Israel ready to establish 'permanent' borders by 2010, says Olmert

Ehud Olmert

JERUSALEM - Israel is ready to embark on a unilateral annexation of sections of the West Bank as well as withdrawing from others to establish "permanent" borders by the year 2010, the Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert indicated yesterday.

Mr Olmert again went further than Ariel Sharon, now critically ill in hospital, in making clear that he would instigate further significant withdrawals from occupied Palestinian territory if he wins the election this month.

But he also promised that Israel would go ahead with its planned expansion of the biggest West Bank settlement Ma'ale Adumim along the so called "E1" corridor towards Jerusalem-a policy frowned upon by the United States as well as the rest of the international community.

The settlement block is among those Israel is determined will remain within its borders, however they are finally drawn.

Mr Olmert told the Jerusalem Post that he had no plans to meet the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas after the election, saying: "There can only be a reason for a meeting if it serves a political purpose. If the government is a Hamas one, what political purpose can it serve?"

The Acting Prime Minister, whose Sharon-founded Kadima party remains firm favourite to come first in the March 28 election, said that if won he would initially wait to see whether the newly empowered Hamas would recognise Israel, disavow terrorism and disarm, accept previous PA-Israel agreements and act according to the guidelines of the road map.

"We will wait, but I don't intend to wait forever," he said. "If after a reasonable time passes it becomes clear that the PA is not willing to accept these principles, we will need to begin to act."

Mr Olmert, who repeated his pledge to resume construction on E1 in a separate interview with Haaretz, declared: "It is inconceivable that we should speak of Ma'ale Adumim as a part of the State of Israel, while leaving it as an island or an isolated enclave ... In my view, there is an absolute consensus in Israel on this issue."

Government officials yesterday explained that Mr Olmert's heavy emphasis on E1 construction-which Mr Olmert himself admitted last year had been halted because of US opposition-was a direct and politically necessary response to Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Likud leader has repeatedly used the construction freeze to claim that Kadima is not doing enough to separate Jerusalem from the West Bank and strengthen the major settlement blocks.

In the interview which will appear in its entirety in the Post, Mr Olmert would only say that the new borders would include Gush Etzion, the "Jerusalem envelope" [of West Bank settlements bordering the capital] Ma'ale Adumim, the "Ariel region" and the "Jordan River as a security border"- all in the West Bank.

He pointedly refused, however, to endorse remarks by his prominent Kadima colleague, the former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter, who said last Saturday that the annexation would also include a series of other major settlement clusters, including those in and around Hebron.

Giving a timetable for the first time, Mr Olmert said he intended within four years to "get to Israel's permanent borders, whereby we will completely separate from the majority of the Palestinian population and preserve a large and stable Jewish majority in Israel." Mr Olmert said the 450-mile separation barrier would become the border, sections of it being moved eastwards or westwards as necessary.

Saeb Erekat, who heads the Palestinian negotiating team, declared yesterday: "We invite Mr Olmert to resume negotiations with us. Unilateralism will create problems rather than solving them." Mr Erekat said that borders could only be fixed by "permanent status" negotiations.

Mr Erekat, a long-standing Fatah politician, said: "Hamas does not want to negotiate with Israel. Unilateralism will not hurt Hamas." Mr Erekat's remarks were in lines with ones issued today by the office of Mr Abbas saying: "Security for both Palestinians and Israelis will only come through an agreed peace.

Israeli unilateralism is destroying the two-state solution while disenfranchising millions of Israelis and Palestinians who want a negotiated agreement now." Mr Olmert's reluctance to meet Mr Abbas after the elections was also challenged by the Israeli Labour leader Amir Peretz "Getting credit is not important, only Israel's interest to find a way to bypass Hamas is of importance," Mr Peretz said.

"That is why I hope that Olmert will revoke his ban on meeting Abu Mazen and allow [Shimon] Peres to meet with him."

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