West Bank Withdrawal Loses Base Of Support
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Even at the height of Israel's battle with Hezbollah, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought to remind his countrymen that a sweeping withdrawal from the West Bank was on the horizon. But that move, which Olmert made the centerpiece of both his domestic and foreign policies, now seems to have lost its support even in the prime minister's own Kadima Party. Kadima MK David Tal told Ha'aretz that the withdrawal, dubbed "realignment" by Olmert, "is perhaps Kadima's main flag, but we now need to furl it. After the past month, it is clear the unilateral concept is now bankrupt." Tal estimated that more than half of Kadima lawmakers share his opinion on the matter. Earlier, Ha'aretz published details of a government-commissioned report into the implications of a wide-spread withdrawal from the West Bank. The primary conclusions were that Hamas-led terrorists would fill the void and begin launching rocket attacks on central Israel, and that Jerusalem would fail to obtain any long-term diplomatic gains from the move.
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