Wednesday, January 9, 04:22 PM EST Bush-Olmert Text
Text of President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Wednesday, as provided by the White House.
OLMERT: Good evening. I am proud and delighted to welcome President Bush to the Prime Minister's home in Jerusalem. We spent more than two and a half hours talking privately and with the delegations, and this was a very interesting and I think very important meeting, Mr. President.
I think your visit is timely and is very important to encourage the process that you and Secretary Rice helped start in Annapolis a few weeks ago, and that we, both sides, I believe, are very seriously trying to move forward with now, in order to realize the vision of a two-state solution, a Palestinian state for the Palestinian people and the state of Israel, the homeland of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
I want to thank you, this opportunity, for the friendship and the support for the security of the state of Israel that you have manifested for a long period of time, throughout your tenure as President of the United States of America. This last year you decided to increase the annual support for the state of Israel for an overall package of $30 billion, which is remarkable and important and is very helpful for the future of the state of Israel.
We discussed regional issues and the bilateral relations between Israel and America and, naturally, of course, the progress that we envisage for the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. And I hope, Mr. President, that you felt through these talks that the Israeli team is absolutely committed to carry on these negotiations in a very serious manner, to deal with all the core issues that we need to deal in order to bring about an agreement that will have to be implemented, subject, of course, to the implementation of the road map, as we agreed with the Palestinians and as you have announced in Annapolis in the international meeting. That was a very important and encouraging meeting, with the participation of so many countries coming from the region and from all parts of the world.
We are dealing with serious security problems. Only today the terrorists were shooting many Qassam rockets on the southern part of Israel, and mortar shells, and a few of the rockets landed inside the city of Sderot. This is a serious problem. Israel does not tolerate and will not tolerate the continuation of these vicious attacks on uninvolved and innocent civilians living in our cities. And we made it clear to everyone that we'll take all the necessary measures in order to reach out for those who are responsible for these attacks, and we will not hesitate to take all the necessary measures in order to stop them.
There will be no peace unless terror is stopped, and terror will have to be stopped everywhere. We made it clear to the Palestinians; they know it, and they understand that Gaza must be a part of the package, and that as long as there will be terror from Gaza it will be very, very hard to reach any peaceful understanding between us and the Palestinians.
Mr. President, I want to thank you for your visit, for your efforts, for your friendship, for the power that you used for good causes for this region and for the world. Welcome.
BUSH: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you. I view this as an historic moment. It's a historic opportunity, Mr. Prime Minister, first of all, to work together to deal with the security of Israel and the Palestinian people - matter of fact, the security of people who just simply want to live in peace.
We're in conflict with radicals and extremists who are willing to murder innocent people to achieve a dark vision. And this is an historic opportunity for the world to fight that - to fight those terrorists. It's an historic opportunity to spread freedom as a great alternative to their ideology, as a society based upon human rights and human dignity, a society in which every man, woman and child is free. And it's a historic opportunity to work for peace. And I want to thank you for being a partner in peace.
I believe that two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace is in the best interests of America and the world. I believe it's in the long-term security interests of Israel, and I know, to provide a more hopeful society for the Palestinians. And that's why I articulated this vision early in my presidency. And that's why I'm so pleased to have - to watch two leaders, you and President Abbas, work hard to achieve that vision.
It's in the interests of all of us that that vision come to be. I'm under no illusions, it's going to be hard work. I fully understand that there's going to be some painful political compromises. I fully understand that there's going to be some tough negotiations. And the role of the United States is to help in those negotiations.
It's essential that people understand America cannot dictate the terms of what a state will look like. The only way to have lasting peace, the only way for an agreement to mean anything, is for the two parties to come together and make the difficult choices. But we'll help, and we want to help. If it looks like there needs to be a little pressure, Mr. Prime Minister, you know me well enough to know I'll be more than willing to provide it. I will say the same thing to President Abbas tomorrow, as well.
I come - you know, people in America say, well, do you really think these guys are serious? We've heard a lot of rhetoric in the past, a lot of grand proclamations. I wouldn't be standing here if I did not believe that you, Mr. Prime Minister, and President Abbas and your negotiators were serious. It is my considered judgment that people now understand the stakes and the opportunity. And our job, Mr. Prime Minister, help you seize that opportunity.
In the rest of my trip I will be talking about the opportunity for Middle Eastern peace, and remind people in the neighborhood that if they truly want to see two states living side by side in peace, they have an obligation, Arab leaders have an obligation to recognize Israel's important contribution to peace and stability in the Middle East, and to encourage and support the Palestinians as they make tough choices. I'm an optimistic people - people say, do you think it's possible during your presidency, and the answer is, I'm very hopeful and will work hard to that end.
