Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, gave the Palestinian Government a period that has a maximum time limit of six months to respond to his conditions for the resumption of peace talks or else he will start carrying unilateral moves.
Israeli Newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Wednesday that Olmert said that he will wait for a period of one, three months, or even six months, and then if “he does not notice that the Hamas-led government is changing its positions, he will go ahead with unilateral withdrawals without any talks with the Palestinians.
The statements of Olmert came during a meeting with heads of municipalities from several parts of the World. The meeting was conducted on Tuesday evening in West Jerusalem.
Olmert said that Israel will not hold talks with the Palestinian government headed by Hamas until it recognizes Israel, recognizes the signed agreements, and “renounces violence”.
“We will draw our borders unilaterally, if they do not meet our conditions”, Olmert added, “if after six months we find out that there is no Palestinian partner in the peace talks, we will go ahead with unilateral moves”.
Also, Israeli Minister of Justice Haim Ramon said that the Israeli government will draw Israel’s borders after gathering the international support for its unilateral moves.
Olmert is currently preparing to visit the United States to meet President George Bush and other American officials to gather support for Israel’s convergence plan in the occupied West Bank.
Olmert will need a strong majority in order to press ahead with his plan to evacuate isolated settlements in parts of the West Bank while strengthening major enclaves and huge settlements blocs in other sections of the territory in the absence of peacemaking with the Palestinians.
Olmert has said he would wait, but not for long, for the Palestinian Authority government led Hamas to show whether it will moderate its position calling for Israel’s destruction and become a peace partner.
Hamas’ official position is not recognizing Israel while it is still occupying the Palestinian people, isolating them and carrying daily invasions causing huge casualties among the residents.
