[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

"We hope that we will not have to act against Hamas in other ways with the
military power that Israel has not yet started to use in a serious manner in
order to stop it."
Prime Minister Olmert admitting in a prepared message (moments before a
Palestinian attack on Ashkelon) that, under his command, Israel has yet to
use the IDF "in a serious manner" to defend the citizens of Israel.]

Joint Statements by PM Olmert and US Pres. Bush
Israel Government Press Office Wednesday, May 14, 2008
www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/PMSpeaks/speechstat140508.htm

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: I am delighted to honor President George W. Bush
on his second visit, this time the President came to celebrate with Israel
the sixtieth anniversary of the State of Israel. We are particularly excited
by the fact that the President chose to come this week, which is a very
meaningful and very exciting week in his private life, and I congratulate
you again on the marriage of your daughter Jenna this last weekend.

We are very happy to host you here. We had a long discussion about a variety
of issues. The first of the issues was the attempts made by Iran to acquire
nuclear capabilities. This is a danger of the highest order to the safety of
the region - of course Israel as part of it and many other countries in the
world - and there is an international effort, led by the United States of
America, to try and stop Iran from acquiring nuclear power. The discussions
between our two countries will continue on this issue, and of course Israel
will try to join the main forces, led by the United States of American and
the President, to try and stop the Iranians from continuing their efforts,
which are going on and which are clearly dangerous and threatening for the
stability of the world.

We also discussed the situation in Lebanon. We observe the events in Lebanon
and we are very much concerned that there will be an attempt to upset the
democratic process which has to take place properly in Lebanon. And we will
continue to observe the situation, and hopefully the situation will
stabilize in Lebanon, and the government of Prime Minister Siniora will
prevail against the provocations and the efforts made by Hizbullah and the
Iranians, who are obviously heavily involved in the attempts to upset the
situation over there.

We also discussed the situation in Gaza. A couple of days ago, I had a visit
from General Omar Suleiman, the head of the Egyptian military intelligence.
We discussed the possible terms for what may emerge as a cease-fire in the
Gaza district. The fact is that while Gen. Suleiman was visiting here,
Qassam rockets were still fired at innocent people in the South of Israel
and two people were killed. And this is a very threatening signal. An
organization which pretends to want to stop terror can't continue to shoot
at innocent people. We will make exceptional efforts that it will not
expend, but Israel naturally will not be able to tolerate continuous attacks
on innocent civilians. We hope that we will not have to act against Hamas in
other ways with the military power that Israel has not yet started to use in
a serious manner in order to stop it. But it entirely depends on responding
positively to the principles set forth by me and by the Israeli Cabinet in
order to stop these operations.

We also briefed the President on the negotiations between us and the
Palestinians. We are genuinely interested in meeting the time framework that
we talked about in Annapolis. I still remember the very eloquent
presentation of President Bush prior to the public meeting in Annapolis, in
which he described the difficulties, the sensitivities, the complexities and
also the opportunities that the Annapolis process proposes for both sides.
The Israeli side is making an exceptional effort on all fronts. We need to
reach an understanding that will define accurately the parameters for the
realization of your vision, Mr. President, of a two-state solution - that
will relate to the issue of borders, to the issue of refugees, to the issue
of the security arrangements, and will set forth also, at the end of the
day, the framework for how to deal later with the issue of Jerusalem. We
will continue this discussion, and I am sure that America will continue the
extraordinary efforts made by Secretary Rice and President Bush to try and
influence the process so that it will end up in a positive way.

Again, this is not just a ceremonial visit. I thank you, Mr. President, for
your friendship, for your dedication to the basic principles which are
shared by our two countries and for your great friendship. You are a great
person, you are a great leader and you are a great friend, and it's a great
honor for me to have the opportunity to host you in the home of the Prime
Minister of the State of Israel on the 60th anniversary of the State of
Israel. Thank you very much.

President George W. Bush: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your friendship
and thank you for your hospitality. Laura and I are looking forward to
having dinner with you and Mrs. Olmert tomorrow night, as well as the
celebrations tonight and tomorrow. I'm honored to be representing our
country here for the sixtieth anniversary of the existence of the State of
Israel. It's just a great honor and this is a chance for me to express the
enduring friendship of the American people with the Israeli people.

It's also an interesting time to come because, you know, here we are the
heart of a thriving democracy, and yet that democracy - as are other
democracies - are being challenged by extremists and terrorists, people who
use violence to try to advance their dark vision of the world. I happen to
believe it's an important role for the United States to stand with
democracies and to stand strong against terrorists, whether it be to stand
with Israel against the existentialist threat of a nuclear weapon with Iran
or whether it to be to stand with the Siniora government. What's interesting
about what took place in Lebanon is that Hizbullah, the so-called protector
of the Lebanese against Israel, has now turned on its own people. And as you
mentioned, Hizbullah is supported by Iran. This is an Iranian effort to
destabilize that young democracy, and the United States stands strongly with
the Siniora government.

You brought up Hamas. Hamas's stated objective is the destruction of the
State of Israel, and therefore the United States will stand strongly with
Israel, as well as stand strongly with the Palestinians who don't share that
vision. So I thank you very much for your efforts to describe what's
possible for the millions of Palestinians who simply want to live
side-by-side with Israel in peace.

We've had extensive discussions on a variety of issues, and there's no
better person to discuss those issues with than you. You clearly see the
threats, you clearly see the opportunities, and I want to thank you for your
strong leadership and thank you for your friendship.