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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, U.S. President George Bush and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at November's Annapolis summit (Reuters)
Last update - 09:01 03/01/2008
Jerusalem seeks Bush okay for IDF free hand in West Bank
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: West Bank, George W. Bush 

Israel is seeking to reach an understanding with the U.S. administration that would safeguard Israel's security interests in a future final-status agreement with the Palestinians and during current negotiations, government sources have said.

The sources also said Israel is seeking President George W. Bush's support for its security demands so that such understandings can serve as a basis for the work of the American special security envoy General James Jones, who has been tasked with formulating the security arrangements for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to discuss these security issues with Bush during the president's visit here next week.
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At the heart of Israel's demands is that it remain free to act against terror in the West Bank for as long as negotiations last, and that demilitarization arrangements place limitations on the future Palestinian state.

Discussions with administration officials on this issue began even before the Annapolis summit, during the visit of the Israeli delegation to Washington.

Wednesday Olmert called a meeting ahead of the Bush visit with Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. Barak presented the security demands in detail and Livni discussed the importance of demilitarizing the areas that Israel would evacuate in the future.

Israel wants to maintain effective military superiority in the territories during the talks, and ensure that it has the freedom to act against terror organizations in Gaza. "It is inconceivable that we would be prevented from continuing the extraordinary achievement against terror in the West Bank," a source said.

"In the previous year no Israeli was killed within the Green Line from an attack that came from the West Bank. In the West Bank, four people were killed. In the South, it is true that quiet has not yet returned to Sderot, but we are carrying out an effective and focused offensive there. Hundreds of terrorists were killed last year."

Israel would like the U.S. to agree to a number of limitations on the future Palestinian state's sovereignty. Israel wants Palestine to be completely demilitarized, and for Israel to be able to fly over Palestinian air space. Border crossings would be monitored by Israel in such a way that the symbols of Palestinian sovereignty would not be compromised, but Israel would know who was coming and going.

Israel is to propose the deployment of an international force in the West Bank and along the Philadelphi Route in Rafah, and would ask that a permanent Israel Defense Forces presence remain for an extended period in the Jordan Valley.

Jordan Valley 'tripwire force'

According to Israel's plan, a small Israeli force would be stationed in the Jordan Valley as a "tripwire force" that would act as a deterrent. Israel would also demand Palestinian agreement that in the case of an emergency Israel could deploy in essential areas of the West Bank to thwart a threat of invasion from the East.

Such a deployment would only take place under extreme circumstances, but including it in the agreement would ensure that the Palestinians would not object if the time came when it was needed.

Under ordinary circumstances the West Bank would be completely demilitarized, with only internal Palestinian security forces on duty.

The Barak government reached agreement with the Clinton administration on a number of security issues with regard to a future accord with the Palestinians. However, monitoring border crossings and a long-term IDF presence in the Jordan Valley was not among them. The Palestinians vehemently opposed the security steps Israel wanted, such as the emergency IDF deployment in the West Bank, which they saw as damaging to their independence and sovereignty.

Israel now seeks to reopen the discussion in the hope that Bush will support its demands.

According to government and security sources, "in most of the issues involving the agreement with the Palestinians, Israel is the one being asked to give tangible things. The only area in which we have real demands from the Palestinians is that of security arrangements. Therefore it is important that the talks have the proper outline so that Israel can insist on its security demands and the Palestinians will not dilute them."

