International   

Olmert firm on Jordan Valley

Chris McGreal

Acting Premier vows to annex West Bank settlement blocks

Jerusalem: The acting Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, said on Tuesday that he plans to annex the Jordan Valley and major Jewish settlement blocks to Israel in drawing new borders, according to a television station that recorded an interview with him on Tuesday.

In Mr. Olmert's first policy statement since he succeeded Ariel Sharon last month, Channel 2 television said that he made clear he intends to carry through his predecessor's vision of creating an emasculated Palestinian state on Israel's terms.

If the Jewish state were to annex all of the Jordan Valley, which is dotted with small settlements, it would leave a future Palestinian state on the West Bank entirely surrounded by Israel and without a direct link to neighbouring countries.

Withdrawal planned

Channel 2's political affairs reporter, Nissim Mishal, told Army radio that Mr. Olmert, who is favourite to win next month's general election, also plans further unilateral withdrawals similar to the settler pullout from Gaza last summer.

``He talked about Israel having to maintain a Jewish majority in the state of Israel, meaning that we have to create a new border, what is called final borders. He knows that we can't negotiate with Hamas. So the only conclusion that can be derived from this is that in order to reach final borders, Israel will have to carry out additional [unilateral] withdrawals,'' said Mr. Mishal.

Mr. Olmert said he intends to annex the three main settlement blocks of Ariel, Gush Etzion and Maale Adumim as well as the Jordan Valley, the TV station said.

The pressure group Peace Now estimates 185,000 of the 244,000 Israelis living in the West Bank outside Jerusalem are resident in the settlements Mr. Olmert wants to keep within Israel's border.

On Monday, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said the Government was considering unilaterally imposing the borders of a Palestinian state.

On Tuesday, Mr. Mofaz said Israel would keep targeting Palestinian armed groups. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Israel, Hamas not for compromise
"Set up joint ventures in South Korea"
"Dodging paparazzi"
Hamza jailed for preaching hatred
Danish Editor to publish Holocaust cartoons also
First bird flu case in Africa
Olmert firm on Jordan Valley
Jakarta walks the tight rope

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu