Speaking to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Olmert said Israel should withdraw from the territories it had occupied in 1967 in return for peace with Palestine and Syria: “I am saying what no Israeli leader has ever said before; we have to withdraw from all occupied territories, including East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights."Usually diplomats, bureaucrats and politicians do not express the plain truth during their office term. Realpolitik determines their actions and they follow the rules and premises of realpolitik to do their best in office. Of course, this is -- at least partially -- understandable and even commendable. However, sometimes their failure to risk taking action outside of the limits set by realpolitik despite the fact that they realize realpolitik is taking their country to the brink of collapse is one of the primary reasons for ongoing domestic and international disputes and conflicts. This is exactly what Olmert did, even though he made stunning remarks.
Even so, apparently, Israel sees itself in a privileged position and does not consider itself bound by international rules and customs. For this reason, the announcement of these remarks by a leading figure who served as prime minister in a country like Israel cannot be ignored or overlooked. They deserve attention because apparently Israel now has to revise its traditional policies vis-à-vis the Palestinians that it has been pursuing without compromise. Not just impartial international scholars and observers, but also the Israelis admit that fundamentals of the Israeli state will begin collapsing in 15 years as long as the current status quo is preserved. To this end, Israelis in particular need to hear what Olmert is saying.
Olmert points to a roadmap for taking big steps toward the resolution of the problem in the short term. One of these steps proposes the transfer of a desert area along Israel's Gaza border to the Gaza administration and the withdrawal from some occupied zones to allow for the creation of a corridor between the West Bank and Gaza. Olmert is making this offer, but there is a reality that all know: that new Israeli settlements built in West Bank and East Jerusalem constitute a big obstacle to such an offer. The fact that most of these settlements were built during Olmert's term is ironic, but this does not necessarily make Olmert's remarks insignificant.
In the interview, Olmert made even more amazing remarks, recalling that the Damascus administration had requested the transfer of the Golan Heights to Syria during the talks held with Turkey's mediation. He said, “I would like to see a single person in Israel who believes that peace is possible with Syria without giving away the Golan Heights." The meaning and significance of these remarks is this: Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981. However, the United Nations and the international community did not accept this act of fait accompli. Following the occupation, 18,000 people -- mostly Druze -- left the Golan Heights, which had a population of 150,000. Currently 20,000 Jews live in the region.
We may take Olmert's remarks as reflecting his eagerness to perform a final duty as a responsible politician on behalf of his country and make a will that can attract the attention and interest of all. Many observers described the interview as “Olmert's will," so this interpretation seems to be valid. However, I would rather see this as a situation of “great minds think alike” and I hope that Israeli authorities give the Olmert's will the attention it deserves.
