Olmert Speaks in Softer Tones in Israel on Iran

Previous Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Friends of Tel Aviv University on Sunday that Israel should not assault Iran to halt its nuclear program. Three months ago, Olmert took a decidedly harsher stance on Iran and told the Australian newspaper that U.S. President Barack Obama was mistaken in trying to talk with Iran.

"I was not pleased with Obama's decision to have a dialogue with Iran,” Olmert stated in late November. “This dialogue will be used for only one purpose, to purchase time for Iran. My advice would be to set a rigid timetable for this dialogue... This is the responsibility of President Obama.”

In his remarks in Tel Aviv, the former Prime Minister said he is concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions yet did not refer to President Obama or restrictions, limiting his comments to ruling out a army attack.

Olmert also repeated what he told the Australian concerning the Palestinian Authority, mainly that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas never replied to his giving him a map of a proposed PA say, a more or less final offer. The map included a division of Jerusalem.

In his interview with the Australian, Olmert was negative about the prospects that Abbas wants to negotiate on a new Arab state for the PA. “To this day, we should question Abu Mazen [Abbas] to respond to this plot [offered by Israel]. If they state no, there's no point in negotiating," Olmert said,

The former prime minister, who secretly conducted indirect negotiations with Syria, also reiterated for his Tel Aviv audience his belief that peace can be made with Damascus. “Peace is not a pipe dream,” he said. “It is feasible,important and urgent.”

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