Word: olmert
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Heretics Nos. 2 and 3 are high-ranking Israelis. Speaking in Washington, Health Minister Ehud Olmert, a confidant of Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, proclaimed Israel to be ready for negotiations with Syria that could include even "the territorial demands of the Syrians." At a farewell news conference in Tel Aviv, Dan Shomron, who retires in April as Israel's Chief of Staff, remarked cryptically that as part of a possible "political agreement ((that)) involves demilitarizations, arms limitations" and other items, "one can speak about risk vs. territory...
Shamir said he was "not happy with Olmert" and added that in any negotiation "we shall say we do not agree to withdraw" from the Golan. The small rightist Tehiya party threatened to quit the government coalition if the idea of withdrawing was so much as discussed in the Cabinet. Housing Minister Ariel Sharon spoke of building enough apartments in the heights to balloon the area's Jewish population from 11,000 to 31,000. (About 15,000 non-Jews, mostly Druze, also live there...
That may be what Olmert had in mind in an interview with TIME. He insisted that, far from wanting to give up the Golan, he thought Israel should try to negotiate a Syrian relinquishment of its claim. But he added, "I don't want to say what is the fallback position." On the subject of talks, he noted that while Syria, with Iraq out of the picture, has become Israel's most dangerous enemy, its leaders "might now change their position" as a result of participation in the gulf war. "So let's test them...
...view is a long way from prevailing in Jerusalem -- let alone Damascus, which in any talks is likely to insist on recognition of its effectual control of Lebanon as well as return of the Golan Heights. But the voices of Olmert and like-minded thinkers are unlikely to be drowned out, because they have logic on their side...
Baker's statement touched off an avalanche of perhaps 8,000 calls to the White House Wednesday night. None, however, were from Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir or his aides. "You don't resolve problems by impatience and rudeness," said Yossi Olmert, director of the government press office. In the northern town of Afula, where Foreign Minister David Levy was reported in good condition after being hospitalized with chest pains, Dr. Udi Cantor asserted that no phone calls were being put through to Levy's room. "But if Baker calls," he said, "we will transfer the call." An Israeli radio...