Former prime minister Ehud Olmert said, Sunday evening, "If we want to make sure that Israel continues to be a democratic Jewish state, there is no way we can avoid avoiding allowing the Palestinians to establish their own state, the main parts of which are currently under the control of the Israeli government."
Speaking at the International Institute for Strategic Leadership Dialogue, Olmert continued, "That's what I tried to do, and I was very close to doing it. I know that my almost successful experience is always a good argument used by certain elements in Israeli politics when you want to explain why you cannot trust the Palestinians. But I suggest to everyone in Israel and all our friends not use these arguments too often - I am not entirely sure that this is a correct argument."