Ehud Olmert

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Iran is a major threat to the well-being of Europe and America just as much as it is for the state of Israel.”

“Look, miracles in the Middle East are a reality.”

“Palestinian violence is not a response to the capture of the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinian nationalism's roots are not so shallow.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“It is important that democracy in Lebanon is protected and that Hezbollah will not be supported by outside forces like Syria and Iran.”

“There is no doubt that there is a very strange phenomenon called the 'State Comptroller.'”

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

“Iran is an anti-Semitic, terrorist government.”

“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?”

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

“Turkey is not an enemy of Israel. I have worked closely with the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”

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

“Yasser Arafat never wanted to make peace with Israel.”

“Stopping all the violent and hostile actions means ending the smuggling of arms into the Gaza territory.”