Olmert entourage: Sharon decided on Gaza retreat due terror, increased
terror will make it easier to pass "convergence" plan

Aaron Lerner Date: 22 April 2006

Sima Kadmon is a leading political journalist who writes for Israel's
leading newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Buried in her weekly lead article in the 21 April Friday edition of Yedioth
Ahronoth titled "Turbo Negotiation" focusing on coalition negotiations are
two revelations:

1. That terror attacks served to induce Sharon to decide on the plan to
retreat from the Gaza Strip.

2. That the Olmert team believes an increase in terror attacks will make it
easier to pass Olmert's "convergence" plan (retreat from most of the West
Bank).

Interestingly, these revelations are bracketed within the segment of her
column in which she describes, in glowing terms, Olmert's security
consultation after the terrorist attack last week. For some reason Kadmon
declined to share with her readers what most other reporters considered to
be a significant element of the story: that Olmert rejected the unanimous
recommendation of security officials to take military action.

The following is a translation of the two paragraphs about terror and the
"convergence" plan:

"Around Olmert it is claimed that terror won't hurt his diplomatic plan.
The terror did not hurt Sharon's disengagement, the opposite, it gave birth
to it: the decision fell for Sharon after the attack on Line 2 in Jerusalem
in August 2003, an attack that ended the hudna period. Every attack after
that only strengthened his position, that there is no one to talk with and
therefore Israel should carry out a unilateral process.

As long as there are more attacks, those around Olmert maintain, it will be
easier to pass the convergence plan, both internally as well as on the
international front. The Americans won't push for a return to the Roadmap -
anyone with eyes in their heads will see that there isn't a partner, that it
is impossible to reach an agreement, and that if this is the situation,
Israel must carry out measures that serves its security without thinking
about the other side."

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il