Israel raises possibility of West Bank withdrawal

It was the first time a senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government endorsed such a unilateral withdrawal.

The proposal came as a surprise, given Mr Netanyahu’s opposition to the Gaza pullout and the prevailing sentiment in Israel that the 2005 withdrawal was a failure because Hamas militants soon overran the territory.

Addressing the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, Mr Barak said a rethink of strategy on the Palestinian issue was in order. The recent joining of the Israeli coalition by the centrist Kadima party strengthened the government and enables it to take decisive action, he said.

“This is the time to lead a diplomatic process, but if it is impossible to reach a permanent agreement with the Palestinians then an interim agreement or even a unilateral step should be weighed,” he said.

There has been speculation recently that the Netanyahu government would eventually embrace the idea of a partial withdrawal in the West Bank because continued rule over its growing Palestinian population would destroy the country’s identity as a Jewish state and lead to growing international isolation.

Yossi Beilin, an architect of the Oslo Agreement, predicted during a recent interview with The Scotsman that the government will eventually withdraw to Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank and evacuate settlements that are to its east.

This would fall far short of Palestinian demands for a full withdrawal from all of the West Bank and East Jerusalem.