ISRAEL TO CARRY OUT LARGE-SCALE WITHDRAWAL FROM WEST BANK AFTER GAZA "DISENGAGEMENT"

Olmert unveils 'Disengagement 2' plan to 'Post' By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
Israel will need to carry out a large-scale withdrawal from the West Bank after next year's initial disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria, whether or not a viable peace partner emerges on the Palestinian side, Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Ehud Olmert said Wednesday.

"There is no option of sitting and doing nothing. Israel's interest requires a disengagement on a wider scale than what will happen as part of the current disengagement plan," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post.

He declined to describe the extent of a second "disengagement plan" but said that it offers the only clear and realistic alternative to a massive pullback from all the territories as a result of the internationally backed road-map peace plan and could become a useful solution to a future impasse in negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

HOW LONG WILL ISRAEL MAKE CONCESSIONS WITHOUT GETTING ANYTHING IN RETURN? HOW LONG WILL ISRAEL NEGOTIATE AGAINST ITSELF?

SEE ALSO: Sharon Rejects Call for Wider West Bank Withdrawal - Etgar Lefkovits
The Prime Minister's Office Thursday published a statement rejecting remarks by deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert that Israel will need to carry out a large-scale withdrawal from the West Bank after the disengagement from Gaza. The Prime Minister's statement said there would be no further disengagement after the Gaza pullout, and that there was no plan for a further disengagement.

Olmert had also said it was far from certain that PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is expected to win the Jan. 9 election for the PA chairmanship, will become a workable peace partner since his hard-core stance on major negotiating issues, such as final borders, Jerusalem, and refugees, may make it impossible to reach a deal with him. Olmert noted that Abbas has not yet proved that he has the ability to struggle effectively against terror or to build a democratic infrastructure for PA institutions. (Jerusalem Post)

THIS TRANSPARENT TRIAL BALLOONING INSULTS MY INTELLIGENCE, AND YOURS TOO.