David Petraeus Quotes

Every Arab nation votes against us at least two thirds of the time.

Lebanon cannot resolve a question like Hezbollah which is in Syria, Iraq, everywhere because of Iran. It is a regional political solution that needs to be done.

The Swedish government needs to understand that relations in the Middle East are more complicated than a piece of furniture from IKEA that you assemble at home.

The only good thing I can say about the deal with Iran is that it brought the Arab states and Israel closer together.

I remember when the Egyptian ambassador to the United States stood in the Rose Garden and pledged Arab commitment to removing Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

Weapons systems the U.S. sold to the Shah of Iran wound up in the hands of Islamic militants who seized power there in 1979; a comparable scenario in Saudi Arabia is hardly impossible.

It was in our power to cause the Arab governments to renounce the policy of strength toward Israel by turning it into a demonstration of weakness.

There are different opinions across the Middle East of Al-Jazeera. They've been kicked out of Egypt and Jordan and then let back in; they've been totally banned from Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Syria.

Many critics of the Palestinians, especially those in Congress, think the current calm is merely the eye of the storm. That's why the House of Representatives approved a foreign aid package last week that forbade the direct financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority .

The Arab League tells us to go in and take out Qaddafi. We've spent billions of dollars already with respect to the Arab League. Billions of dollars, because they told us to do it. Why aren't they paying for it? They don't like Qaddafi, Qaddafi's been a terrible thorn in their side.

Egyptians are always and will always be supportive of their Palestinian brothers, all Palestinians.

If a close ally of Iran like Syria went to Iran and said, 'This peace is in our interest,' what do you think would they do? I can tell you they have never opposed any of our peace moves since 1991.

The long-term strategic goals of Iran and the long-term strategic goals of Turkey are close to the long-term strategic goals of the United States.

A lot of Iran's empowerment is a result of the war in Iraq.

Some try to make personal accusations against me, because of my strong ties with America, saying that my relations with it are excellent, in an effort to harm me, my investments, or my regional and international connections. I say to them: My relations with America are not just excellent, but exceptional. But you should know that these relations will never be at the expense of my brotherly Arab and Muslim relations

We don't have much to say about your Arab-Arab border differences such as you have with Kuwait. All we hope is that you solve this quickly.

Forty million Arabs are going to push four hundred thousand Jews into the sea. And that's all there is to it. Oil—that is the side we ought to be on.

For years now, anti-Americanism has served as a means of last resort by which failed political systems and movements in the Middle East try to improve their standing. The United States is blamed for much that is bad in the Arab world, and it is used as an excuse for political and social oppression and economic stagnation. By assigning responsibility for their own shortcomings to Washington, Arab leaders distract their subjects' attention from the internal weaknesses that are their real problems

Doesn't it seem awfully strange that the Iraqi government we support is an ally of the Iranians who are our declared enemies? Are we not now supporting the Iranians by propping up their allies in Iraq?

Iran is an ally of the United States. It is my feeling that we should sell arms to Iran …. Iran has been a good ally.

We will not sacrifice our relations with the Islamists and Iran for a relationship with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States.

The West sees Iran as an important force in the gulf.

Saudi Arabia needs friends. We are in a war in Yemen, in a confrontation with Iran, so we need friends like Canada, Europe.

At some point... Israel ground away, or gave away, her birthright of loyalty from the West.

Saudi Arabia must return to fully supporting the Syrian revolution and to ally with the Turks.