Olmert Talks About Israel Giving Up Most of West Bank
Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said recently in an interview that Israel will need to give up Arab East Jerusalem and nearly all of the West Bank. He did say Syrians and Palestinians will have to step up to the plate as well for there to be a peace agreement between the two countries.
"What I'm telling you now has never been said by an Israeli leader before me," Olmert told journalists from Yediot Aharonot, the country's largest newspaper, in a lengthy pre-Rosh Hashana interview.
Technically, he's right; no previous Israeli premier ever publicly stated his willingness to sign peace treaties that gave the Palestinians "almost all...if not all" of the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, as well as the entire Golan Heights to Syria.
Yet, dramatic as his remarks sounded, there's probably less to them than meets the eye.
For one thing, Olmert can't make good on his bold words because he has resigned (because of the corruption investigations against him), and will soon be replaced in a government reshuffle or elections.
A New York Timeseditorials calls Olmert's statements belated truths. Olmert can do little to act on his words as he is essentially a lame duck. He has already announced that he will be stepping down as you can see in the video below.
