Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert: To free hostages, stop the war

In a YouTube interview, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert outlined his position on negotiations with Hamas: “To free the hostages, it is necessary to stop the war. There is no choice. Since October 7, we have been trying to forget that October 7 happened. We will not kill all the Palestinians or all of Hamas. We think that stopping the fight to rescue everyone is the same as showing that we are losing. Our need to not look like losers is only Bibi Netanyahu's political need to retain his post as prime minister, not Israel's national interest. Israel's national interest is to save people and bring them home. There will still be some Hamas fighters and Palestinians left... We will resolve these issues at the right time. There is a time for everything. Right now, we need to stop the fighting, return to Israel's borders, leave the Gaza Strip, and bring our people home. If we achieve this, we will win. If we don't achieve this, we will lose anyway."

During the conversation, Ehud Olmert shared his vision of the October 7 tragedy and expressed his opinion on the failures of the Netanyahu government, the Iranian nuclear threat, relations between Russia and Israel, and the war in Ukraine.

Mentioning the trusting and mutually respectful relations with Russia during his rule, Olmert criticized Russia's position after October 7: “The fact that Hamas leaders are welcomed in Russia is a big problem. If I could talk to Putin today, I would ask him very difficult questions."