In conversation with Ehud Olmert, former Israeli prime minister. He tells TOI the way forward for Israelis and Palestinians
Q: How do you read Biden’s visit to Israel?
A: President Biden has been very consistent in his stand. America stands with Israel. America supports Israel’s right to defend itself. And America supports Israel’s decision to remove Hamas from its permanent position in Gaza. In order to signal to the international community how determined America is in its support of Israel, it has sent two aircraft carriers with considerable air power and soldiers to the region, just to send a message that America’s support is not just verbal. If someone misinterprets America’s intentions, they are here on the ground and if required will act in a decisive manner. Also, Biden has made it clear right from the beginning that Israel’s military effort must be under international law. So Washington's support and position for Israel is absolutely clear.
Q: Given Israel's impending ground offensive into Gaza, what happens after the operation is over?
A: Gaza was not supposed to be or was never designated to be an independent, separate state. It was supposed to be part of the Palestinians. I, when I was PM, negotiated this with Mahmoud Abbas. I presented him with a peace plan. We talked about some changes in the original border of 1967. I told him we have to annex about 5% of the territory of the West Bank into the state of Israel and in return we will swap territories that were part of the state of Israel prior to 1967 so that the actual size of the territories will be like it was in 1967. Abbas said no and he wanted it exactly like 1967. So I said fine, in that case you will have no ground connection to Gaza because Gaza was never part of the West Bank. But he said no, Gaza has to be part of the Palestinian state. So I said OK, so we have to make some slight
A: President Biden has been very consistent in his stand. America stands with Israel. America supports Israel’s right to defend itself. And America supports Israel’s decision to remove Hamas from its permanent position in Gaza. In order to signal to the international community how determined America is in its support of Israel, it has sent two aircraft carriers with considerable air power and soldiers to the region, just to send a message that America’s support is not just verbal. If someone misinterprets America’s intentions, they are here on the ground and if required will act in a decisive manner. Also, Biden has made it clear right from the beginning that Israel’s military effort must be under international law. So Washington's support and position for Israel is absolutely clear.
Q: Given Israel's impending ground offensive into Gaza, what happens after the operation is over?
A: Gaza was not supposed to be or was never designated to be an independent, separate state. It was supposed to be part of the Palestinians. I, when I was PM, negotiated this with Mahmoud Abbas. I presented him with a peace plan. We talked about some changes in the original border of 1967. I told him we have to annex about 5% of the territory of the West Bank into the state of Israel and in return we will swap territories that were part of the state of Israel prior to 1967 so that the actual size of the territories will be like it was in 1967. Abbas said no and he wanted it exactly like 1967. So I said fine, in that case you will have no ground connection to Gaza because Gaza was never part of the West Bank. But he said no, Gaza has to be part of the Palestinian state. So I said OK, so we have to make some slight