Will Ehud Olmert Get His Chance To Inflict Damage?

This short news report is an extract of the Israel Today, a publication from Israel summarizing some of the major news items in the country.

Monday, September 15, 2008 Israel Today Staff
Olmert offers Palestinians 98% of 'West Bank'

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will offer Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas 98 percent of Judea and Samaria when the two meet later this week, Israel's Channel 2 News reported on Sunday.

The report came just hours after Olmert told his cabinet that "the vision of Greater Israel no longer exists," and blasted anyone who clings to Israel's biblical and historical right to the area known as the "West Bank" as "delusional."

Olmert wants to pay Jewish settlers living in the territories he plans to surrender one million shekels each to voluntarily relocate. Those who refuse his offer would be forcibly uprooted after the signing of a peace deal.

Olmert is scheduled to resign as prime minister in two days, but insists that despite his "lame duck" status, fervent land-for-peace efforts must continue.

The prime minister on Monday explained his mad rush to conclude a peace deal in the coming days by telling the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee: "Every day that passes without coming to an agreement with the Palestinians is one more day that, in the future, we'll be sorry for."

For someone who is about to be forced out of office because of corruption, one would wonder what he is trying to do and I dread to think of the consequences of his action. Will this turn out to be just another piece of 'noise' and will blow away? I certainly believe so.