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Olmert Admits That Lebanon, Gaza Pullouts Didn't Work
By Julie Stahl
CNSNews.com Jerusalem Bureau Chief
January 09, 2007

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert now admits that Israeli's unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip did not work.

In an interview with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, Olmert said he believes in the establishment of a Palestinian state, which will require Israel to withdraw from large parts of the West Bank. But he said he does not believe such a move can be made unilaterally.

"A year ago, I believed that we would be able to do this unilaterally," Olmert was quoted as saying. "However, it should be said that our experience in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip is not encouraging. We pulled out of Lebanon unilaterally, and see what happened. We pulled out of the Gaza Strip completely, to the international border, and every day they are firing Kassam rockets at Israelis."

Israel withdrew its troops from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon in 2000, leaving a vacuum that was filled by the Iranian-backed Hizballah. Hizballah launched more than 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during a 34-day war this summer.

Israel uprooted 21 Jewish communities and withdrew all of its troops from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by Hamas, which openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

Less than a year ago, Olmert campaigned on what he called his "convergence plan," indicating that he would set Israel's permanent borders -- with or without an agreement with the Palestinians. At the time, he said he was willing to uproot tens of thousands of Israelis from the West Bank.

But given Israel's experiences in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, he said, "it would be more practical to achieve a two-state solution through negotiations rather than [unilateral] withdrawal."

Olmert arrived in China on Tuesday for a three-day official visit. According to reports, discussions will focus on economic cooperation and Iran's nuclear program.