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Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert answers a question during a press conference at the President's residence in Jerusalem, Tuesday. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners January 18, 2006 |
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Israel's acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, gave a glimpse of his policies in his first news conference since stepping in for Ariel Sharon, pledging to pursue peace with the Palestinians, crack down on Jewish settlers in Judea and work to stop Iran from going nuclear.
The comments Tuesday by the 60-year-old Olmert carry special weight because of a widespread assumption among Israelis that Sharon, who suffered a devastating stroke Jan. 4, will never return to power and that Olmert will replace him. Hospital officials reported no change Tuesday in Sharon's condition: critical, stable and comatose.
Olmert, a former mayor of Jerusalem and the vice premier under Sharon, has a commanding lead in the polls ahead of March 28 elections, putting him in a strong position to begin carrying out Sharon's vision of delineating Israel's final borders.
But Sharon's way was unilateral - he pulled Israel out of Gaza last summer with minimal coordination with the Palestinians, whom he viewed as unreliable negotiating partners.
Flanked by reporters after meeting Israeli President Moshe Katsav, Olmert said that as soon as Israelis and Palestinians complete their respective parliamentary elections - the Palestinians vote Jan. 25 - "I hope ... I can enter negotiations with Abu Mazen," referring to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas by his nickname.
The talks would be for "a permanent peace agreement between us and the Palestinians," he said.
Olmert reiterated Sharon's policy that any talks should be based on the internationally-backed "road map" peace plan, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state and outlines steps, so far unrealized, for the sides to abandon conflict. Olmert placed the same caveat on the talks as Sharon did: that the Palestinians disarm militant groups that carried out scores of suicide bombings in Israel.
His conciliatory tone Tuesday extended to the issue of Palestinian voting in east Jerusalem; the Israeli Cabinet voted Sunday to allow limited voting here.
That, Olmert said, was a wise decision because "we certainly have an interest in preserving the link between the residents of east Jerusalem and a Palestinian state, and not the state of Israel." Olmert said he didn't want Israel to be blamed for the cancellation of the Palestinian election after Abbas made it clear there would be no voting if east Jerusalem were excluded.
Olmert has spoken often of trying to reduce the number of Arabs under Israeli control, fearing that the Arabs, with their higher birthrate, would outnumber Jews. His comments Tuesday appeared to leave open the possibility that the 230,000 Arabs in east Jerusalem would one day not be part of Israel.
He has previously said that Israel can't hope to hold on to the entire eastern sector, claimed by the Palestinians as their future capital, but aides say he opposes giving it all up, especially the walled Old City, with his key holy sites of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
In sharp contrast to his positions on the Palestinians, Olmert was tough on the issue of Iran, though he said Israel would not respond to Tehran's threats unilaterally, but "only in cooperation with the international community."
Israeli-Iranian enmity sharply intensified after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power last August and began calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and denying that the Holocaust happened.
Olmert said that "under no circumstances can Israel allow someone with hostile intentions against us to have control over weapons of mass destruction that can endanger our existence."
On another subject, Olmert said Israel would deal forcefully with a group of Israeli squatters who took over an abandoned Palestinian market in the holy city of Hebron and clashed with police sent to evict them.
He said the harsh line would apply not only to illegal settlers in Hebron, but also to Israelis who have moved into other unauthorized Judean outposts.
"There will be no hesitation," he said. "Those who raise a hand against a soldier or policeman will be punished with all force, and will be removed from any place where they are illegal."
The AP contributed to this report.
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