Prime minister's aides stress Israel will meet all its obligations according to Road Map, including evacuation of illegal West Bank outposts. Defense Minister Barak tells High Court outposts won't be evacuated before January. Foreign Minister Livni says, 'Timetables may lead to frustration which will encourage terror'
Roni Sofer
Published: 11.02.07, 00:20 / Israel News
Israel will meet all its obligations according to the Road Map peace plan, including the evacuation of illegal West Bank outposts, sources in the Prime Minister's Office stresses Thursday evening.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, however, has yet to issue an order to launch operative negotiations for the outpost evacuations. Sources in the defense establishment and sources involved in the negotiations believe that this process will last way beyond the Annapolis peace conference.
Jerusalem has conditioned the evacuation of illegal outposts on firm actions by the Palestinian against terror, according to the Road Map's first stage.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, however, said that Israel would not be tied to timetables.
"According to the experience in our region, timetables may lead to frustration and bitterness which will encourage terror," she stressed in a meeting with German Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
A senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem clarified that Israel would not renounce its commitment to evacuate the illegal outposts. According to the source, the government is holding quiet negotiations with the settlers in a bid to prevent an unnecessary conflict.
He quoted the prime minister, who recently told the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, "We prefer talks over horses," referring to the violent evacuation of the illegal outpost in Amona about a year and a half ago.
"We will work to utilize the internal negotiations in Israel to the fullest," the source said.
Knesset Member Otniel Schneller (Kadima), who has been negotiating with the settler leaders with the prime minister's knowledge, told Ynet that "the negotiations have matured from a professional-principle point of view. Now we are left with the operative negotiations, according to practicable solutions for each outpost. All the options have been resolved in negotiations with the relevant sources."
According to Schneller, the ball is not in the hands of the decision makers, the defense minister and prime minister. "If the political echelon makes the decisions, we can reach agreements with the settlers in the foreseeable future," he said.
'We must not commit to timetables'
MK Schneller, however, is also careful not to set a timetable.
"If the diplomatic decision is made, there are outposts which we will be able to evacuate within one week and others within two years. In any event, the guiding principle of the quiet talks with the settler leaders is that the Amona incident and the uprooting of the Gush Katif communities will not repeat themselves.
"We must find a separate solution for each of the 63 outposts, for each family and for each resident," he said.
"This is an extremely complex situation, which must not be defined with a timetable. The diplomatic elements know that it is possible to reach an agreement and that there is no plan to enter a violent conflict.
"I believe that setting a timetable is irrelevant… The most significant issue is to operate according to the Israeli law and according to the experience we have acquired from the disengagement and the Amona evacuation."
Sources in Jerusalem rejected the claims that the Americans are pressuring Israel to advance the evacuation of the illegal outposts. Security sources, who are in charge of the outpost issue, have raised the possibility that such reports were aimed at thwarting the quiet agreements reached with the settler leaders.
"We must find out who prompted these reports and what they are aimed at," security sources said. "It is clear to us that the goal is not to promote a solution, but to anger the settler leaders. We are continuing with our quiet work. No one should expect us to evacuate illegal outposts before the Annapolis conference or during the next two months."
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