Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a new BBC documentary, has revealed the map he proposed to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in September 2008, aiming to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The map proposed establishing a Palestinian Arab state on 94% of Judea and Samaria, aka the 'West Bank', with land swaps between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs.
Olmert recounted urging Abbas to sign the proposal and 'change history,' emphasizing that no Israeli leader would offer a similar deal for 50 years.
According to the proposal, territories on the 'West Bank' fringes were to connect to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip via a tunnel or road.
Regarding East Jerusalem and holy sites significant to various religions, Olmert suggested creating a trustee council managed by Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States.
Dr. Rafiq al-Husseini, who led Abbas's office at the time, told the BBC about their reaction to the proposal: "We laughed it off."
Al Husseini's excuse was: "It’s unfortunate that Olmert, no matter how nice he was, was a lame duck, and so we knew it would go nowhere."