Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview published by The Wall Street Journal that he will seek US and international support for his plan for a massive Israeli pullout from the West Bank.
Olmert said a meeting with US President George W. Bush next month in Washington would kick off his drive to secure international help, including financial support, for the pullout of some 70,000 Jewish settlers from their homes in the West Bank.
He said he expects to begin drawing up his so-called convergence plan after coalition negotiations in Israel conclude in about two weeks and to finalize it within the next 18 months.
He said he did not plan a national referendum or other vote to seek legitimacy for the pullout, adding that last month's elections giving his Kadima the biggest slice of the Israeli parliament, proved that a majority of Israelis shared his vision.
The plan's aim, Olmert told the economic daily, was to establish permanent, internationally recognized borders that will ensure Israel retains its Jewish majority for decades to come.
Olmert said he expected to carry out his plan without Palestinian input, but that it will nevertheless help create conditions that could ultimately lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state and a negotiated peace.
The pullout plan -- under which Israel would retain large blocs housing the vast majority of the 250,000 Jewish settler population -- is the only alternative to continued fighting, he said, calling for it to be given broad international support.
Physical separation from the Palestinians will reduce daily friction and violence, he explained, and leave Palestinians with territory that could become a viable state.
‘The State of Israel will change the face of the region. I will not miss this opportunity,’ Olmert said.
He said he was watching closely to see if the Hamas-led Palestinian government moderates its view toward Israel. If not, he added, Israel will act unilaterally.
‘I can't wait forever,’ Olmert said.
On the contentious issue of Jerusalem, Olmert ruled out sharing political control of the city and its main holy sites with a future Palestinian state, but left open the possibility that some surrounding Arab neighborhoods could eventually fall under Palestinian sovereignty.
‘Dividing Jerusalem will not bring peace, only more fighting,’ he told The Wall Street Journal in his Jerusalem office.