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Acting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert speaks at a conference in Herzliya, north of T.A Israel, Tuesday. (AP)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners January 25, 2006 |
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Israel will have to give up large parts of Judea and Samaria to preserve the state's Jewish character, preferably in agreement with the Palestinians, said Israel's acting premier, Ehud Olmert, in his first policy speech.
Olmert, standing in for ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the annual Herzliya Conference, said Tuesday that the main challenge facing Israel now is "setting the permanent borders of the state of Israel to ensure a Jewish majority."
The speech was the clearest indication yet of the direction Olmert, the frontrunner in March 28 elections, plans to take Israel: out of most of Judea and Samaria, and toward a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians. But he also said Israel would never renounce its claims to Jerusalem and indicated there could be more unilateral withdrawals like the one from Gaza last summer.
In his first policy address, Olmert said Israel would have to undertake further pullbacks.
"The choice between allowing Jews to live in all parts of the land of Israel and living in a state with a Jewish majority mandates giving up parts of the Land of Israel," Olmert said. "We cannot continue to control parts of the territories where most of the Palestinians live."
Olmert said Israel "will keep security zones, main settlement blocs, and places important to the Jewish people, first of all, Jerusalem, united under Israeli control. There can be no Jewish state without Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty."
He said it would be a "historical mistake to let the Palestinians escape their commitment to dismantle the terror groups." He said Israel would insist on implementing the "road map" peace plan, which requires the Palestinians to stop violence.
Emphasizing a part of the "road map" plan that has been largely ignored, Olmert said the Palestinians could have a state in Judea, Samaria and Gaza "even before the toughest issues are resolved," a reference to the second phase of the three-stage program, calling for creation of a state with interim borders. Palestinians have been cool to the idea up to now, and Sharon did not mention it.
Olmert said he is aware of pressure on Israel to consider another unilateral move if negotiations fail, but "we prefer an agreement." He went on, "if the participants do not keep their commitments, we will ensure the security and interests of the Israeli people by all methods," indicating that he does not rule out further unilateral withdrawals.
At the opening of his speech, he called the withdrawal from Gaza and part of the West Bank last summer "a turning point for the state of Israel."
Olmert said Israel favors creation of a "modern Palestinian state." Referring to Wednesday's election of a new Palestinian parliament, Olmert hoped the Palestinians would not "choose again the extremists who have led them from tragedy to tragedy and to sorrowful lives."
He called Wednesday's vote "an historic opportunity for the Palestinians to take a giant step" toward realizing their goal of independence and expressed hope that the balloting results "will allow progress with the elected government, headed by (Palestinian leader) Mahmoud Abbas, in the direction of an agreement."
Reacting to Olmert's speech, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said "he knows that he has a (negotiating) partner, and I urge him to abandon the path of unilateralism and reach the end game with us. That is what most Israelis really want."
Olmert had tough words for Jewish settlers who have set up unauthorized outposts in Judea, defying Israeli authorities.
"The government of Israel will not be deterred by a minority of hooligans," he said.
The main Jewish settlement organization in Israel, the Settlers' Council, hotly rejected Olmert's speech, calling it anti-Semitic and lamenting in a statement that "now the settlers are the source of all Israel's troubles."
Olmert became acting prime minister after Sharon suffered a debilitating stroke on Jan. 4. Olmert is running at the head of Kadima, the party Sharon created after leaving the hard-line Likud, in March 28 elections and is favored to win. Sharon has yet to regain consciousness after the stroke.
Olmert, Sharon's closest political ally, ended his speech by wishing Sharon well.
"I send my wishes for the recovery of the man who over the past five years has brought us to reality," Olmert said. "I hope that soon we will be able to tell him, 'We walked in your path."'
The AP contributed to this report.
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