Quotable

A Notable Difference of Opinion

“The Palestinian and Israel peoples have suffered enough. It is time to proceed in the peace process.”

—Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime minister, during a Dec. 23, 2006, meeting with Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority. Olmert said he is prepared to grant Palestinians a state, release funds and free prisoners if they choose the path of peace.

“[W]e need a period of calm to recuperate. This lull in fighting will not bring us to speak about peace. … The political leadership [of Hamas] will never compromise on these values.”

—Abu Abdullah, operational member of Hamas’s Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, on how the present ceasefire aligns with Hamas’s founding doctrine, which calls for the destruction of Israel.