Top 77 Ehud Olmert Quotes

I don’t like this terminology that you have no choice. You always have a choice.

The fundamental interest – long-range strategic interest – of the state of Israel is that we will have the international bodies and primarily the United Nations recognize the two-state solution, so that there will never be any doubt as to the right of Israel to have its own Jewish independent state.

Iran is an anti-Semitic, terrorist government.

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.

I was not interested in being minister of defense or minister of foreign affairs.

I always admired the tolerance of my family – you know, that they tolerated my dissension for the family consensus.

When you fight for the impossible, sometimes you lose everything.

The State of Israel, in partnership with Project Better Place and Renault-Nissan, is set to become the first country in the world to initiate the mass deployment of electric vehicles.

I love my country more than anything else.

Abu Mazen told me he does not want to change the demographics of Israel.

There were certain people who were out to get me. I know who those people were. They exist, believe me. They know that I know. They spent millions of dollars in order to try to get rid of me. I’m happy they lost most of their money.

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.

Israel stands proudly at the forefront of international achievement. The world’s leading corporations – Google, Intel and Motorola, to name but a few – maintain research and development facilities here, and our technology start-ups continue to be acquired by the likes of AOL, eBay and IBM.

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.

The values of democracy, brotherhood, and freedom that constitute the building blocks of American society are also shared by Israeli society, together with the faith in man’s power and ability to change and influence his surroundings.

The military operation in Lebanon was the most successful military operation in recent Israeli history. Many in Israel don’t recognise that.

Before I became prime minister, as mayor of Jerusalem, I became world-renowned because of my fight for the unity of Jerusalem.

Look, miracles in the Middle East are a reality.

I understand the importance which the Palestinian society attributes to the issue of prisoners.

I want to lead. I want to change. And I’m going to do it.

Israel is prepared for a compromise. The majority of Israelis understand this compromise will be serious, will be meaningful, and will be painful.

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.

The legacies of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat, of Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein, stand as an inspiration for all who work for peace.

Don’t fall in love with everything that you may have read and everything that you may have heard from any political leader, including myself.

Nobody stands above the law.

I’m entirely free of any suspicions or complaints about the Obama administration. I think the Obama administration is very friendly to Israel. I know a lot of the people in the administration, and they are committed to Israel.

Israel will not tolerate a situation in which Iran has effective control of non-conventional weapons that can be used directly against the state of Israel.

What’s the logic of investing millions in agriculture if it will not pay off?

I was not born to be prime minister, and I’m not going to stay here until the end of my life. I’m too young for that.

Mofaz was elected to head Kadima since the party had been shattered.

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 can tell you that if I’d had an opportunity to meet with King Abdullah of the Saudis – which I have not – he would be very surprised to hear what I have to say.

In Israel, we are sorry for the loss of life of Turkish citizens in May 2010, when Israel confronted a provocative flotilla of ships bound for Gaza. I am sure that the proper way to express these sentiments to the Turkish government and the Turkish people can be found.

We must give up Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem and return to the core of the territory that is the State of Israel prior to 1967, with minor corrections dictated by the reality created since then.

Yasser Arafat never wanted to make peace with Israel.

It is impossible to think of a world in which America was not there in the honorable service of humanity.

It’s a problem sometimes when you speak to journalists. They quote you, and then they read what they wrote, and then they even explain it. It’s dangerous.

Barack Obama’s journey to the White House has impressed and inspired the entire world.

The United States provides Israel with crucial security and economic aid and invaluable political backing in the international arena.

Israel is grateful that America believes in us.

I never thought that Syria and Israel should engage in a violent confrontation because I don’t think that there is any particular interest for any of us to do it.

I’m not in power, but my ideas are in power. And my ideas will prevail.

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.

If the Gaza ceasefire proves stable, Israel will not remain in the Strip.

As long as there are no negotiations with the Palestinians, Israel is and will continue to be in a difficult situation.

When armed people from Hamas and armed people from Fatah are standing opposite each other, there is more likely to be a confrontation amongst them.

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.’

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.

Emerging from embattled and humble beginnings, the Jewish state has exceeded all expectations for its success and prosperity.

Every prime minister … has the responsibility to provide security for his people.

Arafat is the greatest instigator of terror.

I’ve been mayor of the city of Jerusalem, which is perhaps, in some ways, more complex and more difficult than a ministerial position.

Dictates are futile, and mutual accusations are nothing but useless word games.

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 Palestinian Authority is ruled by Hamas, an organization committed to vehement anti-Semitism, the glorification of terror, and the total destruction of Israel.

Saudi Arabia is the country that in the end will determine the ability of the Arabs to reach a compromise with Israel.

As a young politician, I voted against the return of Sinai and peace with Egypt. I was mistaken.

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.

A prime minister has to keep a certain balance when dealing with sensitive issues.

Political leaders can help change the psychological climate which affects the quality of relationships among people.

The days that Israel was separated from Europe are gone.

The United States is a superpower whose influence reaches across oceans and beyond borders.

I sometimes feel tired. But there are so many reasons for being tired.

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.

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.

There is no need to get caught up in any apocalyptic prophecies that have no basis in reality.

Historic scores cannot be settled, and scars cannot be obliterated.

Israel has the power to protect itself and its citizens.

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.

A bloc of states is emerging that understands that they may have been wrong to think that Israel is the world’s greatest problem.

In Israel we tend to be carried away by our emotions.

I want to separate from the Palestinians. I want them to have their independent, separate state on a contiguous territory, and I want Israel to exist, of course, as a Jewish state in its own territory, as an independent state in its own territory. The Palestinian state, the Israeli state, separate. This is my dream.

We are the greatest experts in the world in criticizing our country, but no one loves his country more than the Israelis. No one.

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.

I trust the integrity of the British government and the British soldiers.

Peace is important for Israel.

I’m not saying it was wrong to intervene in Kosovo.