Exclusive; Ehud Olmert, Former Prime Minister of Israel: 'The Ayatollah will pay the price for supporting Hamas'

Ehud Olmert, the former Prime Minister of Israel, states that the Islamic Republic's fingerprints are evident in all of Hamas's actions and that the Islamic Republic will certainly pay the price for it. Olmert served as Prime Minister from 2006 to 2009, during which the Second Lebanon War, known in Iran as the '33-Day War', occurred. Arash Sigarachi, a reporter for Voice of America, interviewed Olmert about Iran, Israel, the Palestinians, and potential peace in the Middle East. Voice of America: Mr. Olmert, thank you for the time you have given us. Let's start with the Hamas attack on October 7. What was your first reaction to the news of the attack? Ehud Olmert: My family and I were in Sicily, Italy, for a week of vacation. I woke up at 6:30 AM, 7:30 AM Israeli time. I saw nearly 150 messages on WhatsApp. I started reading them. I realized something terrible had happened. Worst of all was a message from my childhood friend and classmate, a 70-year-old friend who you see in this picture with me in Kibbutz Be'eri. The picture is from my time as Prime Minister. I had come to the kibbutz to visit him. In his message, he said, 'I am in a safe room. Save me. Save me. Tell the army. Tell the police. The terrorists have attacked us.' That message had a devastating impact on me. We were lucky that our flight to Israel was on time. I arrived in Israel that afternoon, with the same sense of pain and astonishment that the entire country felt. Voice of America: What happened that day? Did Israel underestimate Hamas? Ehud Olmert: First of all, I must say that no mistake occurred; there was nothing in Israel's technological, intelligence, and security systems that failed. We still have the best systems in the world. However, for the best system to work well, our minds must work well too. Let me tell you, one of Israel's characteristics before this event was our pride. We underestimated the Arabs. The public belief among Israelis was that what do the Arabs have that we do not have or do not know? We have advanced systems. We are smart; with modern technologies. Yes, we are all of that. But we were still caught off guard because we were proud. We must learn this lesson. Being humble and modest is not a bad thing. It does not harm. Voice of America: Let's talk a bit about the Islamic Republic. Did they play a role in the Hamas attack? Ehud Olmert: There is no doubt that Iran has a significant role in creating a network of terrorist, extremist, religious, fundamentalist, evil, and murderous organizations throughout the Middle East. Hamas is entirely financially and militarily supported by Iran. Hezbollah is the same. Islamic Jihad is the same. With these organizations, they are trying to disrupt the balance in the Middle East. Iran organizes them, finances them, and directs them. These ayatollahs will pay the price for their actions. So far, they have paid a heavy price. I wish I could say what we have done over the years. At least during my time as Prime Minister, Iran paid this price for its efforts to instigate massacres, take lives, and destroy infrastructure and the existence of communities not only in Israel but everywhere. They are not only after us. They are after every group and community that is moderate, secular, and non-fundamentalist, and they go after anyone who does not align with their chaotic mindset. With their intolerant and brutal tendencies, they target the foundations and values of Western civilization. They are our enemies. Of course, we will respond to them at the right time and place. Do not doubt that. Our response to them will be very painful for them. Voice of America: Three days after the October 7 attack, Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, said that this attack was 'the work of the Palestinians' and that he kisses their foreheads. Some say he distanced himself from Hamas's actions. Do you believe his claim? Ehud Olmert: I do not know the details. Even if I had the information that our intelligence agencies have, I would not express it on television. But let me tell you, the Islamic Republic of Iran was an essential part of the attack. Its responsibility was in initiating, directing, financing, and coordinating; even if Iranian individuals did not participate in the attack alongside the terrorists. Without Iran's support and role, such an attack would never have occurred. Voice of America: What about America? The U.S. has also stated that the Islamic Republic was not behind this attack. Ehud Olmert: I think the U.S. statement is understandable. They do not want to open another military front in addition to what is currently happening between Israel and Hamas. So they say Iran had no involvement. Iran could not have had prior knowledge of this military confrontation. Of course, Iran may not have received the U.S. message correctly. That the U.S. has brought two aircraft carriers and a nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles to the region. Maybe Iran did not get the U.S. message, but they will understand it in due time. Voice of America: Let's talk about the tension in northern Israel. When the Second Lebanon War occurred, you were Prime Minister. What differences do you see between the current war and that war? Ehud Olmert: First of all, during my premiership in 2006, it was a full-scale confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah, which was a complete devastation for that group. That part of Beirut controlled by Hezbollah, namely Dahiyeh, was completely destroyed with all its combat capabilities. All of Hezbollah's facilities were destroyed. The leader of Hezbollah, Sheikh Nasrallah, after the operation said that if he had known even one percent of the operation that Mr. Olmert carried out, he would never have started that war. It was a full-scale war from east to west across the borders. Hezbollah hid for 17 years after that. Nasrallah is still hiding in a bunker. He knows why. Right now, he does not want a large-scale confrontation. He only wants to show minimal solidarity with Hamas; without risking a direct confrontation with Israel, which could have the same consequences for him and perhaps worse. So the situation is clear for now. With the understanding I have of Nasrallah's mindset, given the initiation of the conflict and the firing of rockets into neighboring border areas, there is also the possibility that somewhere he could lose control and reach a point he did not intend. Cautiously, I must say, if I were in his place, I would certainly not be willing to confront Israel completely. For now, we are witnessing an effort that wants to carry out at least an attack that seems somewhat significant but does not go beyond that. Voice of America: Let's talk about internal issues in Israel. Has Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel, contacted you for advice? Ehud Olmert: No. Voice of America: If he does contact you, what would your advice be? Ehud Olmert: Prime Minister Netanyahu should know better than anyone where Israel's true and ultimate power lies. If one thing is certain, it is that this was a failure; everyone was caught off guard. Everything got out of control. It is obvious that the ultimate responsibility lies with the Prime