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Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1104291022831
Sharon Rejects Call for Wider West Bank Withdrawal
(Jerusalem Post) Etgar Lefkovits - The Prime Minister's Office Thursday published a statement rejecting remarks by deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert that Israel will need to carry out a large-scale withdrawal from the West Bank after the disengagement from Gaza. The Prime Minister's statement said there would be no further disengagement after the Gaza pullout, and that there was no plan for a further disengagement. Olmert had also said it was far from certain that PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is expected to win the Jan. 9 election for the PA chairmanship, will become a workable peace partner since his hard-core stance on major negotiating issues, such as final borders, Jerusalem, and refugees, may make it impossible to reach a deal with him. Olmert noted that Abbas has not yet proved that he has the ability to struggle effectively against terror or to build a democratic infrastructure for PA institutions.