Israelis try diplomacy before new border plan

ISRAEL will try diplomacy with the Palestinians until the end of the year before resorting to a plan to set a border unilaterally in the occupied West Bank, a senior cabinet minister said yesterday.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused the Israeli army of trying to undercut negotiations by launching a rare daytime raid in the West Bank city of Ramallah in which three Palestinians were killed and more than 40 wounded.

US President George W Bush gave a surprise boost to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s plan to redraw the Jewish settlement map during meetings in Washington, but emphasised that Israel should first pursue peace talks. Few expect negotiations with Abbas to make much progress and Israel has said formal statehood talks depend on whether the Hamas-led government renounces violence, recognises Israel and abides by interim peace deals.

“We will devote this year sincerely, with a real and strong desire, to see if we can conduct negotiations with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen,” Justice Minister Haim Ramon told Israel Radio, using a nickname for Abbas. “If it turns out we don’t have a partner, we will move to the realignment plan.”

Olmert told the US Congress: “We cannot wait for the Palestinians forever. Our deepest wish is to build a better future for our region, hand in hand with a Palestinian partner but, if not, we will move forward, but not alone,” he said, alluding to promised US support.