Ehud Olmert
As mayor of Jerusalem, I wanted the government to invest the necessary funds in order to unite the city in an effective manner with full rights for the Palestinians living in Jerusalem, so the world would say, 'Okay, it can work.'Collection: Government
For me, Arik Sharon - I remember his courage and inspiration. I want to remember him the way he really was, not as an aging 80-year-old man living in bed helpless and unconscious.Collection: Courage
Iran is an anti-Semitic, terrorist government.Collection: Government
I never took a bribe. This is the truth, and there is no other.
Israel has said many times - and I also said this to German television in an interview - that we will not be the first country that introduces nuclear weapons to the Middle East.
As a young politician, I voted against the return of Sinai and peace with Egypt. I was mistaken.
The legacies of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, of Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein, stand as an inspiration for all who work for peace.
The United States provides Israel with crucial security and economic aid and invaluable political backing in the international arena.
Throughout the second intifada, America provided unprecedented support for Israel's struggle against Palestinian terrorism and Israel's construction of the security barrier.
Every word I wrote in my book is documented, certified, true, and correct. The truth wins, and that is my picture.
I have found myself under a wave of investigation and criticism from the moment I was elected. Since my first days in the Prime Minister's Office I have had to fight against evil attacks while I have been busy making decisions on crucial matters related to Israel's security and existence.
As a citizen of a democratic state, I have always believed that when a prime minister is elected in Israel, even those who voted against him at the polls are obligated to desire his success.
In my position as prime minister, I bear the highest responsibility for decisions.
Have I made mistakes in my many years of political activity? Of course! I am sorry and regret them.
I want to make one thing clear: I am proud to be a citizen of a country in which a prime minister can be investigated like any other citizen.
What's the logic of investing millions in agriculture if it will not pay off?
As one of the participants in the Aqaba summit, I can testify that Israel fully expected the Palestinian Authority's newly reorganized and trained security agencies to take harsh action against the rejectionists who sought to wreck the peace process.
Terrorist groups and their extremist state sponsors cannot be fought with kid gloves and flowery words of persuasion. As the U.S. has displayed in Afghanistan and in Iraq, only a vigilant and determined campaign of confrontation can deter and obstruct them.
I would never agree to an exclusive Muslim sovereignty over areas that are religiously important to Jews and Christians.
Promoting tolerance and human dignity is one of mankind's unfinished challenges.
I always wake up early Saturday morning, and I have a little bit more time, so I go to the gym.
Political leaders can help change the psychological climate which affects the quality of relationships among people.
Many Palestinians have been living for decades in camps, disconnected from the environment in which they grew up, wallowing in poverty, in neglect, alienation, bitterness, and a deep, unrelenting sense of humiliation.
Palestinian violence is not a response to the capture of the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian nationalism's roots are not so shallow.
The Palestinian Authority is ruled by Hamas, an organization committed to vehement anti-Semitism, the glorification of terror, and the total destruction of Israel.
Historic scores cannot be settled, and scars cannot be obliterated.
Arafat is the greatest instigator of terror.
Barack Obama's journey to the White House has impressed and inspired the entire world.
Yasser Arafat never wanted to make peace with Israel.
When public figures write memoirs, there is always some indecision regarding how much they want to write of things as they were and how much they want to cut corners to avoid riling up others. I decided to write my memoirs exactly as they were, and I will not digress - not when things are ill at ease and not when they are comfortable.
Terrorist organizations such as Hamas must be shut down.
The history of the Zionist enterprise is well-known: surrounded and outnumbered by hostile neighbours, the nascent Israel was forced to defend itself against invasion and certain destruction.
The dreadful terrorism perpetrated by Palestinian terrorist organizations has affected thousands of Israeli citizens, has destroyed families, and has tried to disrupt the lives of the citizens of Israel.
How are fears born? They are born because of differences in tradition and history; they are born because of differences in emotional, political and national circumstances. Because of such differences, people fear they cannot live together.
The military operation in Lebanon was the most successful military operation in recent Israeli history. Many in Israel don't recognise that.
Every prime minister ... has the responsibility to provide security for his people.
When the President of Iran talks about removing Israel from the face of the Earth and is building nuclear bombs with a range of 3000km, you have to be worried.
Growing up in Israel, how can I not be an optimist? When you remember what Israel was 50 years ago and you see Israel now, one of the most successful countries in the world, stable, democratic, with an enormously stable economy despite everything that has happened in the global economy in the last few years, how can I not be an optimist?
It is important that democracy in Lebanon is protected and that Hezbollah will not be supported by outside forces like Syria and Iran.
In Israel we tend to be carried away by our emotions.
A prime minister must not promise things that can't be fulfilled.
A prime minister has to keep a certain balance when dealing with sensitive issues.
There is a Western world. There is America. There is Great Britain and Germany and France and Russia and China and other nations. I doubt that there is one country amongst those I mentioned which has a desire to see Iran, with its fundamentalist, Islamic, extremist government, possessing nuclear weapons.
There is nothing that I'd love to do more than negotiate with Palestinians. This is my desire. This is my dream. This is my mission.
I don't know that there is one serious American representative that will advise Israel to sit with a terrorist government and negotiate with them.
For me to propose a division of Jerusalem was really terrible. I did it because I reached a conclusion that without which there will not be peace.
I love my country more than anything else.
I think the attempt to draw a comparison between Iran and Syria is false, misleading and dangerous.
I am focused on what needs to be done for the people of Israel. Period. I do not pity myself and I do not pat myself on the shoulder. I get up in the morning full of energy to fulfill my mission.
I 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.