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      1.   in other words olmert does not intend to give up occupation 02:59  |  muslim 03/01/08
      2.   J`lem seeks Bush okay for IDF free hand in W. Bank 03:18  |  Des Carroll 03/01/08
      3.   complete nonsense 03:26  |  tadchase 03/01/08
      4.   No Palestinians State in State of Israel 03:30  |  e.m 03/01/08
      5.   HELL NO TO THIS CRAPPY OFFER 03:35  |  Mohammed 03/01/08
      6.   This has to be a joke.. 03:37  |  al 03/01/08
      7.   The Finish Arrangement 04:00  |  Shmuelshachor 03/01/08
      8.   What exactly is a "free-hand"? 04:07  |  Marlene N. 03/01/08
      9.   What is "giving up tangible things" 04:10  |  Marlene N. 03/01/08
      10.   Doesn`t Sound like Sovereignty 04:18  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/01/08
      11.   we all know what will happen if pals 04:22  |  rich 03/01/08
      12.   muslim#1 04:25  |  alex 03/01/08
      13.   Sanctioned State Terrorism? Err, Nope. Don`t think so... 04:26  |  POP 03/01/08
      14.   Now the truth comes out 04:36  |  Steve Beikirch 03/01/08
      15.   Looking more like Apartheid every day... 04:37  |  peacelover 03/01/08
      16.   Siani Example 04:45  |  Fred Locke 03/01/08
      17.   This insanity "hopes" for indifensible borders. There is peace... 05:08  |  David 03/01/08
      18.   Banana Republic 05:08  |  Cry 03/01/08
      19.   "PALESTINE" IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL IS A CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY 05:29  |  20x20 03/01/08
      20.   There is No Such Thing as Limited Sovreignity 05:34  |  Straight Talk 03/01/08
      21.   Moslem_ In Other Words, We Will Give You Everything 05:46  |  Eli 03/01/08
      22.   Muslim- maybe a chicken and egg situation 05:51  |  Stephen in New York 03/01/08
      23.   The day the Pals are willing to give up their guns... 06:00  |  Avi 03/01/08
      24.   NOT GOOD ENOUGH: When It Comes To Threats For The PALESTINIANS! 06:00  |  Proud Pal Defender 03/01/08
      25.   Olmert Gov`t Undermines Israel Sovereignty , Nature and Existence 06:08  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      26.   1 Muslim, are you Palestinian or Anti-Palestinian? 06:10  |  I 03/01/08
      27.   us permission 06:11  |  marcel 03/01/08
      28.   No Political Considerations Shall be Construed to Convert and Und 06:13  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      29.   Bush: imagine Mex border just a few km outside of Crawford,Texas 06:18  |  all of Israel 03/01/08
      30.   Palestinians would be smart to have demilitarized state, like 06:32  |  Smadar 03/01/08
      31.   Smoke And Mirrors, Deception - To Maintain The Status Quo 06:33  |  chet 03/01/08
      32.   muslim 06:36  |  Edifice 03/01/08
      33.   "Peace" is not possible at the moment 06:37  |  Natallie Durson 03/01/08
      34.   Olmerts "supports a palestinian state" 06:39  |  Michael N 03/01/08
      35.   Israel wants it all 06:51  |  rm 03/01/08
      36.   Doesn`t Sound like Sovereignty - 2nd Try 06:52  |  Mark of Lewiston 03/01/08
      37.   Olmert Is An Absolute Loser. 07:09  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      38.   in other words no change at all 07:13  |  Kris 03/01/08
      39.   Gee, Natalie 07:14  |  Jeremy 03/01/08
      40.   A good deal 07:17  |  madprof 03/01/08
      41.   #1 Muslim, let`s not talk international law! 07:18  |  Denton 03/01/08
      42.   # 3 be sure that the swiss has and has had 07:27  |  Kris 03/01/08
      43.   # 5 Israel does not intend to give up 07:33  |  Kris 03/01/08
      44.   stop crying and start living 07:44  |  Palesraeli 03/01/08
      45.   This is similar to Benny Elon`s plan 07:49  |  redmike 03/01/08
      46.   thats right natalie . . . 07:54  |  hebro 03/01/08
      47.   Today as in the Past 08:04  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      48.   43kris crosses the great divide on reality 08:19  |  victor hardman 03/01/08
      49.   2 Des Carroll @ Sutton Grange / Victoria, Australia 08:22  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      50.   No more of half ass stuff from Israel 08:26  |  Dutch 03/01/08
      51.   A vital condition 08:27  |  Sam 03/01/08
      52.   I`m Totally Against Any Form of Pal State Fabrication 08:35  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      53.   no need for troops in this modern age of electronic monitoring 08:43  |  Pablo B 03/01/08
      54.   The Next "final" Staus deaL 08:49  |  ANNOYED AMERICAN 03/01/08
      55.   Homes, land are no longer "tangible things"?? 08:52  |  Pablo B 03/01/08
      56.   Bush, imagine US is occupied by Mexico 08:58  |  Pablo B 03/01/08
      57.   Why, we`ve already got the blueprints! 08:59  |  Colin Wright 03/01/08
      58.   # 33 Natallie Durson @ Los Angeles / CA 08:59  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      59.   Also, another problem... 09:00  |  Colin Wright 03/01/08
      60.   Another South Africa 09:21  |  MB 03/01/08
      61.   We promised them a state but we didnt promise to keep our promise 09:57  |  Chalanau, Tova 03/01/08
      62.   Pretty, pretty pleases coming from Israeli brown-nosers 10:05  |  Clickfool 03/01/08
      63.   I said it before; one-state for all is the solution. 10:08  |  Mohamed the Genuine 03/01/08
      64.   Nice photo of three plonkers 10:09  |  Clickfool 03/01/08
      65.   Some day... 10:16  |  Colin Wright 03/01/08
      66.   ONLY SOLUTION: GAZA UNDER EGYPT; PARTS OF W.BANK LINKED TO JORDAN 10:16  |  G. Marcus 03/01/08
      67.   # 33 Natallie Durson @ Los Angeles / CA 10:27  |  Joseph E . 03/01/08
      68.   Building the eastern wall of the 2 West Bank ghettos 10:47  |  Clickfool 03/01/08
      69.   The Most Secured Region In Israel is The Golan , 10:54  |  Joseph E .