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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Daniel Bar-On)
Last update - 16:29 07/09/2008
Olmert: We must prepare now for the evacuation of West Bank settlers
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Ehud Olmert 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the government must begin preparing at once for the evacuation of settlers from the West Bank.

At the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Olmert said that Israel would likely have to uproot West Bank settlers as part of a future peace agreement with the Palestinians.

In light of Israel's continuing peace talks with the Palestinians, he added, it would be proper to think about providing cash incentives for settlers to leave voluntarily.
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Olmert said it was important to learn from the mistakes of Israel's last evacuation of settlers - the 2005 pullout from the Gaza Strip - and it was important to plan ahead.

"Since it is possible we will need to make decisions in the future that will involve the evacuation of residents, we should already prepare for this now and think about its consequences, especially while serious [peace] negotiations are being held," said Olmert.

The prime minister made the comments at the beginning of a debate on Vice Premier Haim Ramon's evacuation-compensation bill at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. The bill would enable settlers who live beyond the security fence to receive financial compensation for relocating west of it.

Israel evicted 8,500 settlers from the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements in mid-2005. Many settlers refused to plan for or cooperate with the operation. But a government watchdog has accused the government of poorly planning for the settlers after their evacuation, most prominently by not doing enough to move them into permanent housing from temporary quarters.

Olmert added: "Over the last two years, they charged us with not having prepared in an appropriate fashion certain things connected to the disengagement that caused particular suffering to the [evacuated] residents - and now they are saying it's too early to talk about this, but it is still good to think about how to prepare in the right manner."

Olmert raised the matter for discussion despite the strong opposition of a number of ministers.

Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz condemned the bill last week at a meeting with activists in the ruling Kadima party.

"The bill weakens the position of Israel in all future negotiations and I will not lend my hand to it," said Mofaz, a frontrunner in this month's Kadima leadership battle. Israel and the Palestinian Authority are currently holding peace talks over the future of Israel's settlements in the West Bank, in addition to other issues such as Palestinian refugees and the Jerusalem.


