In this interview the Prime Minister restated his views on the future of the settlements: most of the settlers would live in blocs under Israeli sovereignty and no new settlements would be established. Mr. Barak referred to the dismantling of 18 outposts established since May 1999 and seen by him as illegal, unauthorized and harmful. Excerpts:
Walter Rogers: Palestinians complain West Bank settlement expansion is killing the peace process. Can you and Arafat come to terms on a compromise, or will you stop the settlements? How are you going to solve that problem?
Prime Minister Barak: We have a variety of problems to solve: settlements, voters, refugees, the nature of the Palestinian entity to emerge, economic relationship, water, environment, even Jerusalem. And I think that we have without prejudice the right of the other side to raise these positions, to go into it and try to solve it by one by one, bearing in mind the interdependence between them.
I think that within this context a way to solve the settlement problem is possible. We need most of the settlers in settlement blocs under our sovereignty, even in a permanent state. And we will deal with the question, what will happen with either settlements, Israelis or Palestinians, that stay in the sovereignty of the other side.
Mr. Rodgers: Does that mean you're going to stop settlement expansion?
Prime Minister Barak: I made it clear all along the campaign and after the campaign that I'm not going to establish any new settlements. But at the same time, normal evolution of development in all of the existing settlements can continue, and may I say, that for the first time we set out a precedent of dismantling 18 outposts that have been established since the announcement of an election in Israel, and I perceived them as illegal or unlawful.