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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has said millions of dollars from the "extreme right wing" in the United States helped oust him from government and derailed a peace plan with the Palestinians.

In an exclusive interview aired Friday with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Olmert said his attempts to make peace had been "a killer" for him as prime minister.

In 2008, Olmert sought a "full comprehensive peace between us and the Palestinians" -- a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. But the plan was never realized and Olmert was forced from office accused of corruption, which he denies.

"It was a killer for me, not only because of the opposition in Israel. I think that, by the way, in Israel, the majority of the Israelis would have supported my plan, had it come for elections," Olmert said.

"But I had to fight against superior powers, including millions and millions of dollars that were transferred from this country (the United States) by figures which were from the extreme right wing that were aimed to topple me as prime minister of Israel. There is no question about it."

Pressed to name names, Olmert replied: "Next time."

Asked if current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be willing to propose such a plan, given the same political risks, Olmert said it was the responsibility of a leader to put his country first.

"That's why you are prime minister," said Olmert. "That's why you take the responsibility of leadership. To do things which are right for the nation that you want to lead."

But Olmert acknowledged that such leadership comes at a price. "I paid personally, dearly. But there was no option for me but to do what I did. And I know for sure, and I know the names, of the people that spent millions of dollars in order to stop me -- from the United States."

He was then asked if there is still time for a two-state solution. "There is time," said Olmert, "but time is running out."More at http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/05/world/meast/israel-olmert-us/index.html?
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The argument against West Bank settlements is not merely a demographic one–that non-voting Arabs will overwhelm Israel’s democracy over time. Indeed, that’s not as important as several other arguments:
1. The settlements are illegal. They are a unilateral incursion on Palestinian lands. Yes, world opinion isn’t exactly a fair yardstick when gauging Israel’s actions–the world was opposed to Israel’s justified military reaction to the rockets hammering the homeland from Gaza in 2008–but that doesn’t mean the world is always wrong. In this case, Israel’s sad embrace of illegality is an international embarrassment, and makes a mockery of the Jewish traditions of reasoned justice and fairness. It drives away countries that might otherwise side with Israel against Islamic extremism.

2. The settlements are immoral. Drive from Ramallah north to Nablus on the West Bank through the gorgeous Judean hills–there are Israeli settlements on practically every hilltop. These represent a daily reminder of Israeli pilferage, a thumb in the eye–and in the case of Ariel, a massive settlement deep in Palestinian territory, a fist in the eye–of every Palestinian. For most Palestinians, they are the moral equivalent of a permanent terrorist attack, a violent appropriation of the land. The sordid treatment of Palestinians by Israelis–randomly by settlers, and officially at checkpoints (which, to be sure, are far less plentiful now)–are a constant, brutal provocation. These settlements represent a deep moral insensitivity on the part of Israel to the basic rights of those who live on these lands.

3. The settlements have brutalized Israel. Beinart–who is more religious than I am, and has stronger family ties to Israel–laments this brutalization in quite moving fashion in his book. I disagree with some of the more extreme aspects of Peter’s position. I’m opposed to any boycott of Israeli products, even those produced by the settlers. But the idea that Israel can have a long-term future without making peace with its neighbors is a fantasy. Netanyahu’s ill-concealed belief that he can get away with Palestinian Bantustans will work no better on the West Bank than it did in South Africa.

I hold no brief for the Palestinians. They have been extraordinarily stupid, and corrupt, and infuriating in their attempts to deal with this situation over the past 40 years (corrupt, at least, until Salam Fayyad’s excellent governance reformed the West Bank). But that does not make Israel faultless in this vexing matter, especially during those years when the Likud party was in charge. The neoconservatives who would defend Israel’s virginity are making fools of themselves. There is no plausible argument, other than Israeli imperialism, in favor of these settlements. {My opinion exactly.} http://swampland.time.com/2012/05/05/neoconned/]

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I think people do not have a gorram clue as to what Israel is all about and how it maintains "the biggest open-air prison in history".

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