Senior officials in the Bush administration are pressuring Israel to expel Jewish residents from hilltop communities before the planned Annapolis, Maryland conference as another "good will" measure for Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, an Israeli newspaper reported Wednesday.
The demand was made during this week's visit to Israel by American National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, according to the Hebrew newspaper Ha'aretz. He reportedly told Israel that the expulsions would enable the conference to be held without bringing up the issues of final borders for a proposed new Arab state and without discussing the PA demand that millions of foreign Arabs be allowed to immigrate to Israel. Hadley met with Dov Weissglas, former advisor in the Sharon administration, although he has no governmental position.
The Olmert government several times has threatened to destroy the Jewish communities, also known as outposts, but has backed down in the face of the PA failure to combat terror and because of fears of a repeat of the violence that occurred in the demolitions at Amona last year.
American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to return to the Middle East nest week, and it now appears that the demolitions will be on the top of her agenda, despite Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's fragile support in the coalition.