At last week's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert publicly and willfully endangered Israel.


At the outset of the meeting, in front of the assembled media, Olmert announced that he was willing to seriously entertain the Arab League's "Saudi Plan." This plan is nothing more than a recipe for Israel's demise, and even the mere thought of accepting such a proposal endangers each and every one of us.


The Saudi plan calls for Israel to constrict to its 1949 borders; the borders that Israel barely clung to after a harsh war of independence against several invading Arab armies and myriad of attacks by local Arabs. The plan, as approved by the Arab League in 2002, also calls on Israel to allow thousands of Arabs - descendants or well-wishers of the Arabs who became refugees during the Arab aggression against the infant Jewish State - to immigrate to Israel. This would effectively dilute Israel's Jewish majority, with the ultimate aim of destroying her Jewish character.


Kadima leaders have stated that they would require "adjustments" before accepting such a plan, but even partial acceptance will require the expulsion of thousands of Jews from

To garner popularity, Olmert has set his country on yet another self-destructive path.

their homes in our ancestral homeland. The plan, even if the refugee clause is "adjusted" to Israel's benefit, will create a Palestinian State, completely free of Jewish inhabitants, while Israel will still be expected to accommodate an emboldened Muslim minority. Should any number of the descendants or friends of refugees be allowed to return to Israel, the calls for abandonment of Israel's Jewish identity will only be strengthened.


Also, let's recall how the world is likely to react to Israel's "adjustments" to the Saudi Plan. The Israeli government also had serious objections to the Road Map when it was presented. The plan was accepted along with "fourteen points" composed by Silvan Shalom and accepted by a predominantly Likud cabinet, including Benjamin Netanyahu. These Israeli objections to the Road Map were given a token and ambiguous approval by the Americans and were then promptly disregarded. The attempt to adjust that equally dangerous peace plan was a superb diplomatic failure on the part of today's Likud leadership.


I highly doubt that the significantly more conciliatory Kadima leadership would be able to successfully influence the Saudi Plan, now that they have tacitly accepted it. The very mention of the Saudi Plan at an important cabinet meeting signals to both our enemies and our Western allies that Israel can be convinced to accept this proposal without significant negotiations. Olmert's statements endangered the entire country of Israel.


So why, then, would Olmert and Tzippi Livni take such a massive risk as to publicly express even the slightest interest in a plan that so endangers Israel? I am afraid that Amir Peretz's political posturing is contagious. Olmert's introduction to the cabinet meeting put Israel's very existence at stake for his own political survival.


The Winograd Commission is compiling its report highlighting the government’s failure handling last summer's war. The State Comptroller has already completed his scathing report on the failure of this government to protect its constituents. With Olmert polling at an almost flat-lining popularity, and financial misdealing appearing from every corner, Olmert has chosen to appeal to the sensationalist Left to save his job.


To garner popularity, Olmert has set his country on yet another self-destructive path. Sadly, we have read this narrative before. Hopefully, our outrage at its plot will allow us to rewrite its ending.