Kadima Tells Likud: Withdrawals Will Be Made By 2008

Arutz 7 ^ | Apr 09, '06 | Staff

[Nachum]

Kadima party officials told the Likud’s coalition negotiating team that Kadima plans to implement its “convergence plan” to uproot dozens of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria by 2008.

Kadima negotiators said the withdrawals would be made prior to the next U.S. presidential election in November 2008.

After the meeting between the two teams which took place in Ramat Gan’s Maccabiah Olympic village, former Education Minister, MK Limor Livnat (Likud) concluded, “the chance that we’ll be joining the coalition is very, very unlikely.”

Kadima negotiators also told their Likud counterparts that Kadima would oppose holding a national referendum on carrying out the convergence plan.

Regarding the issue of obtaining international recognition for Israel’s borders after the convergence plan, Kadima representatives stressed that the party would look to obtain international approval for implementing the plan, but not for determining Israel’s new borders.

On economic and social issues, Livnat said that “Kadima faces a difficult task forming a coalition mainly around economic and social causes.” She estimated that such coalition demands will cost over ten billion shekels ($2.16 billion).

Another Likud MK, Gidon Sa’ar summed up the meeting: “There was a good, sincere atmosphere. We agreed on a number of issues, but on the central issue, of the [convergence] plan, the gaps between the sides got much wider. We received clarifications that international approval is not required for permanent borders, but only for implementing the plan itself.”

Sa’ar said he would report back to the party’s MK’s who would decide whether there was a basis for further discussions with Kadima.

Livnat added that the “timetable” for implementing the convergence plan was “extremely short.” “Olmert’s intention is to make a quick move and use the coalition’s majority in the Knesset for the purpose of approving his plan,” she said.

[anotherview]

You have to love the bias on both sides. Arutz Sheva calls it a plan "to uproot Jewish settlements" while the anti-Israel plan calls it "annexation of Jewish colonies". Reality (all hype aside) is that it is a combination of withdrawal from the bulk of Judea and Samaria where the Palestinians live, the strengthening of settlements where about 90% of the settlers live, and the annexation of major settlement blocs and strategic areas in Judea and Samaria.

Of course, I don't expect you and the rest of the not one inch crowd to mention annexation, as important as that is.

[Nachum]

Bias? One man's ceiling, is another man's floor.

It is also reality is that this bunch has been trying to give back Judea and Samaria from the first day it was taken in war. The idea of "strengthening the settlements" is the latest propaganda to make Judea and Samaria Judenrein. This leadership is tenuous and is likely to fail in less than 2 years so they are making all sorts of pronouncements about what they want to do, regardless of the support they have for it. Their time is short and they know it.

The Arabs' appetites for destruction are only whetted with every withdrawal and even if VoldOmert is successful in ruining another 25,000 Jews' lives, it will only provide another place for the Arabs to fire Katyushas from.