Importance of Unity:

"I believe that unity is the most important thing now that we must have – it is unity here in Israel among ourselves and between us and you, our brothers."

"The first and main goal of the unity government is to restore security and safety to the Israeli citizens. Then, of course, you have to make every effort to reach peace – all of us are committed to peace."

"I believe that before being invited to Washington, Arafat should stop terror because Arafat is playing this terror – on the one hand, he would like to conduct negotiations, but on the other hand, he would like to conduct terror. The terror that is being carried out against Israel at the present time is being done by the military or intelligence organizations which are under direct control of Arafat and most of our casualties are caused by them. So therefore one must understand that if Arafat would be invited there before a full cessation of hostilities, that would only encourage more terror and violence in the region. It would postpone the peace. I think Arafat should be under heavy pressure to stop terror – that is the most important thing at the present time."

"I would like to express my thanks for all the efforts the U.S. has made in order to try and bridge the gaps and bring the sides together. It is important that the U.S. be ready to help, but the best thing is to let the sides try and solve bilaterally the complicated problems that exist."

"It happens that we live in an area that is the cradle of terrorism – that is the major threat at the present time to the stability of the region."

"That is a real tragedy – it is hard to explain the feelings of these families who do not know whether their loved ones are alive or dead. ... Pressure should be put on Syria and Lebanon in order to get that information. I would like to ask you within the scope of your activity, please put pressure on everyone to get that information."