makes me wonder when I see it in an experienced
politician currently in office.

I think perhaps Sharon is always furious, or getting over being
furious, or thinking about getting furious, or pretending not to
be furious.

[Gimel]

8. Mr. Sharon's recent statement

to the effect that he would prefer Olmert as a successor to either Netenyahu or Shalom, might now seem, in retrospect, as also a miscalculation.

[bemildred]

9. Or, perhaps, an indication that they are not really at odds. nt

[Gimel]

10. Hard to say

Their contacts with one another and private discussions are seldom publicized. Some reporters (more right-wing sympathizers) play up the disagreements, while others are moderate.

[bemildred]

11. Indeed. nt