Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he is willing to dismantle West Bank settlements and release Palestinian prisoners, in a bid to achieve a lasting peace settlement with the Palestinians. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem that Mr. Olmert's remarks come as a truce between Israelis and Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has taken hold.
Ehud Olmert says - if Palestinians release an Israeli soldier they are holding and form a unity government - he will meet immediately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to discuss a wide range of issues that could lead to the formation of a Palestinian state.
Mr. Olmert says Israel is prepared to release Palestinian prisoners, dismantle West Bank settlements and redraw Israel's border with the Palestinians, so that a Palestinian state with territorial continuity can be established. He says, if initial steps are taken by Palestinians to ease violence, Israel will ease roadblocks and checkpoints in the West Bank.
Mr. Olmert's remarks came one day after a truce between Israeli forces and Palestinians went into effect in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza and Palestinians have largely stopped firing rockets into southern Israel.
