Olmert promises to redraw Israel’s borders by 2010

ISRAELI leader Ehud Olmert presented his government to parliament yesterday, pledging to remove isolated Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank but to hold on forever to major enclaves and East Jerusalem.

In a policy speech ahead of the Knesset’s ratification of the incoming prime minister’s coalition government, he also voiced deep concern over Iran’s nuclear programme, accusing Tehran of targeting the Jewish state for annihilation.

“The borders of Israel that will be formed in the coming years will be significantly different from the territories under Israel’s control today,” said Mr Olmert, who has vowed to set final frontiers by 2010 with or without Palestinian agreement.

Palestinians, whose government is led by the militant Hamas group, say Mr Olmert’s plan will annex land and deny them a viable state.

Mr Olmert’s centrist Kadima party, which emerged at the head of the pack in Israel’s March 28 election, will lead the coalition with the centre-left Labour Party, the pensioners’ party and ultra-orthodox Shas.

In control of 67 of the Knesset’s 120 parliamentary seats, he could face trouble down the line in securing legislative approval for a finalised West Bank plan and relocation of some 60,000 settlers.

Mr Olmert said his new government would prefer peace talks with the Palestinians over unilateral moves. He said that Israel would not deal with a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority unless the Islamic group recognised the Jewish state, renounced violence and accepted past interim peace accords.

Urging Israel to renew peace negotiations, Palestinian President Abbas told Israel’s Maariv daily that he would put any deal to a referendum, sidestepping the Hamas government.

Mr Olmert’s speech also included tough words for Iran’s nuclear programme.

“We must not ignore what the president of Iran says — he means everything he says,” Mr Olmert said, a reference to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s call for the Jewish state to be “wiped off the map.”