I know the war in Iraq is controversial in the States, but for us in the Middle East it has made a great and significant impact.
Ehud OlmertI don't want to block every contact with the Palestinians, I think that would be a mistake, and I think that Abu Mazen has an independent status as democratically elected head of the Palestinian people, and it's important if I will talk with him.
Ehud OlmertIt is important that democracy in Lebanon is protected and that Hezbollah will not be supported by outside forces like Syria and Iran.
Ehud OlmertI want to arrive at the possibility of peace with the Syrians, and when I believe that the conditions are right, I will not miss the opportunity.
Ehud OlmertWe can never totally return to the indefensible pre-1967 borders, ... We simply cannot afford to make Israel 14.48 km (9 miles) wide again at its center. We can't allow the Palestinians to be a couple of [miles] from [Tel Aviv's] Ben-Gurion Airport in the age of shoulder-fire missiles with the capacity to shoot down jumbo jets. But that doesn't mean we must remain in every corner of the West Bank or in Gaza, where fewer than 10,000 Jews, living next to 1.3 million Palestinians, have been protected by twice as many soldiers.
Ehud Olmert