We also talked about Iran. Iran is a threat to world peace. There was a recent intelligence report that came out that I think sent the signal to some that said perhaps the United States does not view an Iran with a nuclear weapon as serious - as a serious problem. And I want to remind people, Mr. Prime Minister, what I said at the press conference when I discussed that National Intelligence Estimate. I said then that Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat, and Iran will be a threat if the international community does not come together and prevent that nation from the development of the know-how to build a nuclear weapon. A country which once had a secret program can easily restart a secret program. A country which can enrich for civilian purposes can easily transfer that knowledge to a military program. A country which has made statements that it's made about the security of our friend, Israel, is a country that needs to be taken seriously. And the international community must understand with clarity the threat that Iran provides to world peace.
And we will continue to work with European countries, Russia and China, as well as nations in this neighborhood, to make it abundantly clear that - the threat that Iran poses for world peace.
So we've had a very constructive dialogue, and I'm not surprised. This isn't the first time we've had a chance to visit. Every time we've had I've come away impressed by your steadfast desire to not only protect your people, but to implement a vision that will lead to peace in the long-term. Thanks for having me.01/09/08 16:20 EST
Bush-Olmert Text AP
Posted: 2008-01-09 16:23:47
OLMERT: I very much, sincerely, hope that all of those in the coalition will remain in the coalition as full partners, and I would certainly not like to have a political crisis. I don't think that anyone who is responsible - has a responsibility such as I have would like to see any kind of an undermining of the stability of this government. It is a stable government, a government that has been operating in many different directions, with very impressive achievements, which the party of Avigdor Lieberman, Yisrael Beiteinu, is part of this effort, part of these achievements; whether it's in the economic field or the political one, or when it comes to security, or the deterrence ability of the state of Israel.
And everyone knows that this government has had some very impressive achievements on its record over the past year. And Lieberman's party was certainly a partner in this process, and I'd like them to stay part of the process. I think that the gap between us is smaller than it appears, and I will do everything within my power to ensure that the coalition remains stable. The state of Israel must be part of a serious peace process. We cannot forego this; we cannot obscure it; we must not delay it. It would be wrong to delay it.
Let me say something in Hebrew - since I know that the President does not speak Hebrew, I'll say it in Hebrew, because, after all, you know, you're not supposed to praise people in their presence, so I'll say it in Hebrew. Well, then, what I'd like to say is, thank God I can conduct political negotiations with George Bush at my side as one of my partners. Thank God we can conduct political negotiations when the largest and most important power in the world, and the most important for us, is headed by such an important friend of Israel.
We have no interest in delaying matters. We don't want to procrastinate with the negotiations, lest changes for the worse take place on the Palestinian front. And we certainly don't want to delay the negotiation process when we have such political assistance, assistance with respect to our security, too, when it comes to the most important power in the world, being led by a person who is so deeply committed to the security of the state of Israel, and to realizing the vision of two states; a person who is fair, who does not hide his viewpoints, who speaks openly about his will to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a state that will be secure not at the expense of the interests of the state of Israel.
I believe that any responsible political leader in the state of Israel will understand that this is a moment that must not be missed. This is an opportunity that must not be passed up. We must do everything we can - okay, we can have occasional internal arguments. The President has said that some very difficult decisions must be made. He is right, but I am not afraid of difficult decisions. I am willing to contend with difficult decisions. I am willing to make decisions that will entail painful compromises, so long as they enable us to reach the goal that we have dreamt of for so long, to ensure ourselves of security, and to give the Palestinians the state of their own that will be vibrant, democratic, open, and living in peace alongside Israel.
At the head of our negotiating team is the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. She bears a very heavy responsibility. We work in full cooperation, and I am convinced that she will wisely succeed, together with Abu Allah, head of the Palestinian team, in navigating through these negotiations in such a manner that the vital interests of the state of Israel are served well on the basis of a deep understanding.
BUSH: The interpreter got it right. (Laughter.)
OLMERT: Thank you, Mr. President.
BUSH: Yes, Toby.
Q: Mr. President, what is the United States prepared - what action is the United States prepared to take if there is another confrontation with Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz? Your National Security Advisor this morning spoke about consequences if there was a repeat.
And, Mr. Prime Minister, why is there no three-way meeting scheduled on this trip?
BUSH: The National Security Advisor was making it abundantly clear that all options are on the table to protect our assets.
