As Prime Minister Ehud Olmert prepares for his first official trip to Washington next week, he appears to be taking a step back from vocally advocating the convergence plan.
Olmert told Kadima ministers yesterday that he plans to present his plan to the Bush administration, but that only after "three, or 10, months," will it be possible to announce there is no Palestinian negotiation partner and move on to unilateral steps. The plan involves withdrawal from large swaths of the West Bank, but not from major settlement blocs. | ||||
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Olmert's decision to tone down his stance on the convergence plan may be related to staunch opposition worldwide to Israeli unilateral moves in the territories. Prior to his meeting with the ministers, the prime minister received a message from the three envoys he had sent to Washington to prepare the ground for his visit - Dov Weissglas, Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom Turjeman - and the message might have concerned the American stance on convergence. The United States wants Olmert to adopt a low profile on unilateralism and dedicate the next few months to negotiation efforts, although it has not retreated from its stated support of the plan in principle.
Ha'aretz | ||||
