Israel will never agree to total West Bank pullout, prime minister says

Speaking to lawmakers at Britain's Parliament, Olmert expanded on remarks he made at a London news conference a day earlier in which he said Israel's planned withdrawal from the West Bank would encompass 90 percent of the territory, leaving the remaining 10 percent subject to negotiation.

Photo: Israel will never agree to total West Bank pullout, prime minister says

Israel will never agree to total West Bank pullout, prime minister says

But Tuesday he made clear that such negotiations could only go so far.

Israel captured the West Bank, along with the Gaza Strip and other territory in the 1967 Mideast War. Last year, Israel withdrew soldiers and settlers from all of the Gaza Strip, the AP reports.

Olmert has said he will move ahead with plans to pull out of large parts of the West Bank and draw Israel's final borders with the territory - as early as next year - if efforts to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians fail.

Olmert is visiting Britain and France to drum up support for his approach. Under the plan, Israel would retain key areas, including parts of east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians seek as the capital of a future state.