She's referring to, Mr. Prime Minister, the fact that our ships were moving along very peacefully off the Iranian border in territorial water - international waters, and Iranian boats came out and were very provocative. And it was a dangerous gesture on their part. We have made it clear publicly, and they know our position, and that is, there will be serious consequences if they attack our ships, pure and simple. And my advice to them is, don't do it.
Q: Why is there no three-way meeting on this trip?
OLMERT: We had a three-way meeting in the United States just a month ago. We are starting now a serious process directly with the Palestinians. The President met with the Israeli delegation and with me today. He will meet tomorrow with President Mahmoud Abbas, and I'm sure that all the necessary information will be provided and all the curiosity of the President will be satisfied. And ideally, this is a very good and comfortable - (inaudible.)
I don't rule out, by the way, trilateral meetings. Maybe in the future we'll have trilateral meetings. We are not against it. We just found out at this time in life, considering what we have achieved already and what we are about to start now in a serious manner, that it was not essential in order to fulfill the desires that we all share, which is to move forward in this process between us and the Palestinians.
I can reassure you, and perhaps through you, many of your people in America, that we think - and I'm sure that the Palestinians think - that the visit of the President is very, very helpful to the process that we are engaged in, and that it contributes - and it will contribute a lot to the stability and the very comfortable environment within which we will conduct our negotiations.
And, therefore, I again want to take this opportunity, Mr. President - now you don't even get - (laughter) - to thank you very much; really to thank you for your friendship and your support and the courage that you inspire in all of us to carry on with our obligations. It's not easy. You know, sometimes it's not easy, but when I look at you, and I know what you have to take upon your shoulders and how you do it, the manner in which you do it, the courage that you have, the determination that you have, and your loyalty to the principles that you believe in - it makes all of us feel that we can also - in trying to match you, which we can, we can move forward. Thank you very much.
BUSH: Thank you, sir. END
Bush Arrives, Meeting with Olmert and Peres in Jerusalem
by Hillel Fendel JAN 9,08
(IsraelNN.com) US President George W. Bush arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport shortly before noon Wednesday, and was welcomed warmly by President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and a host of dozens of dignitaries.
R-L: Israel President Simon Peres, US President George Bush, and (far left) Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at airport welcome ceremony for Bush Flash 90
Notable in his absence at the well-orchestrated red-carpet ceremony was Pensioners Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan, who was Jonathan Pollard's handler in the 1980s when he headed the Israeli Intelligence Lakam Bureau. Commentators raised the possibility that his absence was linked to a desire not to irk the visting President Bush with a reminder about Pollard – but this appears to be untrue, as Eitan is invited to a special gathering with Bush later on today.Issues on the agenda between Bush and his hosts will likely include the Iranian threat, Israel's position vis-à-vis the talks with the Palestinian Authority and the possibility of a future Palestinian state, and – in some meetings - Jonathan Pollard. Olmert has given no indication as to whether he will bring up the topic with Bush.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US President George Bush at welcome ceremony for Bush
Following earlier reports that Bush did not plan on meeting with Opposition Leader and ex-Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, staffers from Bush's office contacted Netanyahu and asked to schedule a meeting with him. It has long been a tradition that visiting dignitaries meet with Israel's opposition leader.Many Jerusalem streets were closed to traffic for close to an hour in honor of Bush's visit – but the resulting traffic jams were smaller than expected. This was because many Jerusalemites simply decided to stay home today, in anticipation of the difficulties Bush's visit would cause. Video from some 150 cameras, photographing intersections around the city and arriving at the traffic headquarters on the Givat Mordechai overpass atop Menachem Begin Highway, shows that the roads are relatively empty.Only 29 cars that were parked in forbidden areas were towed away over the night. Motorists had been warned beforehand not to park in certain areas along the expected route of President Bush from the Givat Ram University campus helicopter landing pad to the King David Hotel.Thursday and Friday, as well, many streets will be closed intermittently, in order to allow Bush's motorcade to pass unhindered and safely. On Thursday, Bush will likely fly by helicopter to Ramallah, just north of Jerusalem, and no roads to the nearby Jewish towns of Beit El and Psagot are expected to be affected. Bush is to leave Israel on Friday.
