TZIPI LIVNI

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.

As leaders, we in Israel must take into account the concerns of diaspora Jewry. Israel is strong enough to take criticism from within the family of Jews who say, 'OK, we disapprove of Israeli policy, but we stand firm for Israel.'

My husband is in branding. He brands places - cities, institutions.

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.

We are fighting to keep Israel a democracy - not just in terms of its electoral system but also in terms of its values.

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.

You know how my mother and father met? In a train robbery!

I worked in the Mossad for a few years.

When we distinguish between Israel's right to defend itself and settlements, then we legitimize its security needs; when we distinguish between isolated settlements and the blocs, then we legitimize the settlement blocs.

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.

Israel needs to change direction, and this is not just political. We're becoming more closed-in, more isolated, more scared. Those who talk tough are making the State of Israel very weak, very isolated - very Jewish, in the Diaspora-sense, in that 'everyone is against us.' We need to get out of this.

Israel has a problem not because of the perception that the entire world is against us, but because of the government's problematic policies.

I don't envy my teachers. I used to preach to them.

When I was young, I went to the Sinai and worked as a waitress.

The Palestinian national movement is not an Islamic religious movement.

I don't think that everything is a zero-sum game in which, when the president of the United States says something, that means that he is pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli, or vice versa.

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 want Israel to have borders. For that, I need a map. I need a map on which our borders are specified.

Israel is part of the free world led by the United States, no matter what.

Netanyahu's government and its faulty and politicized priorities are leading Israel into bankruptcy.

I want Israel to be a normal state, part of the international community, part of the free world, but unique in terms of the Jewish people. I want both.

It's not enough to speak loudly and confidently. You have to know how to get the world on your side, to accept Israel's ideas of security and defending its interests. Netanyahu does not know how to do this.

I know that Israeli soldiers will do everything they can in order to avoid loss of innocent life.

I have come to fight for peace, and I will not give my hand to those who try to turn the word 'peace' into a dirty one.

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.