Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in the United States for his first official visit since winning national elections in March. On Tuesday, President Bush embraced Olmert’s proposal to unilaterally redraw Israel’s boundaries in the occupied West Bank. Olmert’s proposal would remove around 60,000 Israelis from isolated settlements but would annex to Israel larger settlements that house some 200,000 Israelis, excluding East Jerusalem. Meanwhile Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh repeated Hamas’ offer of a long-term ceasefire if Israel withdrew from all the land occupied in the 1967 war.
Bush Supports Israeli Plan To Annex Settlements
HeadlineMay 24, 2006