PM raises possibility of settlers remaining in Palestinian state

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert surprised participants at a Nobel Prize winners conference in Petra on Thursday when he broached the possibility of Israeli settlers in the West Bank remaining in their homes under Palestinian sovereignty.

"Each and every one of the settlers who live in territories that stand to be evacuated will need to decide whether to live in a Jewish state, the state of Israel, or in a Palestinian state," Olmert said.

Olmert made his remarks in response to a question from Hebrew University Professor - and Nobel laureate in economics - Yisrael (Robert) Aumann, who asked the prime minister whether he intends "to expel tens of thousands of people from their homes" by way of the convergence plan, which he described as "a crime against humanity."