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      1.   We must prepare to evacuate Olmert 11:06  |  Nora 07/09/08
      2.   What happens (with 99,99 % certainty) if an Israeli PM..... 11:12  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/09/08
      3.   The evacuation of Israel 11:17  |  chop-chop 07/09/08
      4.   We Will Continue To Grow At A Rate 3 Times That Of Israel 11:22  |  Yishai kohen 07/09/08
      5.   How unexciting 11:50  |  Natallie Durson 07/09/08
      6.   We must prepare now for evacuation of Kadima From Gov`t . 11:51  |  Joseph.E 07/09/08
      7.   Swiss #1... the problem is.... 12:01  |  Esther 07/09/08
      8.   Why Not Pay Olmert And Kadima People To Leave Israel? 12:02  |  Ben Israel 07/09/08
      9.   all very nice 12:13  |  rm 07/09/08
      10.   Get ready for the bi-national state 12:25  |  Danny 07/09/08
      11.   Olmert the ultimate hypocrite 12:45  |  J Robb 07/09/08
      12.   Irrelvant Olmert 12:49  |  George Kaplan 07/09/08
      13.   Olmert is living in denial 13:09  |  Observer 07/09/08
      14.   Danny - NEVER, NEVER, NEVER. 13:16  |  BF 07/09/08
      15.   wow...so crazy 13:18  |  ronnie 07/09/08
      16.   He Speaks as if There Was Even "Partial" Success in Disengagement 13:18  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 07/09/08
      17.   Weakening Israel 13:21  |  Shmuel 07/09/08
      18.   Hurricane Hanna May Increase Category Because Of Olmert Statement 13:33  |  Joseph.E 07/09/08
      19.   EVACUATION 14:09  |  MOSTAHEEL 07/09/08
      20.   Is there a Psycho Analyst around .....? 14:11  |  Dagma 07/09/08
      21.   Is Olmert still talking.....? 14:18  |  Natasha 07/09/08
      22.   # 7 Esther, what is the lesser "evil"....??? 14:23  |  Swiss (Dino) 07/09/08
      23.   Olmert Statement may increase the Category Level Of Hurricane Han 14:25  |  Joseph.E 07/09/08
      24.   Prepare to evacuate settlers? 14:26  |  Dr J P Newman 07/09/08
      25.   so much for the Samson Syndrome..... 14:38  |  PL 07/09/08
      26.   the best solution perhaps 14:47  |  amihai 07/09/08
      27.   Its too late 14:57  |  Mike 07/09/08
      28.   OLMERT OR ANYONE ELSE WOULD BE MISTAKEN TO DO THIS!! 14:58  |  David 07/09/08
      29.   I can`t find this in the Bible 15:05  |  lady from USA 07/09/08
      30.   Who is Olmert working for? 15:08  |  Palestinian 07/09/08
      31.   We could be nuked soon, and this is what our leader wants to do 15:09  |  Jimmy Dhimmi 07/09/08
      32.   olmert 15:14  |  yitz 07/09/08
      33.   Olmert and the Giving away of our Birthright 15:18  |  A.J. Myers 07/09/08
      34.   #20 Dagma. Nah... you don`t psychoanalysts. 15:34  |  Maureen Ann 07/09/08
      35.   Ben Israel (Post No. 8) 15:37  |  Johnny Weintraub 07/09/08
      36.   olmert must be prepared to resign now ! 15:41  |  trumpeldor 07/09/08
      37.   Olmert & Livni are twin leftist defeatist and are bad for Israel 15:54  |  ROB GOTTESMAN 07/09/08
      38.   OVER OUR DEAD BODIES! 15:57  |  JEWS OF THE WORLD 07/09/08
      39.   What a legacy! Sharon 16:01  |  Zvi 07/09/08
      40.   #31 Maureen Ann 16:14  |  H 07/09/08
      41.   believe it when we see it 16:24  |  curious george 07/09/08
      42.   West Bank....Israel....Saudi Arabia..Iran 16:25  |  Zoe 07/09/08
      43.   Olmert-No Mandate 16:36  |  Ron 07/09/08
      44.   EVACUATE OLMERT NOW! 16:41  |  Barry S Roffman 07/09/08
      45.   No evacuations, no more ethnic cleansing 16:41  |  Joe Frazier 07/09/08
      46.   We must prepare now for the evacuation 16:58  |  Achim Neuhoefer 07/09/08
      47.   DISENGAGE FROM THIS GOVERNEMNT NOW!!!! 17:00  |  Ben 07/09/08
      48.   amihai 17:12  |  lady from USA 07/09/08
      49.   Olmert speaks out of two sides of his mouth 17:15  |  Tzfonit 07/09/08
      50.   Yishai Kohen 17:19  |  lady from USA 07/09/08
      51.   OLMERT = VLADIMIR PUTIN 17:19  |  indrajaya 07/09/08
      52.   #27, mike: while there is life there is hope 17:22  |  AMIHAY 07/09/08
      53.   It is so insanly hillarious- half a million of jewish evacuees? 17:26  |  Sal 07/09/08
      54.   Apres Moi-Le Deluge 17:30  |  Steve 07/09/08
      55.   If it is reasonable for Bet El than it is reasonable everywhere 17:35  |  Shlomo 07/09/08
      56.   Palestinian part 1 17:38  |  pamela 07/09/08
      57.   Palestinian part 2 17:49  |  pamela 07/09/08
      58.   cowardice and despair 17:58  |  sick with pain 07/09/08
      59.   Refugees 17:58  |  Pamela 07/09/08
      60.   57, Palestine and Pamela 18:12  |  A1 07/09/08
      61.   West bank evacuation is a disaster 18:14  |  max Cohen 07/09/08
      62.   Zoe London 18:18  |  pamela 07/09/08
      63.   The Problem is the People of Israel 18:26  |  Jereme Scott 07/09/08
      64.   How to loose 3rd Lebanon War or any Other War 18:35  |  AlexanderZ 07/09/08
      65.   Olmert`s evacuation plan 18:38  |  Brod 07/09/08
      66.   Bravo for PM Olmert in initiating the incentives for settlers... 18:38  |  Smadar 07/09/08
      67.   Quid Pro Quo 18:41  |  Shimon Cleopas 07/09/08
      68.   Olmert is gone in 2 weeks 18:42  |  Arie 07/09/08
      69.   Quid Pro Quo 18:43  |  Shimon Cleopas 07/09/08
      70.   Barry S Roffman