Minister. Israel's power is not limited to the personality of the Prime Minister at a specific time. Israel's tremendous power lies within society, which we are witnessing these days. The entire country has come out with great excitement, sacrifice, and selflessness. This power must be taken into account. If he asks for my advice, I would tell him, 'Mr. Prime Minister, step down. The people across the country know better than you what to do.' Voice of America: The Israeli government says that one of the main objectives of the attack on Gaza is to destroy Hamas. Will this war destroy Hamas? Ehud Olmert: In my opinion, in this war, all of Hamas's military capabilities must be destroyed. Hamas must be completely erased. Wherever they go, today or tomorrow, in any corner of the world they may be, we will pursue them, find them, and kill them. Because they are responsible for that brutal massacre. They have killed 1,500 Israeli citizens. We will neither forget nor forgive. Also, the chain of command of Hamas, all command and control positions, Hamas positions and headquarters, and all launch sites must be completely destroyed. Hamas may remain an ideological movement, but the presence of a terrorist organization with military capability on Israel's borders will not be tolerated. This must be done, and it will be done. They must go, there is no doubt. Voice of America: I go to Kaplan Street every day; the place where the families of Israeli victims and hostages held by Hamas gather. You can see the grief and sorrow of the families there. What do you think about the war and the fate of the hostages? Can they be returned through war? Ehud Olmert: I don't know. I don't know. We will do everything we can. We will try with all our might to free them. And why not? They have kidnapped, physically tortured, and mistreated over 240 Israeli citizens. Some of them are 3-year-old children, 8-year-old children, and some are elderly, 80 years old. These murderous terrorists behave inhumanely. The savage nature of Hamas is part of its essence. We will spare no effort to bring them back. I hope the military operation will make it easier and that Hamas will reach a point where it understands that through exchange, it will gain something. I hope we succeed. Voice of America: After the war, what impact do you think this war will have on Israel? Ehud Olmert: I hope for one thing, that we learn to be less boastful. We learn that we do not know everything. We learn that Israel is absolutely a knowledge-based country. Considering the position, throughout the 75-year history of our country, we have been known for our power, creativity, enthusiasm, sacrifice, and talent; these have been characteristics of Israel. But it would be good to learn to be a little humble and open our minds more to learning from others. This education can play an important role in strengthening the State of Israel. Voice of America: How do you think Israel will remember Netanyahu? As a hero of wartime or as someone who failed in his job? Ehud Olmert: It is too early to say how people will remember him, as he is still in power. I think what the majority currently wants from him is to step down and leave us to ourselves, the sooner the better. Voice of America: Let's talk a bit about the Palestinians. We see the rallies of Palestinian supporters everywhere. They do not mention the October 7 Hamas attack. They say that what Israel has done over the decades has caused the anger and that Hamas attack. What is your message to these people? Ehud Olmert: Look, I negotiated with Palestinian officials; most of my negotiations were with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, not Hamas. Every Israeli or every leader in the history of this country has spent hundreds of hours negotiating peace with the Palestinians; peace negotiations based on two states, which would completely align with Palestinian aspirations and foundations. I was ready for the Palestinians to have their own country, I was ready for Israel to withdraw, and territories to be determined based on 1967. I was ready for the Arab part of Jerusalem to be the capital of the Palestinians. Even at Al-Aqsa Mosque, we were ready for these holy places not to be under the complete sovereignty of the State of Israel, but rather managed by a committee of five countries, three Muslim countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Palestinians, along with two countries, the U.S. and Israel, under the supervision of the United Nations Security Council, to manage the holy places of Muslims, Jews, and Christians. I was ready to accept the issue of Palestinian refugees within the framework of the Arab initiative; that was my offer to the Palestinians, but they did not accept it. So you see, Israel is not responsible for the lack of peace with the Palestinians. They rejected a significant historical turning point for the Middle East and the world. If they had accepted that offer, the issue of peace would have been resolved. With Prime Minister Netanyahu, those proposals were not resumed. Peace and negotiations with Israelis were forgotten. Perhaps at that time, the Palestinians made a mistake by not accepting, but we also made a mistake because we were proud. With the chauvinistic, millennial thinking, and extremist tendencies of Netanyahu's government and some of its political partners, they did not turn to peace. So I think our current need is to answer the question of why we should not have removed Hamas from the beginning. We should also tell the Palestinian Authority that we are ready to resume negotiations within the framework of a two-state solution, the sooner the better. We must return to a political horizon to understand that the military solution is not the only thing we think about. We have no interest in occupying Gaza. We are ready to leave there as soon as Hamas is removed and not stay there for even a day. What we want is peace and a political horizon to propose. Voice of America: What do you think about the Palestinians? After the war, are they also ready to negotiate? Because we hear from many of them that: No, we are only looking for war with Israel. Ehud Olmert: It is the Palestinians who want war, which is why we are fighting now because they started it. But I believe that most moderates among the Palestinians in the West Bank have a different view. We must do two things: destroy the extremists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. At the same time, give an opportunity to the Palestinian Authority, which is more moderate, and give them more responsibility and authority, also over the Gaza Strip. And then we must negotiate with those who have the ability to make peace; this is not Hamas, it is the Palestinian Authority; I believe it is potentially the only option for this. Voice of America: You mentioned Gaza and the West Bank. Do you differentiate between the Palestinians in these two areas? Ehud Olmert: Let me tell you something; the Palestinians think that the people of Gaza are not Palestinians! But I do not think so. In my view, both territories are ready to reach peace, but without Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Voice of America: To conclude the interview, what message do you have for the leaders of the Islamic Republic and the people in Iran? Ehud Olmert: Everyone...