Ehud Olmert’s “Convergence” Plan for the West Bank and U.S. Middle East Policy

[1] Karby Leggett, “Olmert to Call for Global Support Of Israel’s West Bank Pullout Plan, The Wall Street Journal April 12, 2006; Page A6; https://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114478799929023245z5h3vpz27D62V5Bixr5ElOyqfFQ_20060512. html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

[2]Sever Plocker, “Flawed pullout predictions should make Olmert rethink his plan,” Ynet;April 16, 2006; www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3240374,00.html

[3]Lally Weymouth, “’We Are Ready to Change,’ Israel’s Ehud Olmert on his bold plan for a new border” April 17, 2006, Newsweek, www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12223150/site/newsweek/; and Romesh Ratnesar, “Is Ehud Olmert felling lucky?” April 9, 2006; TIME, www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1181672,00.html

[4] Hannan Greenberg, “Mofaz: Iran gave millions to terrorism,” Ynet;March 21, 2006; https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3230629,00.html.

[5] IDF soldiers Avi Avitan, Omar Suwaid and Benny Avraham were ambushed by Hizbullah fighters while on patrol on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border onOctober 7, 2000 and spirited toSouth Lebanon where they died of their wounds. Their bodies were returned toIsrael in exchange forIsrael’s release of over 400 terrorists from its prisons in January 2004. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Israelis abducted and held inLebanon, 2000-2004,” https://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2001/2/Israelis%20Held%20by%20the%20Hizbullah%20-%20Oct%202000-Jan%202004.

[6] Leggett,Weymouth and Ratnesar, op. cit. at 1 and 3.

[7] Plocker, op. cite at 2.

[8] Ari Shavit, “The Big Freeze,” Interview with Dov Weisglass; Haaretz Friday magazine;October 8, 2004; www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/485929.html.

[9] Amos Harel, “Haaretz probe: Israel has little say at Rafah crossing,” Haaretz, February 8, 2006,
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/680116.html.

[10] Lt. General Moshe Ya’alon, “The truth and reality of disengagement,” Ma’ariv online (Hebrew),February 24, 2006, https://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/052/317.html

[11] Lt. General Moshe Ya’alon, “The Security Implications of a Hamas-Led Palestinian Authority,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Policy Watch 1080, February 16, 2006, https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2444.

[12] Palestinian Public Opinion Poll No. (19) conducted by the Palestinian Center
for Policy and Survey Research, April 19, 2006, www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2006/p19etables1.html and see generally PCPSR polls of Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip on website during relevant time period.

[13] “IDF Intelligence: Al-Qaeda Already Operating in Gaza,” Maariv (Hebrew), October 17, 2005; and Maj. General (res.) Yaacov Amidror, “The fruits of disengagement,” Ynet,January 26, ,2006, https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3207698,00.html

[14] “Mofaz blames Egypt and PA for increased smuggling,” The Jerusalem Post, January 11, 2006,
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1136361060437&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[15] Reuven Paz, “Al-Qaeda’s Search for new Fronts: Instructions for Jihadi Activity in Egypt and Sinai”Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center,THE PROJECT FOR THE RESEARCH OF ISLAMIST MOVEMENTS, (PRISM), OCCASIONAL PAPERS, Volume 3 (2005), Number 7 (October 2005), and Caroline B. Glick, “The Cost of Incompetence, The Jerusalem Post, December 1, 2005, https://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1132475665968&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[16] Alex Fishman, “Mofaz expects terror wave,” Ynet, December 21, 2005, https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3187803,00.html; Yuval Azoulay, “Ashkelon gets rocket warning system,” Haaretz, December 20, 2005; Hillel Fendel, “Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens: ‘Northern Gaza must be recaptured,” Israel National News,April 25, 2006, https://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=102518.

[17] Op cite at 13.

[18] Caroline B. Glick, “Arik and the tooth fairy,” The Jerusalem Post, May 26, 2005, https://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1117074328919&p=1006953079897; Glick, “Irrelevant visions,” The Jerusalem Post, June 24, 2005, https://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1119493346703&p=1006953079897

[19] Since 1995, Egypt’s annual joint forces war game, “The Bader Exercise” has been devoted to fighting a war against Israel. Shawn Pine, “The Egyptian Threat and Prospects for War in the Middle East, Ariel Center for Policy Research, Policy Paper No. 110, 2000, https://www.acpr.org.il/publications/policy-papers/pp110-xs.html.

[20] Ya’alon, op. cite at 10.

[21] Paz, op.cite at 15 and “Islamic Republic of Iran’s plans for creating chaos in Jordan,” Iran Press News, https://www.iranpressnews.com/source/012311.htm, April 24, 2006, the April 26 attacks on MFO forces – the second such attack in recent months, is a clear indicator that these forces, led by a U.S. battalion are indeed seen as important targets.

[22] Ya’alon op. cite at 9.

[23] Ari Shavit, “Olmert’s arrogance,” Haaretz,March 14, 2006, www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=olmert++settlers&itemNo=694172

[24] “President Bush calls for new Palestinian Leadership,”June 24, 2002, www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/06/20020624-3.html

[25] Dan Diker and Pinchas Inbari, “Re-energizing a West Bank-Jordanian Alliance, The Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2006, pp. 29-36.