Olmert said in a Kadima meeting on Sunday that "the fact is that the illegal outposts are still there despite the fact that the last two governments have tried to remove them - the situation is ridiculous.
"We cannot continue to say that the Road Map is a strategic Israeli asset and not implement what is required of us according (to the plan)," he said.
Het komt niet zo vaak voor dat een premier openlijk toegeeft dat zijn beleid 'ridiculous' is, en ondanks de ontwapenende eerlijkheid is het natuurlijk een genante vertoning. De premier, de machtigste man van het land, heft moedeloos de handen ten hemel, en zegt: 'het is belachelijk dat het ons maar niet wil lukken die paar buitenposten te ontruimen.' Niet echt een manier om vertrouwen en daadkracht uit te stralen. Ik zou zeggen: doe er wat aan. Maar het vreemde is, dat Olmert plannen van minister van defensie Barak om buitenposten te ontruimen meermaals heeft afgewezen:
Officials close to the defense minister claim that Barak has presented a plan for outpost removal on two recent occasions: before the Annapolis peace summit and before the recent Bush visit. On both occasions, Olmert refused to put them in place.
Tegelijkertijd beschuldigt Barak Olmert ervan te snel te willen ontruimen:
"The thinking that allows for the evacuation of outposts without first exhausting all other means is a type of recklessness that Olmert adopted during the (Second) Lebanon War and the evacuation of Amona," officials close to Barak told Ynet on Sunday evening.
Het is niet de eerste keer dat persoonlijke vetes, te grote ego's en/of electorale overwegingen een voortvarende besluitvorming en handelen in de weg staan. De kolonisten maken daar ongetwijfeld maximaal gebruik van, onder andere door deals voor te stellen die Olmert meent niet te kunnen verkopen maar volgens Barak wellicht toch te prefereren zijn boven een gewelddadige ontruiming zoals twee jaar geleden gebeurde in Amona. Het feit dat Israël heeft beloofd om de buitenposten te verwijderen (en niet uit te ruilen tegen uitbreiding van nederzettingen elders) speelt als puntje bij paaltje komt in de overwegingen een ondergeschikte rol, de openhartige uitspraken van Olmert ten spijt.
Ratna
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Olmert suffers from recklessness, says Barak
Defense minister slams prime minister's remarks over delay in outpost evacuation. 'The thinking that allows for the evacuation of outposts without first exhausting all other means is a type of recklessness that Olmert adopted during the Second Lebanon War and the evacuation of Amona,' aides to Barak say
Roni Sofer
Defense Minister Ehud Barak had some harsh words for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday following accusations the latter made regarding the delay in the eviction of West Bank settlers in illegal outposts.
"The thinking that allows for the evacuation of outposts without first exhausting all other means is a type of recklessness that Olmert adopted during the (Second) Lebanon War and the evacuation of Amona," officials close to Barak told Ynet on Sunday evening.
Barak, who is actually responsible for removing the outposts, was furious following an editorial published in Yedioth Ahronoth over the weekend that accused him of not being truthful with regards to the outpost removal process.
"This time he sent his adviser on settlement issues Eitan Broshi, to a (take part in a) marathon of secret discussions with (settlement leader Ze'ev Chever) Zambish and the result was similar.
"In exchange for the removal of a few outposts, Zambish requested approval for the construction of 80 in the Har Eybel outpost, 52 apartments in Elkana instead of 52 illegal pre-fabricated buildings and more," the editorial's author Nahum Barnea wrote.
Barnea also mentioned that Prime Minister Olmert refused to approve an agreement being worked out because he was afraid the agreement would make him look like a liar in the eyes of the Palestinian and - more importantly - US President George Bush.
Barak is convinced that the information was leaked by someone close to Olmert and that is what most like led him to respond.
Olmert said in a Kadima meeting on Sunday that "the fact is that the illegal outposts are still there despite the fact that the last two governments have tried to remove them - the situation is ridiculous.
"We cannot continue to say that the Road Map is a strategic Israeli asset and not implement what is required of us according (to the plan)," he said.
Barak: We must remain united
The defense minister's associates said that there was no question that the outposts must be evacuated and they will be in due time. Officials close to the defense minister claim that Barak has presented a plan for outpost removal on two recent occasions: before the Annapolis peace summit and before the recent Bush visit. On both occasions, Olmert refused to put them in place.
Barak's people are angry that the prime minister is talking about removing Migron as a gesture to President Bush and the Palestinians.
"At the end of the day, we're one people and one society and we must exhaust all the options before an evacuation. Migron was also included in one of the plans presented to Olmert. The defense minister is acting carefully in order to carry out a rational evacuation without using force. If and when force will have to be used, we will use it decisively."
Officials at the Prime Minister's Office responded by saying, "We can only apologize for things that appear to be presented as a personal disagreement between the prime minister and the defense minister. It is unclear to us why Minister Barak so quickly took upon himself the responsibility of outpost removal."
Officials close to Olmert told Ynet that "during Amir Peretz's tenure as defense minister, negotiations were begun with settlers for evacuation of illegal outposts.
"The negotiations continued for a year and a half. The prime minister supported them the entire way and said it was preferable to evacuate outposts through discussions rather than through the use of horses."
First Published: 01.13.08, 20:57
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