Mr. President,
Today I stand before
you tall and proud because I represent the world's one and only Jewish state. A
state built in the Jewish people's ancient homeland, with its eternal capital
Jerusalem as its beating heart.
We are a nation with
deep roots in the past and bright hopes for the future. We are a nation that
values idealism, but acts with pragmatism. Israel is a nation that never
hesitates to defend itself, but will always extend its hand for peace.
Peace is a central
value of Israeli society. The bible calls on us:
בקש שלום ורדפהו
“seek peace and
pursue it.”
Peace fills our art
and poetry. It is taught in our schools. It has been the goal of the Israeli people
and every Israeli leader since Israel was re-established 64 years ago.
Israel’s Declaration
of Independence states, “We extend our hand to all neighbouring states and
their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them
to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help...”
This
week was the 35th anniversary of President Anwar Sadat's historic visit to
Jerusalem. In a speech just before that visit, President Sadat famously stood
in the Egyptian parliament in Cairo and stated that he would go "to the
ends of the earth" to make peace with Israel.
Israel’s
Prime Minister at the time, Menachem Begin, welcomed President Sadat to Israel,
and paved the way for peace. This morning Prime Minister Netanyahu stood at the
Menachem Begin Center at said this about the resolution that you are about to
vote on:
"Israel is
prepared to live in peace with a Palestinian state, but for peace to endure,
Israel’s security must be protected.
The Palestinians must recognize the Jewish State and they must be
prepared to end the conflict with Israel once and for all.
None of these vital
interests, these vital interests of peace, none of them appear in the
resolution that will be put forward before the General Assembly today and that
is why Israel cannot accept it.
The only way to achieve peace is through agreements that are reached by
the parties and not through U.N. resolutions that completely ignore Israel’s
vital security and national interests.
And because this resolution is so one-sided, it doesn’t advance peace,
it pushes it backwards.
As
for the rights of Jewish people in this land, I have a simple message for those
people gathered in the General Assembly today, no decision by the U.N. can
break the 4000 year old bond between the people of Israel and the land of
Israel."
Mr.
President,
The
People of Israel wait for a Palestinian leader that is willing to follow in the
path of President Sadat. The world waits for President Abbas to speak the truth
that peace can only be achieved through negotiations by recognizing Israel as a
Jewish State. It waits for him to tell them that peace must also address
Israel's security needs and end the conflict once and for all.
For
as long as President Abbas prefers symbolism over reality, as long as he prefers
to travel to New York for UN resolutions, rather than travel to Jerusalem for
genuine dialogue, any hope of peace will be out of reach.
Mr. President,
Israel
has always extended its hand for peace and will always extend its hand for
peace. When we faced an Arab leader who wanted peace, we made peace. That was
the case with Egypt. That was the case with Jordan.
Time
and again, we have sought peace with the Palestinians. Time and again, we have
been met by rejection of our offers, denial of our rights, and terrorism targeting
our citizens.
President
Abbas described today’s proceedings as “historic”. But the only thing historic
about his speech is how much it ignored history.
The
truth is that 65 years ago today, the United Nations voted to partition the
British Mandate into two states: a Jewish state, and an Arab state. Two states
for two peoples.
Israel accepted this
plan. The Palestinians and Arab nations around us rejected it and launched a war
of annihilation to throw the "Jews into the sea".
The
truth is that from 1948 until 1967, the West Bank was ruled by Jordan, and Gaza
was ruled by Egypt. The Arab states did not lift a finger to create a
Palestinian state. Instead they sought Israel’s destruction, and were joined by
newly formed Palestinian terrorist organizations.
The truth is that at
Camp David in 2000, and again at Annapolis in 2008, Israeli leaders made
far-reaching offers for peace. Those offers were met by rejection, evasion, and
even terrorism.
The
truth is that to advance peace, in 2005 Israel dismantled entire communities
and uprooted thousands of people from their homes in the Gaza Strip. And rather
than use this opportunity to build a peaceful future, the Palestinians turned
Gaza into an Iranian terror base, from which thousands of rockets were fired
into Israeli cities. As we were reminded just last week, the area has been
turned into a launching pad for rockets into Israeli cities, a haven for global
terrorists, and an ammunition dump
for Iranian weapons.
Time
after time, the Palestinian leadership refused to accept responsibility. They refused to make the tough decisions
for peace.
Israel
remains committed to peace, but we will not establish another Iranian terror
base in the heart of our country.
We
need a peace that will ensure a secure future for Israel.
