Israel & the Palestinians

Ehud Olmert, acting Israeli Prime Minister

Ehud Olmert, acting Israeli Prime Minister, has announced that he plans to evacuate up to 17 illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank if the Kadima Party wins the general election on March 28th.

The policy has been confirmed by Avi Dichter, a Kadima party member and former head of the Israeli internal security agency Shin Bet. He told Israeli radio yesterday:

"It will be only a civilian disengagement, not a military disengagement. In the abscence of a Palestinian partner, Israel will have to determine its final borders by itself, and that will involve the consolidation of smaller settlements into settlement blocs."

As predicted, Israel's stance towards the Palestinians has not changed since the victory of Hamas in the elections last month. The Jewish State has refused to negotiate with the new Palestinian leaders, just as it did with Arafat, and will continue to act unilaterally.

The planned evacuation of these settlements, for which Olmert seeks international support, will consolidate the larger ones in the West Bank, including those in Jerusalem. The status of Jerusalem, which Israel regards as it's capital, is crucial to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The settlements which Olmert plans to evacuate are home to less than 17,000 of the 250,000 illegal Jewish settlers in the West Bank. Those residents, many of whom are Jewish extremists, will be transferred to larger existing West Bank settlements, situated in four large areas of the occupied West Bank which Israel plans to keep. Palestinians justifiably believe that this move would cripple the chances of a Palestinian state.