2 YEAR COUNTDOWN

Sources: Start of convergence plan within two years By Aluf Benn (haaertz)

Ehud Olmert plans to begin implementing the convergence plan to define Israel's permanent borders in the West Bank within two years, according to political sources. In the meantime, the interim prime minister will present his government to the Knesset today and delineate its policies in the diplomatic, economic and social arenas. Following deliberations that are likely to last several hours, the Knesset plenum will authorize the new government that comprises 67 MKs from Kadima, Labor, the Pensioners party and the ultra-Orthodox Shas. After the Knesset, the 25 cabinet ministers will gather for a ceremony and group photograph at the residence of President Moshe Katsav.

On Sunday, Olmert will takeover the Prime Minister's offices, for the first time since he became acting Prime Minister following Ariel Sharon's stroke on 4 January. Joining Olmert will be his four senior aides: Chief of Staff Yoram Turbowicz; Deputy Chief of Staff, Oved Yehezkel - in charge of coordination of aides; Director of the prime minister's bureau, Shula Zaken; and Ra'anan Dinur, Director General of the Prime Minister's Office. In the coming week, Olmert and his associates will focus on internal organization and prepare for his first visit to Washington as prime minister where he is scheduled to meet President George W. Bush on 23 May at the White House.

In Washington, discussions are being held on the proposal to invite Olmert to address a joint session of Congress during his visit. An address to Congress by a foreign leader is not commonplace although a number of Israeli prime ministers have been invited to do so. Following his visit to Washington, Olmert is expected to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, most likely at the Sinai resort in Sharm el-Sheikh. Topping his list of priorities on the diplomatic front will be the "convergence plan" and the shaping of Israel's permanent borders in the West Bank. Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said that Olmert would like to begin the implementation of the plan in two years - others suggest 18 months to two years. By then, Olmert expects to focus his efforts on harnessing domestic political support for his plan as well as international backing.

Olmert will seek to broaden his coalition to 80 MKs, according to diplomatic sources, in order to allow his government the necessary breadth to last more than two years. Currently, support for the convergence plan stems from the MKs of Kadima, Labor, the Pensioners, and Meretz, a total of 60 parliamentarians, backed with the representatives of the Arab parties. Fearing a narrow base of support in the Knesset for his convergence plan, Olmert is likely to bring into the government the six representatives of United Torah Judaism. According to the convergence plan, which Olmert presented prior to the elections, the settlements beyond the separation fence will be evacuated and attached to the large settlement blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel, Greater Jerusalem and Gush Etzion. At the same time, the IDF will be given free rein in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley will be Israel's eastern border.

Olmert has said that he will initially offer the Palestinians negotiations, pending that the Hamas government recognizes Israel, accepts the previously signed agreements with the PLO and disavows terrorism. However, if negotiations do not advance, Olmert intends to carry out unilateral steps toward establishing Israel's borders. In his talks with Bush, Olmert will assess how much leeway the American administration is willing to grant on the convergence plan. Olmert considers it of paramount importance to initiate the implementation of the plan during the Bush presidency, whose tenure ends in January 2009. The Israeli leader will seek to reach an agreement with the U.S. administration on the time that should be alloted to attempts at negotiations with the Palestinians, and try to achieve U.S. support for a unilateral Israeli move.

At the same time, Olmert intends to order the construction of thousands of housing units in the large settlement blocs in order to absorb evacuees from the West Bank settlements. He intends to seek American approval for this action and create a sufficient housing stockpile in order to avoid the crisis which emerged following the disengagement from Gaza. Olmert would also like to hold an internal dialogue with the Yesha Council of Settlements on the convergence plan at an early stage. Olmert is opposed to the implementation of the Evacuation-Compensation law at this stage, and is not inclined to alter the preferential status of settlements. Sources close to Olmert say that the reason is that any change in the status or in the granting of compensation will have to take place after the evacuation limits are set, and this will take "at least a year."
Shmuel Rosner and Gideon Alon contributed to this report.