(Jpost).Former prime minister Ehud Olmert denounced the focus of the US administration on Israel's West Bank settlement construction, saying that Americans must return their attention to negotiations in order to work towards peace.In an Op-Ed titled 'How to Achieve Lasting Peace' published in the Washington Post on Friday, Olmert said that "the issue of settlement construction commands the agenda between the United States and Israel."
Calling the emphasis on settlements "a mistake," Olmert warned that not only does it not contribute to the peace process or relations with Arab states, but that it "has the potential to greatly shake US-Israeli relations."
While Olmert admitted that "settlements are a known issue of contention between Israel and the United States," he went on to describe understandings reached between the two states over the issue. He cited in detail agreements reached by former prime minister Ariel Sharon that include the prohibition of building new settlements or the provision of new land for construction, as well as the limitation of construction to certain building lines and the dismantling of "unauthorized outposts built after March 2001."
Olmert insisted that persistence to reach a complete freeze to construction was both "impossible to completely enforce" and "will not promote Palestinian efforts to enhance security measures; the institution building that is so crucial for the development of a Palestinian state; better movement and access to the Palestinians; nor an improved economy in the West Bank. Nor will it weaken the Hamas government in Gaza.
"It will not bring greater security to Israel, help improve Israel's relations with the Arab world, strengthen a coalition of moderate Arab states or shift the strategic balance in the Middle East," Olmert continued.
"Only a political process that demands courageous decisions from leaders on both sides will bring a solution to the issue of settlements," he said.
Moreover, Olmert placed blame on the Palestinian leadership for refusing to accept his proposal that offered "a solution to all outstanding issues: territorial compromise, security arrangements, Jerusalem and refugees.
"It would be worth exploring the reasons that the Palestinians rejected my offer and preferred, instead, to drag their feet, avoiding real decisions. My proposal would have helped realize the "two-state solution" in accordance with the principles of the US administration, the Israeli government I led and the criteria the Palestinian leadership has followed throughout the years… I believe it is crucial to review the lessons from the Palestinians' rejection of such an offer."
"Settlement construction should be taken off the public agenda and moved to a discrete dialogue, as in the past," Olmert urged.
Read full article in Washington Post