Three
months ago, Israel's Prime Minister stood in this very hall and extended his
hand in peace to President Abbas. He reiterated that his goal was to create a
solution of two-states for two-peoples—where a demiliteralized Palestinian
state will recognize Israel as a Jewish State.
That's
right. Two states for two peoples.
In
fact, President Abbas, I did not hear you use the phrase "two states for
two peoples" this afternoon. In fact, I have never heard you say the
phrase "two states for two peoples". Because the Palestinian
leadership has never recognized that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish
people.
They
have never been willing to accept what this very body recognized 65 years ago.
Israel is the Jewish state.
In
fact, today you asked the world to recognize a Palestinian state, but you still
refuse to recognize the Jewish state.
Not
only do you not recognize the Jewish state, you are also trying to erase Jewish
history. This year, you even tried to erase the connection between the Jewish
people and Jerusalem. You said that Jews were trying to alter the historic
character of Jerusalem. You said that we are trying to "Judaize Jerusalem".
President
Abbas, the truth is that Jerusalem had a Jewish character long before most
cities in the world had any character! Three thousand years ago King David
ruled from Jerusalem and Jews have lived in Jerusalem ever since.
President Abbas,
instead of revising history, it is time that you started making history by
making peace with Israel.
Mr. President,
This
resolution will not advance peace.
This
resolution will not change the situation on the ground. It will not change the
fact that the Palestinian Authority has no control over Gaza. That is forty
percent of the territory he claims to represent!
President
Abbas, you can't even visit nearly half the territory of the state you claim to
represent.
That
territory is controlled by Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist
organization that rains missiles on Israel’s civilians. This is the same Hamas
that fired more than 1,300 rockets into the heart of Israel’s major cities this
month.
This resolution will
not confer statehood on the Palestinian Authority, which clearly fails to meet
the criteria for statehood.
This resolution will
not enable the Palestinians Authority to join international treaties, organizations,
or conferences as a state.
This resolution
cannot serve as an acceptable terms of reference for peace negotiations with
Israel. Because this resolution says nothing about Israel's security needs. It does
not call on the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the Jewish State. It does
not demand an end of conflict and a termination of all claims.
Let
me tell you what this resolution does do.
This
resolution violates a fundamental binding commitment. This is a commitment that
many of the states here today were themselves witness to. It was a commitment
that all outstanding issues in the peace process would only be resolved in
direct negotiations.
This
resolution sends a message that the international community is willing to turn
a blind eye to peace agreements. For the people of Israel, it raises a simple
question: why continue to make painful sacrifices for peace, in exchange for
pieces of paper that the other side will not honor?
It
will make a negotiated peace settlement less likely, as Palestinians continue
to harden their positions and place further obstacles and preconditions to negotiations
and peace.
And unfortunately, it will raise
expectations that cannot be met, which has always proven to be a recipe for
conflict and instability.
There
is only one route to Palestinian statehood. And that route does not run through
this chamber in New York. That route runs through direct negotiations between Jerusalem
and Ramallah that will lead to a secure and lasting peace between Israelis and
Palestinians.
There are no shortcuts. No quick fixes. No instant
solutions. As President Obama, said in 2010, "Peace cannot be imposed from
the outside."
The
real message of this resolution for the people of Israel is that the
international community will turn a blind eye to violations of these agreements
by the Palestinians.
Mr. President,
In
submitting this resolution, the Palestinian leadership is once again making the
wrong choice.
65
years ago the Palestinians could have chosen to live side-by-side with the
Jewish State of Israel. 65 years ago they could have chosen to accept the
solution of two states for two peoples. They rejected it then, and they are
rejecting it again today.
The
international community should not encourage this rejection. It should not
encourage the Palestinian leadership to drive forward recklessly with both feet
pressing down on the gas, no hands on the wheel, and no eyes on the road.
Instead
it should encourage the Palestinians to enter into direct negotiations without
preconditions in order to achieve an historic peace in which a demilitarized
Palestinian state recognizes the Jewish state.
Mr.
President,
Winston
Churchill said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it … ignorance may deride it … malice may
distort it … but there it is.”
The
truth is that Israel wants peace, and the Palestinians are avoiding peace.
Those
who are supporting the resolution today are not advancing peace. They are
undermining peace.
The
UN was founded to advance the cause of peace. Today the Palestinians are
turning their back on peace. Don't let history record that today the UN helped
them along on their march of folly.
Thank
you, Mr. President.
Follow me on Twitter @NabilAbiSaab
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