JERUSALEM — Israel's government has decided to focus its reelection
campaign on plans for a unilateral withdrawal from nearly the entire West
Bank.
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has briefed the United States of his
plan for an initial withdrawal from parts of the West Bank in 2007, Middle East Newsline reported. Under
the plan, Olmert, if elected, would order the dismantling of at least 17
Jewish communities in the West Bank.
"It will be only a civilian disengagement, not a military
disengagement," Avi Dichter, Olmert's aide and former head of Israeli
domestic intelligence, said.
Under the plan, Israel's military would evict about 15,000 Jews from
several parts of the West Bank. The areas would remain under nominal Israeli
military control.
Officials said Olmert and Dichter have agreed on launching preparations
for the eviction of Jewish settlers immediately after the March 28
elections. Olmert's ruling Kadima Party was envisioned by all major Israeli
pollsters as being the clear victors in Knesset elections.
Dichter has been regarded as the likely defense minister in any
government
headed by Olmert. Olmert's office refused to respond Dichter's remarks.
Later, however, Olmert addressed via satellite the American-Israel
Public Affairs Committee convention in Washington. Olmert said that in
absence of a Palestinian partner Israel would seek to establish a contiguous
Palestinian entity in the West Bank.
"We will take the initiative, as Prime Minister Sharon did, and we will
aspire within the next few years to alternately decide on the permanent
borders of the state Israel while separating from the Palestinians," Olmert
said.
Under the plan, officials said, Olmert would demand international
support for the isolation of any Hamas-led Palestinian Authority in exchange
for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank. They said Israel would stage
several withdrawals until 2009 when Israel forms two or three blocs of
Jewish communities that would incorporate about 5-10 percent of the West
Bank.
Olmert's adviser, Dov Weissglass, presented the outlines of the
withdrawal plan to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over the last few
weeks, officials said. They said Ms. Rice expressed interest in the Israeli
concept but urged that Olmert not rule out a renewal of negotiations with
the PA.
The government plan has been opposed by many in the military and
intelligence agencies. Over the last month, the military's Central Command
chief Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh called additional withdrawals "irrelevant" in
wake of the Hamas victory in Palestinian Legislative Council elections on
Jan. 25. Dichter's successor, Yuval Diskin, director of the Israel Security
Agency, has also expressed opposition to any Israeli unilateral withdrawal.
Israeli analysts close to Olmert said the announcement of a unilateral
withdrawal from the West Bank was meant to define the campaign for national
elections. They said Olmert has been persuaded that turning the elections
into a referendum for additional withdrawal would undermine the challenges
by Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu and Labor leader Amir Peretz.
"This would be a referendum of both the previous disengagement as well
as the future disengagement," Hanan Krystal, a leading Israeli political
analyst, said.
Krystal said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, felled by a massive stroke in
January 2005, had intended to conduct additional unilateral withdrawals from
the West Bank. Sharon, who has been in a coma for nearly two months, had
pledged that he would not order additional pullouts.
In September 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and northern
West Bank, expelling more than 16,000 Jewish residents and supporters.
Israel transferred authority over the Gaza Strip to the PA while maintaining
nominal control over the northern West Bank.
"Israel will have to define, by itself, its final borders, and that will
involve the consolidation of smaller settlements into settlement blocs,"
Dichter said.
