Prime Minister Sharon has distanced himself from explosive comments made on Friday by his Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Olmert said that Israel will have to uproot and withdraw from many more Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria if it wants to remain "a democratic Jewish state." Olmert thus confirmed the suspicions of many who saw Sharon's recent moves as leading to further withdrawals from the areas he himself helped build up over the past three decades.
A source in Sharon's office said that Olmert's comments did not represent the Prime Minister's views - and are in fact "the opposite of his position."
Olmert, who was the first Likud figure to go public with a disengagement-from-Gaza idea, said, "The government is going to get rid of many settlements, and not just those willing to leave, in order to combat the daily disagreements with the nations of the world."
Among the signs that Olmert's words do, in fact, accurately represent Sharon's position are the fact that the Prime Minister recently ordered the Housing Ministry to "reconsider" the tenders issued for almost 1,300 housing units in various locations in Judea and Samaria.
A source in Sharon's office said that Olmert's comments did not represent the Prime Minister's views - and are in fact "the opposite of his position."
Olmert, who was the first Likud figure to go public with a disengagement-from-Gaza idea, said, "The government is going to get rid of many settlements, and not just those willing to leave, in order to combat the daily disagreements with the nations of the world."
Among the signs that Olmert's words do, in fact, accurately represent Sharon's position are the fact that the Prime Minister recently ordered the Housing Ministry to "reconsider" the tenders issued for almost 1,300 housing units in various locations in Judea and Samaria.