Two Banks Hath the Jordan (and Olmert Wants Neither)

Prime Minister Olmert's June 8th remarks at a joint press conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II have been published (here).

Now, depsite Olmert's claim to being a pupil of Ze'ev Jabotinsky ("It is those who believe, as I do, in Jabotinsky’s teachings"), I couldn't find one word there about Israel's historical, legal and religious claim to a great deal of Abdullah's kingdom.

P.S. And since we're on Olmert, I found IMRA's analysis penetrating on Olmert's Financial Times interview:

[IMRA: In the elections PM Olmert said he wanted to retreat to permanent borders. Now he wants to retreat to a temporary line if part of the world temporarily "recognizes" the temporary line. Olmert isn't claiming that his proposed retreat would put a stop to the ongoing "slicing" of the Israeli "salami". He also isn't clear what constitutes "recognition". Does this mean that products manufactured within the "recognized" lines but beyond the "Green Line" would qualify as "Made in Israel" for customs clearing in Europe? ]

"Q: During the election campaign, many of the electorate read your plan as something that would fix Israel's borders possibly within the four years of your first term. Now you seem to be talking more about a long-term interim settlement until such time as the Palestinians.

EO: There is not a difference. It's just a matter of, you know, sometimes we fall in love with specific definitions and we lose track of the main substance of what we want. And therefore, you know, don't rely on the phrasing that I use now in comparison to a few months ago or vice versa. What I want to say is this: we need to separate from the Palestinians into boundaries that can be defensible. Now, whether technically it will be called permanent or not permanent, if these boundaries will be satisfactory if they will be protected by the fence, if the international community will recognise Israel's right to have such boundaries, will appreciate at the same time that separation from the Palestinians and creation of a contiguous Palestinian territory in which a Palestinian state can be created, if all this will happen the basic objective will have been achieved. And that's what I have in mind."]