20/09/2010 Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that during his tenure as Premier he had reached an agreement with the United States for them to absorb 100,000 Palestinian refugees as American citizens as part of a peace deal, adding that he struck a deal with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas according to which Israel would absorb "a minimal amount" of refugees.The Bush administration had offered this American contribution to the refugee problem as part of what would be a framework of international compensation, he said.
"I think that if the refugees - many of whom are already second or third generation [Palestinians] living outside of the territories – were given a choice between returning to Israel or the United States, we could guess what they would choose," he said.
"If we had reached an agreement, it would have changed the map of the world and the entire Middle East. We are not to blame. If there is no agreement, it's because the Palestinian side was not prepared to take the extra step that we made," Olmert added.
"I suggested that the refugee issue be resolved in the framework of the Arab peace initiative. I'm glad the current government is talking about the Road Map, which states that one of the cornerstone of peace is the Arab initiative" the former Israeli prime minister said.
Olmert also said the Palestinians now regret not accepting his offer. In veiled criticism of current Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, he challenged him to put reaching a diplomatic agreement ahead of staying in power.
“I don’t doubt the current prime minister’s resolve to protect Israel’s security,” Olmert said. “But when a man reaches such a lofty position, he must consider: What will you do with the time you have? “You must be loyal to the truth you believe in,” he said. “You can’t abandon this responsibility because of political considerations.”
Regarding Netanyahu’s construction moratorium in "Judea" and "Samaria" settlements, Olmert said the Palestinians and the American administration did not agree with the building that he did in the West Bank, but they agreed to accept it and the Palestinians did not use it as an excuse to avoid advancing the diplomatic process.
Olmert said the Obama administration is not hostile towards Israel, saying, "There is no difference between (former US President George W.) Bush's positions and (Barack) Obama's positions.”
"Obama would have been very pleased if the proposals presented by the current (Israeli) government would have been the same as those presented by us (Olmert's government)," he said.
According to Olmert, a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be based on the 1967 borders. "I don’t want to address the issue of territorial exchanges. I hope it will be negotiated on soon," he said.
Olmert insisted that following the path he had suggested as prime minister was the only way to achieve peace. "During my final meeting with Abbas, I presented a plan, including maps."
As for his plan to turn over some Arab neighborhoods in occupied east Jerusalem to Palestinian control, Olmert said, "The holy sites will be controlled by five different sides. If we reach such an agreement, the world will shake with excitement. If we do not follow the path I suggested – there will be no chance for peace. I was mayor of (occupied) Jerusalem for 10 years. No one fought for its unity more than I did."
In response to Olmert's remarks that the US had agreed to take in 100,000 Palestinian refugees as part of a solution to the conflict, a Palestinian source told Ynet that if such an agreement had been reached, it had been with the US alone.
The source said disagreement had remained on the subject of refugees’ right to the end. "We wanted Israel to absorb hundreds of thousands, while Israel talked about absorbing far fewer," the source said, but confirmed that various countries around the world, including the US, Canada and some Scandinavian countries, had agreed to take in thousands.
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