RAMALLAH, 29 June 2007 — Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is planning to initiate the evacuation of illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank in the coming months, said Israeli political sources. “This year we will see the evacuation of outposts,” the sources said, and the appointment of Ehud Barak to the Defense Ministry will bolster Olmert’s ability to deal with this issue.
A short while after taking over from an ailing Ariel Sharon, Olmert ordered the evacuation of nine homes from the Amona outpost, built on private Palestinian land on a hilltop north of Ramallah, in January 2006. The evacuation turned into a violent clash between Israeli settlers and security forces, and the prime minister has since avoided evacuating any other outposts in the West Bank.
In another development, Israel rejected yesterday an offer made by deposed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh entailing the opening of crossings to the Gaza Strip if Hamas promised not to carry out military attacks there, Israel Radio reported. According to an Israeli defense official, the offer was not practical and Israel did not intend to strengthen the Hamas government in the Strip.
