January 24th, 2007

Israeli PM Olmert – “The President (Katzav) Can Not Continue to Fulfill His Duties and should leave the President’s Residence”

Speaking at the final session of the 7th Herzliya Conference of The Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert said “"I cannot open my speech tonight without addressing the events of the past 24 hours and the attorney general's decision to conduct a hearing on the president, in light of the possibility of filing a severe indictment against him. Under such circumstances, I have no doubt that the president cannot continue to fulfill his duties and will have to leave the President's Residence. This is a sad day for the State of Israel."

The Prime Minister then went on to discuss the threats now facing Israel from Iran and its influence. In as far as Tehran’s race to develop nuclear weapons, Olmert said “…there is still time, while not unlimited, to stop Iran’s intention of becoming a nuclear power which threatens its adversaries, first and foremost, Israel. We are not complacent, we can not be complacent, and we are responding to the Iranian threats with the necessary seriousness. We are at the forefront of the fight to place this issue on the top of the agendas of world leaders and international public opinion.”

“Threats, hostility and fighting are not our way. Our aspiration was and always will be to live in peace with our neighbors, near and far” Olmert continued, “at the same time, our desire for peace should not be interpreted as weakness but rather a source of strength.”

Despite the threats, Olmert is convinced that Israel will prevail. “No force in the world can destroy us – and there will never be. We refuse to be dragged into an atmosphere of collective, self induced fear. We will not allow the people to sink into depression and insecurity. We have immense strength. We have nothing to fear and we will not be afraid.

For the complete recordings and transcripts of Conference events please log onto:

The Herzliya Conference, headed by Prof. Uzi Arad, is the flagship of the Institute of Policy and Strategy (IPS) of IDC Herzliya. The Herzliya Conference addresses Israel’s national agenda by encouraging public debate and influencing the country’s public policy planning. This is achieved through convening Israeli and international elite policy makers, conducting cutting edge research, fostering a global network of contacts in a public forum by attracting the best and the brightest to take part in the conference and its discussions.

For further information contact:

Jeremy Ruden – IDC Deputy Spokesman – 052-407-0775

Yonatan Beker – IPS Foreign Press Liaison – 054-640-4225

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