Israeli Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he would be
swift to draw Israel's border in the West Bank, local newspaper the
Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.
According to the Post, Olmert sent out strong signals at Sunday'
s cabinet meeting that he was serious when he said before a March
election that he wouldn't "wait forever" for the Palestinians.
Before the March 28 election, Olmert said that his so-called
"convergence plan" would be implemented if, after a "reasonable
period of time" it became clear there was no partner on the
Palestinian side.
He said at Sunday's meeting that it was already clear there was
no Palestinian partner, the Post reported.
Olmert was quoted by the Post as saying that following Hamas's
justification of last week's suicide attack in Tel Aviv, it was
important "that the diplomatic community, foreign ministries and
government ministries around the world absorb the fact that there
is no partner here with whom it is possible to talk."
On April 17, a suicide bombing attack hit the old central bus
station in southern Tel Aviv, killing nine civilians and wounding
dozens of others.
The Hamas government, without condemning the attack, called it
"an act of self-defense."
Olmert has repeatedly voiced that Israel will not deal with a
Hamas-led Palestinian government if it rejects to recognize Israel,
renounces violence and accepts previous peace agreements.
The prime minister-designate is expected to form a coalition
government with some other parties since his centrist Kadima party,
which won the most 29 seats in the next Knesset (parliament), is
still short of a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
Olmert vowed before the election to set Israel's final borders
by 2010 and the new government would be based on his so-called
"convergence plan," under which Israel would withdraw isolated
settlements in the West Bank but keep bigger ones.
(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2006)
