December 6, 2003	Saturday	Shawwal 11, 1424

TEL AVIV, Dec 5: A senior Israeli minister on Friday backed a unilateral withdrawal from large swathes of the occupied territories.

Israeli Trade Minister Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s number two, made clear in an interview with the Yediot Aharonot daily that he was in favour of a unilateral withdrawal from the vast majority of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel had no choice but to accept the creation of a Palestinian state if “we want to preserve our Jewish and democratic character”, given the faster growth of the Palestinian population, he said.

According to most demographic surveys, the number of Arabs will surpass the number of Jews living in Israel and the occupied territories within a decade.

Mr Olmert refused to detail which parts of the territories he envisaged Israel withdrawing from.

But he added that Israel “should comprise a proportion of 80 per cent Jews against 20 percent of Arabs”, implying a retreat from the vast majority of the territories. Israel’s Arab population currently accounts for around 19 per cent of the total.

“We are approaching the moment when Israel must take a strategic decision,” said Ehud Olmert.

“I would prefer a peace accord with the Palestinians, but I do not think that this will come about, so the choice is between a retreat to the borders of June 4, 1967, — to which I am opposed — and a retreat to lines that we will fix,” he added.

Ariel Sharon has also spoken recently of the need for Israel to take “unilateral measures” but has given few details about what he has in mind.—AFP