Israeli cabinet will discuss a possible evacuation-compensation bill for settlers in the West Bank on Sunday, local daily Ha'aretz reported Tuesday on its website.
The proposal, offered by Vice Premier Haim Ramon, would give Israeli residents on the territories the option of relocating to Israel in exchange for financial compensation.
The prime minister's office announced that the government would not hold a vote on the matter, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is interested in hearing his ministers' opinions on the issue, the report said.
Israel captured territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six Day war. From then on, settlement issue has been highly concerned between the two neighbors.
Under the U.S.-mediated "Road Map" peace plan, which serves as the basis of the peace talks, Israel promised to halt all settlement constructions. But Israel has continued expanding the areas which it vows to retain under any final peace deal.
On Aug. 12, Olmert proposed a plan to the Palestinian National Authority, stating that Israel would withdraw from 93 percent of the West Bank, where some 70,000 Israeli settlers in 74 settlements have to leave their current homes.
However, Palestinian chief negotiator Ahmed Qurei ruled out the feasibility of the plan, saying a two-state solution could be achieved only if Israel met the Palestinian demand to withdraw from all Palestinian territories in accordance with the 1967 borders.
Source:Xinhua
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