[Redistributed on 14 June 2007 as Hamas forces were capturing the last Fatah
strongholds in Gaza]

Background: Media Continues To Give Olmert Free Ride On Retreat Slogan
Aaron Lerner Date: 24 December 2003

For several weeks Deputy Minister Ehud Olmert has been promoting his retreat
"plan", carefully declining to direct questions to him that would indicate
that the "plan" is actually a "slogan" bereft of any content.

+ When Olmert first revealed his slogan in an interview in Haaretz in the
middle of November, he explained that "these are my own personal
contemplations not yet evolved into a full strategy."

+ In Olmert's follow-up interview in Yediot Ahronot on Friday December 5,
Olmert said that "ultimately there will be a state there, without neglecting
our rights to insure the elements of our security. . .we will not allow, for
example, the entry of tanks." On December 7, Olmert's media advisor, Hagai
Elias, explained to IMRA that Olmert hasn't yet developed a plan that would
actually insure that this could be achieved.

+ During the December 16 question and answer session at the Herzliya
Conference, Former US Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, asked Min. Ehud
Olmert what would happen in the vacuum created under Olmert's proposal for
unilateral withdrawal. Olmert responded that he is talking about unilateral
withdrawal with "no Israeli control or presence" in the area vacated and no
understanding with the Palestinians with regard to what they do in the
area. Olmert went on to explain that he expected that there would be terror
even if an agreement was reached and that "we will have to deal with the
terror" after a unilateral withdrawal. Olmert noted that he has no idea who
would end up controlling the area vacated by Israel but asserted that even
if Hamas controlled the area that this would not increase the level of
danger to Israel.

Simply put: Olmert has a retreat slogan but apparently is not only clueless
as to how such a retreat would play out - even worse he does not care to
think about it.

Rather than address this very serious issue, interviews with Olmert focus
exclusively on the impact of his retreat slogan on his political prospects.

This morning, for example, Israel Radio interviewed others prior to Olmert
who raised substantive concerns about Olmert's retreat slogan, but Olmert
was only asked if he thought he would succeed in positioning himself to take
Prime Minister Sharon's place at the helm of the Likud. Olmert's interview
was in two parts, breaking for the 7:30 news headlines. The headlines
included a report of Qassam rockets that hit Sderot within the Green Line.

The item was a natural basis for asking Olmert about how Israel would deal
with a post retreat situation when the Palestinians would be able to deploy
thousands of Qassam rockets in the evacuated West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
POB 53 Raanana
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
pager 03-6106666 subscriber 4811
Website: http://www.imra.org.il