GAZA CITY: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said that the government must start preparing now for the evacuation of settlers from the West Bank, Haaretz daily newspaper reported yesterday. “Since it is possible we will need to make decisions in the future that will involve the evacuation of residents, we should prepare for this now and think about its consequences, especially while peace negotiations are being held,” Olmert was quoted as saying.
But Israel’s government postponed discussion of the landmark legislation that would pay Jewish settlers to leave their homes in the West Bank, but said it will take up the matter next week.
At the opening of the meeting yesterday, Olmert told his Cabinet that Israel would likely have to uproot West Bank settlers as part of a future peace agreement. 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.
Olmert added that the Israeli government must start planning ahead in order to avoid suffering on the part of evacuated settlers. The government was often criticized about insufficient preparations during the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip’s settlements in Sept. 2005. He said, “Over the last two years, they charged us with not having prepared in an appropriate fashion (which) 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 way.”
Olmert raised the matter despite the strong opposition of a number of ministers. The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported yesterday that each family that agrees to leave its house immediately as part of an evacuation-compensation plan in the West Bank would receive 1 million shekels ($278,164). The plan refers to 61,800 settlers living in 72 isolated settlements east of the separation wall.
Meanwhile, Israeli police are deciding whether to recommend that Olmert be charged in several different cases of suspected graft, police said.