Olmert, Abbas Agree to Negotiate Over Jerusalem
by Gil Ronen JAN 9,08
(IsraelNN.com) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas agreed Tuesday to begin negotiations over the three core issues on which Israel is expected to make concessions: the division of Jerusalem, a return to pre-1967 borders and an influx of Arabs into pre-1967 Israel. Despite this, neither Yisrael Beiteinu nor Shas said they would leave the coalition. Yisrael Beiteinu chief Avigdor Lieberman's close associates told the press that he did not intend to create a political crisis at this time, and Shas hinted that a deal for the release of Jonathan Pollard could leave it in the government.The negotiations between Israel and the PA will be held in what was termed a three layered model, according to Ynet: in the central layer, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and PA negotiator Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala) will discuss the core issues directly. Next, negotiation teams will hammer out the details of the agreements reached by Livni and Qureia (the bottom layer). Finally, if certain problems prove intractable, they will be discussed by Olmert and Abbas. According to Haaretz, there will be separate committees to discuss security arrangements, trade and economic issues, judicial matters and other civil matters.
Lieberman won't create crisis now
Abbas and Olmert's meeting Tuesday lasted two hours and parts of it were held by the two with no one else present in the room. The mood, said Olmert's confidantes, was very good.Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu), meanwhile, will not be leaving the government despite the decision to begin discussion of core issues. Although Lieberman threatened Monday that core issue discussions would mean the end of his partnership in the coalition, he appeared to backtrack Tuesday.
Jerusalem in ancient Medba mosaic Map
Ynet quoted Lieberman's close associates Tuesday as saying that the minister had no intention of leaving the coalition. Lieberman is not interested in bringing about a political crisis during President Bush's visit to Israel, they explained. They added, however, that he would be demanding clarifications from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The Jerusalem Post said Lieberman saw the latest developments gravely, however. Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said that they saw no reason why Lieberman should bolt the coalition. The core issues have come up in all of the discussions between the leaders until now and negotiations about them will continue. The associates were also quoted as saying Lieberman did not want to resign or create dramas and crises during the Bush visit.Lieberman: people attacking from the right are the last ones who can preach to us.
Lieberman told Ynet: I am not taking back what I said earlier in the week, about leaving the government if discussions of the core issues begin. However, we will not create a crisis now during the U.S. President's visit. It is too important for all of us. Now we will deal with the matters that are important to everyone, right and left, and next week after I receive clarifications from the Prime Minister I will decide what step to take.In a hint at the Likud, Lieberman said that the people attacking him from the right are the last ones who can preach to us, because some of them stayed in the Sharon government during the Disengagement period.
Shas wants Pollard
MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) called on Lieberman Tuesday to quit the government immediately. This is the last chance for Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu to stand behind the statements they made during the elections, despite having broken all of their promises since then. Lieberman's exit could help the Likud and the national camp defend Jerusalem and the future of the country from the going-out-of-business sale Olmert is holding in Yishai: The release of Jonathan Pollard will make it more difficult for me to object to initiatives.order to save himself from the Winograd Commission, Erdan said.
Shas, the hareidi-religious Sephardic party, is in no hurry to leave the government either: Shas said it will stay in the coalition if the U.S. releases Jonathan Pollard. According to Shas chairman Eli Yishai, Shas intends to pass President Bush a letter from its mentor, Rabbi Ovadya Yosef, asking him to release Pollard. The letter will be handed to Bush by Prime Minister Olmert. The release of Jonathan Pollard by the U.S., in a tit-for-tat agreement, will make it more difficult for me to object to initiatives to strengthen Abu Mazen, Yishai told Ynet. The release of Pollard will create wide agreement in the people for diplomatic progress, Yishai said.
Bush: Historic chance for Mideast peace JAN 09,08
JERUSALEM - President Bush has declared that there is a historic moment, a historic opportunity to achieve Mideast peace. Bush, seeking to pull Israel and the Palestinians toward serious negotiations, said Wednesday that despite ongoing land squabbles and fears of violence he has high hopes that a Mideast peace pact can be achieved before he leaves office at the end of the year.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that both Israelis and Palestinians are very seriously trying to move forward to realize a vision of a two-state solution.Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting President Bush, Olmert said Israel was serious about implementing the road map peace plan for creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel.Both sides, I believe, are very seriously trying to move forward in order to realize the vision of two states living side by side in peace, Olmert said.I come as an optimistic person and a realistic person — realistic in my understanding that it's vital for the world to fight terrorists, to confront those who would murder the innocent to achieve political objectives, Bush said as he began his first presidential visit to Israel.
His first formal meeting was with Israeli President Shimon Peres, who said the peace conference Bush hosted late last year in Annapolis, Md., gave all parties in the difficult Mideast peace process one year to make progress.Time is so precious, Peres said.
