Excerpts from Meeting Between

Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and Foreign Press Association

Jerusalem, June 10, 2006

Mitch Potter:  Thank you.  Mitch Potter from the Toronto Star Newspaper.  I’d like to ask you about what some Israeli political analysts have been saying in the past few days and that is that if there is an intent to even or... the effect of some of these policies in Gaza might dislodge in some way the Hamas government, some Israeli political analysts are warning that that actually could have a terrible effect even for Israel as well as the Palestinians.  The outcome they say might be that Gaza devolves into a kind of semi-chaos where you actually have no governments at all.  You have local towns with local power brokers and no address on the other side for Israel to deal with in any way.  Can you speak to that please?

PM Olmert:  I believe that you know in the Toronto Star that there are more than just a few Israeli analysts with whom I disagree.  They’re not just a few, there are more than that.  But I also think that you know just as well, that there are quite a [lot] more Israeli analysts that entirely agree with the judgment that we made about the measures that we need to take in order to defend Israeli people.  We are a democracy, unlike the Hamas or some of the Arab countries, there is a genuine and open and a very dynamic political debate within the State of Israel, and some of the analysts that are opposed to me exercise their right to be wrong on a continuous basis.  And that’s fair enough.  I have a different observation, I have a different judgment.  I think that I don’t know of one democratic government in the world, one, one – those who support us, and those who preach to us – that would have sat and done nothing when a thousand missiles are shot at innocent civilians in the heart of the country.  I can imagine that some of those countries that preach to us would have done a lot more in a more brutal and vicious and cruel way against civilian populations than what we did, the minimum that we are doing in order to defend our people.  And within Israel there are some who disagree with the government.  I think that they are wrong, but I will definitely defend their right to continue to exercise their right to express their opinions in all the different channels as they do.

Mitch Potter:  No concern that after Hamas something worse could come?  Is that not part of the advice you’re being given? 

PM Olmert:  You know, in theory there are many dangers.  I want to remind you that more than a year and a half ago, I think as a result of the very tough and unyielding position of the Government under Ariel Sharon, and some measures that were taken against Hamas, some of which were criticized at the time, the Hamas requested a Hudna and a ceasefire.  And the reason they did it was because they understood that this equation is not necessarily in their favor.  So, there are many opportunities and many possible developments and no one of us can be in total control of all the different options.  What I’m trying to do in a very careful manner, with a very genuine regard for the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian population that lives alongside the State of Israel, is to offer security for my people, and mind you, I am criticized in Israel mostly, not for attacking the Palestinians, but for not doing enough to protect the Israeli people, for not attacking more the Palestinians, for not taking more severe measures in order to protect the Israeli people.  That’s the main thrust to the opposition against me in the State of Israel.  Not by some political analysts that think that we have to come and pay tribute and respects to [Syrian-based Hamas leader] Khalid Mashal.  Most of those who attack me, attack me because they don’t think that I take enough measures in order to stop it, even harsher and more aggressive measures against the Palestinians and against the terrorist organizations.  And again, the emphasis of my policy is to do what needs to be done for the sake of security and not anything more, because of our sensitivity to the life conditions of many Palestinians who are victims just as we are victims of these terrorist, aggressive and extremist, fundamentalist organizations.

Janis Mackey-Frayer: Janis Mackey-Frayer from CTV, Canadian Television.  With a number of operations in Gaza in the past couple of years, Zaitun, Jebaliah, Beit Lahia, Beit Hanun – all of them have been done under the auspices of trying to stop the Qassam fire.  There have also been thousands of artillery shells that have been lobbed into Gaza since the beginning of this year.  What makes you think that this campaign is going to be any more successful in stopping the Qassams when there has been little history of it, and at what point will you say: yes, that’s enough, and this is a success?

PM Olmert: What do you mean at what point I will say: yes, that’s enough, that’s enough for me defending myself, now you guys can carry on and shoot more and more of your missiles trying to cause more and more damage to Israelis? I mean, what else could Israel do other than to pull out entirely from Gaza and stay in a territory which all the international community recognizes to be the official part of the State of Israel, to expect the Palestinians to stop terror and shooting from Gaza.  I don’t want to say at what time I will stop.  I will stop when I feel that I can provide security for the people of Israel.  I will not stop until then.  I will continue to take every possible legitimate measures of self-defense that will help provide better security for the people of Israel.  The timing will be determined by the aggressors.  The timing will be defined by those who initiate terrorist actions against the State of Israel, and so it’s entirely up to them.  If they will stop it, we will stop it.  Unless they will stop it, we will continue to take measures in order to defend the Israeli people in the south part of the country or in any other part of the country.  By the way, thinking about the former question about the opinion polls, I just wanted to remind you that the same opinion polls that support the kidnapping of the Israeli corporal also support the suicidal attacks against innocent Israelis.  So what do you want to learn from these opinion polls?