The realignment plan (Hebrew: תוכנית ההתכנסות) (originally known as the "convergence plan") is a plan that was formulated and introduced to the Israeli public by prime minister Ehud Olmert, in a number of media interviews during the election campaign for the 17th Knesset in 2006. Olmert stated that if he was elected prime minister, within four years he would remove Jewish settlements from most of Judea and Samaria and consolidate them into large groups of settlements near the 1967 border. The area of removal would correspond to the area east of the route of the West Bank barrier that was begun under his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, or a similar route with national consent and international legitimization. Hebrew (עִבְרִית ‘Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... Ehud Olmert (IPA ; Hebrew: אהוד אולמרט; born September 30, 1945) is the 12th and current Prime Minister of Israel. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... The barrier route as of May 2005. ... (Hebrew: אריאל שרון, also known by his diminutive Arik) (born February 26, 1928) is a former Israeli politician and a retired general. ...

During the election campaign, Olmert stated that in pursuing a realignment of settlments, he was operating in Sharon's spirit, and that if Sharon had been able to continue carrying out the duties of his office, he would have acted in a similar way. Sharon was officially still prime minster during the campaign, but due to a stroke suffered in January 2006, had ceased to carry out the duties of his office and was not a candidate in the election. Olmert was acting prime minister during the campaign as well as the leader of the Kadima party. Since Sharon's major stroke, which followed a less serious stroke in November 2005, he has been kept under careful sedation and therefore remains in a coma. He officially left office in April, replaced by Olmert. Kadima (Hebrew: קדימה, Qādīmāh, forward) is a centrist/centre-right Israeli political party. ...

Although the Hebrew name of the plan has not changed, the English name has been changed from "convergence" to "consolidation" and finally to "realignment", as the Washington Times [1] and the "language maven" William Safire [2] have noted. William L. Safire on NBCs Meet The Press with Tim Russert. ...