Donna Danna (10 July 2006)
"PM Determined To Implement West Bank Pullout Despite Escalation Of Violence"

PM 'determined' to implement West Bank pullout, says Israel not interested in toppling Hamas

By Avi Issacharoff, Gideon Alon, Amos Harel, Aluf Benn, Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed Monday to continue his plan for unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank, saying that the current round of violence would not stop the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

"I haven't changed my basic commitment to the realignment plan," Olmert told foreign reporters in Jerusalem. "I am absolutely determined to carry out the separation from the Palestinians and establish secure borders."

He said that Israel had no policy of trying to topple the Hamas-led Palestinian government despite its arrest of dozens of Hamas officials and military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"We have no particular desire to topple the Hamas government as a policy. We have a desire to prevent terrorists from inflicting terrorism on the Israeli people," he said.

IDF to intensify Gaza operation
Senior sources in the Israel Defense Forces told Haaretz on Sunday that the military will intensify and broaden the scope of its raids into the Gaza Strip in the coming days.

The same sources said that Operation Summer Rains was likely to last two months; during the Sunday cabinet meeting Olmert warned that this was a "war in which it is impossible to set time limits."

FULL STORY at

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736654.html

Olmert Says He’s Determined to Execute Convergence Plan Despite Escalation of Violence
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106930

Jul 10, '06

(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, at a press conference for foreign journalists in Jerusalem, said he was undeterred in his intention to implement the “convergence plan” to uproot dozens of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria to make way for a Palestinian state.

Olmert said: “I am determined to continue on the path to the convergence idea, as the strongest idea for moving events forward in the Middle East.

“I have not changed my mind over the past few days regarding the convergence plan, and I am determined to continue on my road to the ultimate separation from the Palestinians, and to attain secure borders that will be recognized by the international community."

PM 'determined' to implement West Bank pullout, says Israel not interested in toppling Hamas

By Avi Issacharoff, Gideon Alon, Amos Harel, Aluf Benn, Mijal Grinberg and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents, Haaretz Service and Agencies

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed Monday to continue his plan for unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank, saying that the current round of violence would not stop the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. "I haven't changed my basic commitment to the realignment plan," Olmert told foreign reporters in Jerusalem. "I am absolutely determined to carry out the separation from the Palestinians and establish secure borders." He said that Israel had no policy of trying to topple the Hamas-led Palestinian government despite its arrest of dozens of Hamas officials and military offensive in the Gaza Strip. "We have no particular desire to topple the Hamas government as a policy. We have a desire to prevent terrorists from inflicting terrorism on the Israeli people," he said. IDF to intensify Gaza operation Senior sources in the Israel Defense Forces told Haaretz on Sunday that the military will intensify and broaden the scope of its raids into the Gaza Strip in the coming days. The same sources said that Operation Summer Rains was likely to last two months; during the Sunday cabinet meeting Olmert warned that this was a "war in which it is impossible to set time limits." FULL STORY at http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/736654.html Olmert Says He’s Determined to Execute Convergence Plan Despite Escalation of Violence http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=106930 Jul 10, '06 (IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, at a press conference for foreign journalists in Jerusalem, said he was undeterred in his intention to implement the “convergence plan” to uproot dozens of Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria to make way for a Palestinian state. Olmert said: “I am determined to continue on the path to the convergence idea, as the strongest idea for moving events forward in the Middle East. “I have not changed my mind over the past few days regarding the convergence plan, and I am determined to continue on my road to the ultimate separation from the Palestinians, and to attain secure borders that will be recognized by the international community."