Olmert: Borders Set By 2010

by Jeremy Last - Thursday 16th March 2006


Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has given his clearest indication since the start of the election campaign that he plans to continue Ariel Sharon’s policy of disengagement.

In interviews published in each of the major national newspapers, the current Israeli leader stated that he intends to “set Israel’s permanent borders” by 2010, if his Kadima party wins the 28 March poll.

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Although he refused to state exactly where these borders would be, Olmert said: “first we will complete the security fence and make it compatible with the permanent border that will be determined.”

He added: “I don’t want to commit [to a time frame]. It will be a reasonable amount of time, but within the next four years.”

When Kadima was first launched by Sharon in November last year, the Prime Minister provided scant information as to what the party’s specific policies would actually be.

Before his hospitalisation on 4 January, which lead to Olmert taking leadership of Kadima, Sharon did not confirm or deny whether he would be repeating the disengagement plan in the West Bank, after the withdrawal from Gaza last summer attracted widespread praise amongst the international community.

Olmert added that he has no qualms about building the controversial E1 housing block between Jerusalem and Maaleh Adumim, despite opposition from the Americans as well as the rest of the international community.

And, on Monday, just a few days after the announcement, building began on a police station within the E1 area.

The plans received widespread opposition from Arab politicians, who believe unilateral action is a method for Israel to take control of Arab land.
And opposition MKs also criticised the proposals, with Labour leader Amir Peretz saying he believed unilateral steps would be "a very serious mistake”.

However, analysts have claimed the proposals did not come as a complete surprise, and are likely to be welcomed by the majority of Israelis.

Professor Gerald Steinberg, who heads the conflict management and negotiation programme at Bar Ilan University, told TJ: “This is significant but I think it is an extension of what was already discussed and reflects the widely held consensus within Israeli society.”

Steinberg added that although the plans for a pullout from the West Bank will be welcomed, the discussion over the exact placing of the borders will be controversial.

Commenting on Arab opposition, Steinberg said: “The Palestinians will of course protest but they have never come up with a reasonable alternative. Unless they stop the violence this is what is likely to happen and probably in that time frame.”

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