Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan
Olmert meets with Yesha Council heads
In prime minister's first meeting with settler leaders since taking office, settlers seek to discuss what will be put on the table in Annapolis conference; since disengagement there has been virtually no communication between two sides
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
met Tuesday with representatives of the Yesha council in order to discuss the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast peace conference
scheduled to take place at the end of the month in Annapolis, Maryland.
The meeting attendees included Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan, his deputy Sara Eliash, and former Yesha Council chairman Bentzi Liberman. The head of the Amana organization, Ze'ev (Zambish) Hever, and Tzviki Bar-Chai from southern Mount Hebron were also present.
Since the few meetings that were held between former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and settler leaders following the disengagement from Gaza in 2005, there have been no meetings between Yesha leaders and the current prime minister.
During the last few months, Yesha Council leaders have requested to meet with Olmert on a number of occasions. They have sought to complain about the freezing of development plans in settlement areas and to hear about his plans for the Annapolis peace conference scheduled to take place later this month.
Sources close to the settler leaders said they did not have high hopes for the meeting with the prime minister.
They told Ynet that they came to the meeting more to have their voices heard and less to listen to what Olmert had to say.
