Remarks by Vice President Cheney and Prime Minister Olmert of Israel in Press Availability

JERUSALEM--(Business Wire)--
Prime Minister's Residence

8:25 P.M. (Local)

PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Good evening. Welcome, Mr. Vice President.
I'm honored and delighted to have you visiting here after five years,
which was your last visit. It is particularly significant this time
because you are coming in the beginning of the 60th anniversary for
the state of Israel, and you were always a very good supporter and
friend of the state of Israel. And we are very proud to have you with
us at this time.

I have to add that we are going to discuss, naturally, many things
tonight and Monday. There are many items on the common agenda of
America and the state of Israel: We are both very concerned about
Iran, we are anxious to carry on the peace negotiations with the
Palestinians, we are watching very carefully the northern front, the
behavior of Syria and the Hezbollah, and naturally I know how much
concerned America is with the continued terrorist attacks against
Israel coming from Gaza against innocent civilians in the south part
of the state of Israel.

All these matters will be discussed while you are visiting here,
and we will always be happy to hear your advice and your observations
about these very important issues which are on the top of the agenda
of the state of Israel at this part of the world.

Vice President, you were always a supporter of Israel. I remember
your visit in Israel immediately after the first Gulf War, the early
'90s, when you were Secretary of Defense. And throughout this period,
in your different positions, you were always interested, concerned,
and involved in matters which were very important for the state of
Israel. I am proud that we are friendly for many years, meeting in
different places, in America, and sharing the observations and the
judgments about the events in different parts of the world,
particularly in the Middle East.

And now I'm proud that I can host you as the Prime Minister of
Israel, in the state of Israel, at this very important time to all of
us. Welcome, Mr. Vice President.

VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Prime
Minister. I'm delighted to be in Jerusalem once again, with my old
friend, the Prime Minister. And I want to thank him for the kind
invitation that he extended to me and to my wife, Lynne, to visit
Israel again. I've been gone too long. It's now been five years since
I was last here, and I'm glad to be back. I also want to convey the
good wishes of all--to all Israelis of the people of the United
States, and of our President, George W. Bush.

I'm especially pleased to be here as we celebrate the 60th
anniversary of Israel's emergence as a modern nation state. The state
of Israel's rise out of the ashes of World War II is one of history's
great miracles. So too is the fact that Israel has survived these six
decades despite often violent assaults against its very existence. At
the same time, the nation has flourished, growing in population and
prosperity and military strength, while making remarkable
contributions to the worlds of science, culture and technology.

The founding of the new Jewish state declared on the 14th of May,
1948, at 12:00 midnight--only 11 minutes later, by the direction of
President Harry S. Truman, the United States recognized Israel. From
that moment, our two countries have been more than just strong allies.
We've been friends--special friends--and our peoples bound together by
unique ties of history, culture, religion, and memory. Today, both our
nations share the ideals of liberty, equality, human dignity, and
representative government. Both our nations have stood firmly against
the forces of terror and intimidation. Both our nations have shown a
great willingness to work and sacrifice for the cause of peace. We are
natural allies.

America's commitment to Israel's security is enduring and
unshakeable, as is our commitment to Israel's right to defend itself
always against terrorism, rocket attacks and other threats from forces
dedicated to Israel's destruction. The United States will never
pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its security.

As successful democracies, the U.S. and Israel have a basic
confidence in the power of freedom to lift up whole societies and to
lay the foundation for peace. We will defend ourselves and protect our
people. But as President Bush said here in January, "We will do more
than defend ourselves. We will seek lasting peace."

History has clearly shown that when encountered by Arab partners
like Anwar Sadat and the late King Hussein of Jordan, who accepted
Israel's permanence and are willing and capable of delivering on their
commitments, Israelis are prepared to make wrenching national
sacrifices on behalf of peace. I have no doubt this is equally the
case with Palestinians.

On this journey, I am reiterating the President's commitment to
his vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side
by side in peace and security. He stated that vision early in his
presidency, and as I like to remind people, he was the very first
American President to do so.

Reaching the necessary agreement will require tough decisions and
painful concessions by both sides, but America is committed to moving
the process forward--and to that end, I will meet with President Abbas
and Prime Minister Fayyad. They, too, can be certain of America's good
will in this process. It is not America's role to dictate the outcome.
But we will help in the negotiations, and provide all the support and
encouragement we can. We care deeply about these issues. We want to
see a resolution to the conflict, an end to the terrorism that has
caused so much grief to Israelis, and a new beginning for the
Palestinian people.

Mr. Prime Minister, I'm looking forward to our discussions. We
have a full agenda, filled both with opportunities and with dangers.
As we continue to work for peace, we must not and will not ignore the
darkening shadows of the situations in Gaza, in Lebanon, in Syria, and
in Iran, and the forces there that are working to derail the hopes of
the world.

Together, the United States and Israel will fulfill our
responsibilities to our peoples, overcome our challenges, and continue
to seek a future of security, freedom, prosperity and peace.

Thank you, sir.

PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: Thank you very much.

END 8:34 P.M. (Local)

White House Press Office
1-202-456-2580

Copyright Business Wire 2008