Olmert
Photo: AP
President Mahmoud Abbas
Photo: AFP
Olmert: No alternative to Israeli-Palestinian talks
Prime minister says direct talks between Israel, Palestinians are only way to solving Middle East conflict, warns Hamas is bent on destroying Israel with Iran's help
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
said Monday that direct talks between Israel
and the Palestinians were the only way to solving the Middle East conflict.
Speaking ahead of a quadrilateral Israeli-Arab summit in Egypt, Olmert said: "There is no alternative to direct talks with the Palestinians.
"Twenty-two Arab states are saying they want to make peace with Israel and to recognize it … But don't expect to see us signing a deal at the end of the day," he said of the summit in Sharam al-Sheikh.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak invited Olmert, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah for talks in the Red Sea resort to discuss Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip and ways to embolden Abbas.
"We have to find our partner in the other side if we want to build a future. We need to find someone who is ready to speak with us, who refuses to surrender to terrorists," Olmert added.
Olmert warned that Hamas was bent on destroying Israel with backing from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"Hamas does not want to recognize us and certainly not to make peace with us. Hamas wants to destroy us like Ahmadinejad in Iran wants," he said.
