MR. OLMERT GOES TO WASHINGTON

PM: We cannot wait for Palestinians forever (YNet)
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday that Israel would be a "willing partner in peace" with the Palestinians, but would draw its own borders in the West Bank should it conclude it has no negotiating partner. "We cannot wait for the Palestinians forever," Olmert told members of the House of Representatives and Senate gathered in the House chamber. "Our deepest wish is to build a better future for our region, hand in hand with a Palestinian partner, but if not, we will move forward, but not alone," he added, alluding to promised US Support. He said the West Bank withdrawal is vital to Israel's security and the cause of peace and cannot go forward without US Support.

Olmert drew a sustained standing ovation when he declared, "we will not yield to terror," a reference to suicide attacks on Israelis such as those that killed a 16-year-old American high school student observing the Passover holiday in Israel this year. Daniel Wultz's parents sat in the House chamber, sobbing, as Olmert mentioned their son. ...

From the US Capitol podium on Wednesday, Olmert called on the moderate Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, to seek a negotiated solution - the preferred route for both Olmert and Bush. "With a genuine Palestinian partner for peace, I believe we can reach an agreement on all the issues that divide us," the Israeli leader said. If the Palestinians "ignore our outstretched hand for peace," Olmert said, "Israel will seek other alternatives to promote our future and our prospects of hope in the Middle East."

Referring to Iran, Olmert said that the Islamic republic poses a threat to Israel's existence and he urged swift international action to curb its nuclear program. "For us this is an existential threat. A threat to which we cannot consent. But it is not Israel's threat alone. It is a threat to all those committed to stability in the Middle East and the well-being of the world at large," Olmert said. "A nuclear Iran means a terrorist state could achieve the primary mission for which terrorists live and die: The mass destruction of innocent human life. This challenge, which I believe is the test of our time, is one the West cannot afford to fail," he said. "History will judge our generation by the actions we take now."