Mofaz details West Bank settlements Israel plans to retain

"When we talk about Israel's permanent or future borders it includes the Jordan Valley, Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Ariel, Kedumim-Karnei Shomron and Rehan-Shaked," Mofaz said in a speech late Monday.

The area mentioned by Mofaz accounts for around 20 percent of the West Bank.

But the list is notable by some of its omissions, including the absence of any pledge to keep a presence within the city of Hebron where around 500 hardline Jewish settlers live in the midst of a Palestinian population.

The defence ministry said that "Mofaz spoke of the way he sees Israel's map of interests, which will promise the future of the state of Israel in any future reality".

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has already indicated that he will make fixing the final borders of the Jewish state his top priority if re-elected in a general election in four weeks' time.

While Olmert continues to pay lip service to the US-backed roadmap which seeks a negotiated settlement to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, he is widely expected to embark on a new round of unilateral pullouts from the West Bank after the election, similar to last year's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

In return, Olmert wants to cement Israel's control over the blocs where the vast majority of Jewish settlers live.

While the international community broadly welcomed the pullout from Gaza, it is wary of appearing to give Israel the green light to annex territory.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni earlier this month: "No one should try and unilaterally predetermine the outcome of a final-status agreement."

Olmert and Mofaz's Kadima party is forecast to win the March 28 general election.

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