Ariel Sharon Is A Man Of Peace.

I Know I Have Been Portrayed As A General Looking For War. Many Other Headlines Speak Of That. That's What People Say. But I Understand The Importance Of Peace Because I Saw The Horrors Of War. That's How I See It. I Lost My Best Friends In Battles.. And I Had To Make Decisions Of Life And Death, Of Others And Myself.

It Is The Duty Of Israeli Leaders To Explain To Public Opinion, Clearly And Courageously, A Certain Number Of Facts That Are Forgotten With Time. The First Of These Is That There Is No Zionism, Colonialization, Or Jewish State Without The Eviction Of The Arabs And The Expropriation Of Their Lands.

To The Citizens Of Israel, I Say: We Have Passed Difficult Years, Faced The Most Painful Experiences And Overcome Them. The Future Lies Before Us. We Are Required To Take Difficult And Controversial Steps, But We Must Not Miss The Opportunity To Try To Achieve What We Have Wished For, For So Many Years: Security, Tranquillity And Peace.

I Am Ready To Compromise, But There Is One Thing I Won't Compromise On: The Safety Of The Israeli People.

We Extend Our Hand Towards Peace. Our People Are Committed To Peace. We Know That Peace Entails Painful Compromise For Both Sides.