The plan was formulated and introduced to the Israeli public by then acting prime minister, Ehud Olmert, in a number of media interviews during the election campaign for the 17th Knesset in March 2006.
After the 2006 Lebanon War, Olmert announced to his cabinet that the plan to dismantle some Jewish settlements in the West Bank and unilaterally redraw Israel's borders would not be implemented for the time being.
In July 2007, then Israeli deputy prime minister Haim Ramon proposed a smaller-scale realignment plan, in which Israel would disengage from 70% of the West Bank, and evacuate settlements in the area of withdrawal, mainly isolated communities.
[6] In September 2008, Olmert made a comprehensive plan as a secret offer to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which would have had Israel annexing just 6.3% of the West Bank, and the implementation of a five-nation trusteeship for the Holy Basin surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem.
[8] The European Union opposed the plan, stating that it would not recognize any unilateral border changes that were not agreed upon in negotiations, although the EU External Relations Commissioner said that it was a "courageous idea".