Excerpts from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Conversation with American Jewish Leaders

"It will be supervised on a bi-weekly basis by Mr. Abbas and myself, continuing our regular meetings as we did in the last year.  The purpose is to try and reach an understanding about all these issues during 2008.  Every implementation in the future will be subject to the implementation of the road map, as we have announced several times in the past and as the President also kept saying as part of our understanding. 

"I'm hopeful, and at the same time, I need to caution ourselves from getting overly optimistic.  There are serious issues.  We are committed to the two-state solution -- the state of Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people in the Jewish state, and of course, the Palestinian state, the homeland of the Palestinian people -- and we'll do everything we can -- we'll make serious, genuine efforts with all our power and all our energies that indeed we will be able to reach these. 

"Of course, at the same time, we have to make sure that the process will not be affected by the terrorist organizations, and they are working very hard.  They keep shooting at us from Gaza all the time, and in spite of the fact that we have actually withdrawn across from the international border.  We don't occupy any piece of land in the south.  They keep shooting at us, and this is not making life easier for many thousands of Israelis living in the south.  We also have to take care of the security in the West Bank because there are efforts by the Palestinian organizations to try and perpetrate terrorist actions and suicidal attacks against Israel, and unfortunately, as of now, the Palestinian government, which is making genuine efforts under the leadership of both Salam Fayyad and the President, are not yet capable of handling the threats of the Palestinian organizations. 

"And while we want to improve the quality of life of the Palestinian people living in the West Bank and making movement and exits [ph] easier and more comfortable for them, at the same time, we must make sure that there will be no event that can ruin almost in one minute all the effort that we are making if it will succeed.  So this is always this dilemma which is a lifelong dilemma -- how to improve the atmosphere and encourage the moderate forces within the Palestinian community.  And there are moderate forces there.  And we trust the sincerity of the leadership of the Palestinian Authority and Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad, and yet, at the same time, take all the necessary precautions so that the others will not succeed in disrupting this process. 

"I appreciate your concern, your support, your involvement and your dedication to the State of Israel and to the efforts that we are making, both to bring peace and also security for the people of Israel.  Thank you very much.