JERUSALEM, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is at odds with critics who oppose his plan for a large-scale withdrawal from the West Bank.
Olmert Monday urged the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to support the withdrawal as part of a long-range diplomatic plan, Ynetnews.com reported.
Olmert said a final status agreement with the Palestinians could be 20 to 30 years in the making and Israel needs to begin those talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Refusing to talk with Abbas and his colleagues means endless rounds of violence, Olmert said.
Critics, including opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu, rejected Olmert's plan, telling him, "You're the only one who genuinely thinks (Abbas) is a partner who can keep Israel secure."
Netanyahu said any agreement between Olmert and Abbas would lead to Hamas gaining control of the West Bank and further rocket attacks against the Israeli people.
