Ramon: Disengagement was a wise decision
Vice premier suggests Israeli, Palestinian leaders refrain from discussing issues they cannot agree on during Annapolis conference; says, 'We're better off outside Gaza. Now we can impose sanctions and cut off their power supply'
Speaking at the Sderot Conference held at the Sapir College, Ramon addressed the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference and said that "what we can do there is form key agreements, and postpone the disagreements to a later stage."
Ramon defended the disengagement, saying that he believed the government's decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip was wise.
"I am convinced that we are better off outside Gaza, so that we can impose sanctions like cutting off the power supply. This is a legitimate action, as what we have there at the moment is a hostile entity."
The vice premier clarified that he opposed a reoccupation of the Strip.
Concede Arab neighborhoods
Referring the future of Jerusalem, Ramon said that just as the government knows what to do with the territories, everyone knows what the capital's fate will be. He noted that the main disagreement was over the "holy basin", but added that Israel was not interested in supervising 150,000 Palestinians living in villages and annexed into east Jerusalem.
Instead of these territories, he said, we must annex neighborhoods beyond the green line.
On Tuesday morning, President Shimon Peres expressed his optimism ahead of the Annapolis conference. Following a meeting with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Peres said that "Annapolis is a tremendous opportunity, but it won't be an instantaneous solution to everything.
"I have spoken to the Arab leaders and there is a spirit of trust and optimism there. Our starting point for the negotiations is far better than anything we could have expected," the president added.
