
The United States under President George W. Bush was prepared to take in 100,000 Palestinian refugees as part of a Middle East peace deal, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday.
“The United States was ready to take in 100,000 refugees as citizens of the United States,” Olmert said, in what may be his most revealing comments to date about negotiations with the U.S. and the Palestinians when he was prime minister.
Olmert, who led Israel from 2006 to 2009, spoke weeks after direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians resumed in Washington…
Olmert said Sunday that he is hopeful about the new round of talks.
“We have a peace proposal, and I believe that it may bring about a peace accord between us and the Palestinians in a short time,” he said.
“The mere fact that the government of Israel agreed to take direct talks even when it causes pain to the government this means that it is courageous,” he said. “Maybe it’s the beginning of an understanding that there is no other choice.”
Uh – the part about opening our hearts and hearth to 100,000 Palestinian refugees? How many members of Congress can you think of who would vote for that?
Go ahead. Use the fingers on both hands.