Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni

Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni spoke to the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations yesterday, 16 February 2009, in Jerusalem: "I believe that it is our task to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish and democratic state. This will be accomplished by promoting the diplomatic process that will allow Israel to remain as such. This diplomatic process is not a result of international pressure, but rather Israel's nature and for the sake of its future. "I also believe in our right to all of the land of Israel, but it is more important to me to preserve the Jewish and democratic character of the State of Israel. It has to be understood that, in order to win the world's support in the struggle against the threats in the region, we have to continue the diplomatic process. The Annapolis process must continue. Whoever thinks that it is possible to fight against terrorism without engaging in a diplomatic process is mistaken. No Israeli government can afford a policy of freezing the process - it would be subjected to international pressure that would try to force upon it undesirable diplomatic programs. "The role of leadership is not to emphasize what separates us, but rather what unites us. I intend to look for and find a common denominator between us. The Israeli people are not really divided; most of them agree on our objectives. Unfortunately, when political agendas get involved, the people appear to be divided. If we can find the common denominator as I would like to do, the people won't have to be divided." 17.02.2009