There is an intimacy and trust that is needed between leaders, between their assistants and advisers. Usually, you have the real substance behind closed doors; and the press conferences, you have niceties, nice photo ops.
Tzipi Livni
I am good at persuading people. In convincing the other, I try to start from their point of view so it's easier for me to find a common denominator.
I was by Ariel Sharon's side on the day it was decided to form Kadima. It was founded in aim to create a government of hope and responsibility.
The Israeli public has been brainwashed into believing that its global isolation stems from delegitimization and anti-Semitism.
Something that truly frustrates me is the impression in Israel that when you are talking about security, you are bold; you are tough: this is what we need against all the enemies that we have. And when someone is talking about peace, you know, it's the naive left wing, soft.
In a democracy, you need to have a strong judicial system. You need freedom of speech, you need art, and you need a free press.
The fact that a terrorist was killed, and it doesn't matter if it was in Dubai or Gaza, is good news to those fighting terrorism.
Wars are not a choice we make for no reason.
It's important to be the gatekeeper against dangerous ideas.
I'm not asking myself, 'How I can be different from Netanyahu?' because I am different, and Kadima is different from Likud, by its own nature.
I am a pretty good lawyer, and I decided to close the office and to enter politics.
A romantic relationship requires honesty between a couple.
Without strong Arab backing, it will be hard, if not impossible, for a Palestinian leader to reach peace with Israel.
In general, I don't like formality at all.
I was born in Israel. My parents came in 1925.
The world cannot afford a nuclear Iran.
An Israeli soldier is raised on values of respecting human life, and they don't change their values when they turn 18 and enter the army.
I'm not a person of mentors.
My ideology is not connected to the Palestinians.
I worked in the Mossad for a few years.
Israel has a problem not because of the perception that the entire world is against us, but because of the government's problematic policies.
Turkey knows the importance of its ties with Israel; it knows it's in the same moderate camp with Israel, the moderate Palestinians and other Muslim countries, and the threat to Turkey is not from us.
The Iranians are abusing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to gain more support from radical elements in the region.
The state of Israel, and a government under me, will make it a strategic objective to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza. The means for doing this should be military, economic, and diplomatic.
The Israeli people deserve better than a life in between rounds of violence.
I believe most of the public should be involved in the election of the leadership.
The last thing that Israel needs is to be part of the internal agenda in the United States between Republicans and Democrats.
I believe Israel needs branding. I want that the word 'Israel' will relate not just to an Israeli soldier or a camel, but Israel as an advanced liberal society with a strong economy and great people.
Relations between countries are built on values and interests and many other things, but at the end of the day, leaders are also only human beings.
I may have been born in Tel Aviv, but my umbilical cord emerges from the Temple Mount.
I've been involved in ties with elements in the Arab world for years now. They wish to establish relations with Israel, but they cannot do so while there is no peace process.
The real danger is a politics that buries its head in the sand.
Sept. 11 was a shock to the whole world.
If Syria wants to be part of the international community, there are some conditions that they have to meet. And the first one is to stop embracing the terrorism.
A leader in any place must ask himself who he identifies with, with which values, and towards what goals.
When I make decisions, I'm not thinking about my parents. I'm thinking about my children.
I prefer jeans to a suit, sneakers to high heels, markets to malls.
The reason for the blockade on Gaza was not to punish the Palestinians but to continue to delegitimize Hamas.
I believe that democracy is about values before it is about voting. These values must be nurtured within society and integrated into the electoral process itself.
Being an Israeli is to know that you have risen from the ashes of those who were killed and knowing you have a responsibility for the coming generations.
The capacity to influence radical groups can diminish significantly once they are viewed as indispensable coalition partners and are able to intimidate the electorate with the authority of the state behind them.
Israel was established as a homeland for the Jewish people and embraced all the Jews who had to leave Arab states. This should be also the true meaning of the future Palestinian state. It should be the answer for the Palestinians wherever they are - those who live in the territories, and those who are being kept as political cards in refugee camps.
Something happened to the State of Israel. What was morally obvious in 1948 is not so obvious anymore. When the State of Israel was established, it was, for the parents and grandparents of these young Jews, a miracle. It was David and Goliath. We were the just cause. It was about values. We were small, but we were the good guys in the world!
My husband is in branding. He brands places - cities, institutions.
The right to love is granted to anyone.
We must draw a distinction between understanding and supporting Israel's values and existence, and criticising any Israeli government's policy.
I arranged the first meeting between Ariel Sharon and the settlers.
I hate the idea that talking security is Likud and right wing, and talking about peace is left wing and Labor and Kadima. The whole idea is to find a way to bridge: to find a way to have security and peace together.
I don't envy my teachers. I used to preach to them.
Hamas does not represent the national aspirations of the Palestinians. It represents extreme Islamic ideas, which they share with Iran, Hezbollah, and Syria.