With Bush's days in office nearing their end, Peres said all sides must take this chance extremely seriously.I also believe that the process may be slow, but the progress can be sweet, he said.Bush acknowledged the complexity of the task ahead for Israel.You know, its politics can be rough sometimes just like the politics of America can be rough, Bush said. But nevertheless, we share a common vision of peace.Bush is trying to build momentum for stalled Mideast peace talks and clear up confusion about whether the United States is serious about confronting Iran about its suspected nuclear ambitions. The president said both the United States and Israel have been targeted by terrorists, and he compared the battle against extremists to World War II.I come with high hopes, Bush said. And the role of the United States will be to foster a vision of peace. The role of the Israeli leadership and the Palestinian leadership is going to do the hard work necessary to define a vision.After his meeting with Peres, Bush began one with Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister.
There's been little headway since Bush hosted the splashy Mideast conference in November in Annapolis, which launched the first major peace talks in seven years. And just before Bush arrived, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip bombarded southern Israel with rocket and mortar fire.Bush's three-day visit to Israel and the West Bank does not include stops near or in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Islamic Hamas militants who are not a party to negotiations.Bush got a warm welcome in Israel. Yet in Gaza, Palestinian hardliners staged small protests against Bush, underscoring the deep political split with West Bank moderates who have welcomed the visit of the U.S. president as an important gesture to the Palestinians. Among those marching was a shadowy al-Qaida-inspired group, which for the first time appeared in public with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and uttered vague threats against U.S. targets.
At Peres' official residence, Bush was greeted by several dozen school children wearing white shirts and waving Israeli and U.S. flags. The children danced and sang a disco medley of Israeli folk and peace songs. Bush and Peres waded into the crowd, and slowly swayed to the music. Peres beamed, and an emotional Bush smiled, putting his arm around one boy and high-fiving other children. Peres underscored Bush's hopes — considered unrealistic by many in the Mideast — to bridge decades of differences in just one year and reach agreement for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The next 12 months will be a moment of truth, Peres told Bush at an airport arrival ceremony complete with red carpets and a military band. It must not yield just words.Bush offered an equally optimistic view of prospects for peace when he arrived earlier in Tel Aviv, saying We see a new opportunity for peace here in the Holy Land and for freedom across the region.Unpopular at home, Bush was greeted here with smiles and warm handshakes. You are our strongest and most trusted ally in the battle against terrorism and fundamentalism and a staunch supporter of our quest for peace and stability, Olmert told the president upon his arrival. Bush also stressed the deep U.S.-Israel ties. The alliance between our two nations helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state, Bush said. That remark lent support to Israel on one of the core issues in the conflict. The Palestinians oppose calling Israel a Jewish state, saying it rules out the right of Palestinian refugees to return to lost properties in Israel. They say the fate of the refugees is a matter for negotiations. Bush has referred to Israel as Jewish state in the past but the reference — here in the region — had special significance.
On the eve of Bush's arrival, Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to have negotiators begin work immediately on the so-called final status issues. These include the final borders between Israel and a future Palestine, completing claims to the holy city of Jerusalem, the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and Israeli security concerns. Still, expectations of success are low, and no one is predicting big breakthroughs as Bush visits Israel and the Palestinian-governed West Bank — two stops on a visit that also will take him to Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The Palestinians are angry about Israeli plans to build new housing in east Jerusalem and the West Bank — areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. Israel, for its part, has demanded that Palestinian forces do more to rein in militants in the West Bank. Since Olmert and Abbas last met, two Israelis were killed in the West Bank, and Israeli security forces say members of Abbas' Fatah movement were responsible. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gave a boost to Palestinian arguments about Israeli settlements. In an interview published Wednesday, Rice said that Israeli construction in Palestinian-claimed east Jerusalem constitutes settlement activity and is opposed by the U.S.
Rice's comments, published in The Jerusalem Post daily, marked the U.S. administration's strongest criticism yet of Israeli policies in disputed east Jerusalem. The Palestinians are expected to put settlements at the top of their agenda when they meet Bush on Thursday. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been overshadowed by Israel's decision last month to build 300 more apartments in Har Homa, an Israeli neighborhood being built in east Jerusalem. Some 7,000 Israelis already live in Har Homa. Har Homa is a settlement the United States has opposed from the very beginning, Rice said. Bush says he also will work to explain a new U.S. intelligence report that concluded — contrary to earlier White House assertions — that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in 2003. That finding undercut U.S. efforts to build support for sanctions against Iran and raised questions about whether the White House was losing its interest in confronting Iran.
