Oh but of course not. Nothing you do, Mr. Olmert, destabilizes the Middle East, right? Funny…..the whole world thinks different.

TEL AVIV, Israel - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Thursday rejected a U.S. advisory group’s conclusion that a concerted effort to resolve Israel’s conflict with its neighbors will help stabilize the situation in Iraq, saying there is no connection between the two issues.

Olmert also rebuffed the group’s recommendation that Israel open negotiations with Syria, but said Israelis want “with all our might” to restart peace talks with the Palestinians.

The Iraq Study Group report, released Wednesday in Washington, calls for direct talks between Israel and its neighbors, Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians and says resolving the Israeli-Arab conflict would improve conditions in Iraq.

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