YouSaid · the spoken record

Danon

lines on the record: 450
first: 2015-10-22
most recent: 2020-02-11
sittings or episodes: 40
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“We have on many occasions offered President Abbas opportunities to begin negotiations. But his response remains the same, and I encourage people to ask him, when they meet with him later today, why he is unwilling to meet with us. His response is always “no”. He said it just the other week: “a thousand times no”. Peace is a core aspect of our belief, of the Jewish way of life. I urge the members of the Council to tell President Abbas that speeches here at the United Nations cannot replace direct negotiations. I urge them to tell President Abbas that, unlike him, they choose peace.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“He refuses to negotiate. He is not interested in finding a realistic solution to the conflict. Let us not beat around the bush. Progress towards peace will not be made as long as President Abbas remains in his position. That is the reality. Only when he steps down can Israel and the Palestinians move forward. A leader who chooses rejectionism, incitement and glorification of terror can never be a real partner for real peace. Israel has embraced the new innovative spirit of President Trump’s plan and has agreed to use it as a starting point for negotiations. We thank President Trump and his team for their dedication to the cause of peace. Israel is criticized in this Chamber on a regular basis, but despite the lies and the hypocrisy, we are determined to fight for peace. We have always been willing to negotiate.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“The plan represents the requirement of a realistic approach that is not afraid to incorporate innovative ideas to address the concerns of both parties. It represents the necessity of a pragmatic approach in order to solve a complex problem. Even if some are critical of the specifics of the plan — and I know many are — they should still embrace its spirit, which says that it is time to look for a new and pragmatic approach to resolving this conflict. The plan’s drafters themselves have said that the plan is only a suggestion — a tool for the sides to use in their negotiations. It is clear that some delegations are beginning to embrace the spirit of the plan. That is why they have used the opportunity presented by its release to call on President Abbas to negotiate, and we thank them for that. But President Abbas refuses to be pragmatic.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“However, all previous attempts at peace have been based on the same principles and dogmas, and they have all failed. Albert Einstein once defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. President Trump’s takes a sane approach to solving this conflict. It understands that we have to try something different. Maybe it will work this time. The basis of the plan is the idea of achieving just and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. However, what this plan does differently is refuse to accept the same out-of-date concepts of previous peace plans. This plan refuses to accept that the only way to solve the conflict is with a formula that has failed for over 70 years.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“When President Abbas sees that his battles are being fought for him and there is no need for him to negotiate or agree to mutual compromises, it makes peace an ever more remote possibility. Meeting here once again to criticize Israel and the United States for their efforts to promote peace also does not increase the likelihood of President Abbas agreeing to negotiate. It would be best if the international community focused its efforts on bringing both sides to the negotiating table. It is also time to reconsider the international community’s approach to resolving this conflict. It is clear that something in the current approach is not working. President Abbas spreads lies in order to mislead the international community into believing that his desired solution to the conflict is the only solution. In fact, he did just that today.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“For example, Israel and the Palestinian Authority previously agreed, in internationally endorsed agreements, that a border would be determined only through direct and bilateral negotiations. Yet still, some here, against that explicit agreement, try to either precondition that future borders must be negotiated based on the so-called 1967 lines. Let us negotiate. If he is told that will be the outcome, he will not enter the room. That is what we are doing here. Why should he negotiate with us when others are negotiating for him? Negotiation means entering the room with demands and negotiating. That is what we did with President Sadat and King Hussein, and, God willing, that is what we will do one day with the Palestinians. But that is what real negotiations are.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“On the other hand, over 150 United Nations resolutions concerning the Palestinians have been adopted in that period. Does that seem like a reasonable balance if one is sincere about peace? To hold zero meetings with one’s negotiating partner while over 150 United Nations resolutions are adopted? It is only reasonable to someone who has no real intention of negotiating. It must be noted that the rejectionism of President Abbas has been encouraged by many in the international community, if not through words then through actions. Voting in favour of one-sided resolutions only further encourages his behaviour. Many here have fallen into the habit of trying to force the outcome of negotiations before they have even begun, adopting preconditions that directly contradict previous agreements between the sides.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“How many times has President Abbas come here to speak in the Security Council or the General Assembly? Why come all the way here? Why not drive to Jerusalem or have the Prime Minister drive to Ramallah? He is trying to blame the lack of progress towards peace on Israel, complaining instead of leading. That is not leadership. That was his way when he took office and that remains his way today in the sixteenth year of his four-year term. President Abbas claims that he wants sovereignty for the Palestinian people, but has done everything to avoid receiving it. His words are nothing but lip service. His call for sovereignty long ago became a battle cry rather than an actual goal. It is a way to keep the conflict alive. As I mentioned, in the last decade not even one meeting has taken place.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“He went to Washington, D.C., and, together with Prime Minister Rabin and President Clinton he signed the Washington Declaration. Back then, they agreed on the terms for negotiations and, only three months later, a historic peace treaty was signed between Israel and Jordan. If President Abbas were serious about negotiations, he would not be here today. He would be in Jerusalem or in Washington, D.C., sitting down with his negotiating partner. But President Abbas is not serious about negotiations or about peace. Instead, he has done what he always does. He came here to distract us from his unwillingness to negotiate, sit down and talk. Members can ask him about the last time he met with our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the past decade, they have met only once.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“President Sadat went to Jerusalem and spoke directly to the Israeli people about extending a hand for peace. I remember listening to that speech, as a child. The fact that the leader of a country against which we fought numerous wars spoke in the Knesset was incredible. All of Israel was glued to our screens, listening to his voice. Not long after the speech and that show of leadership and willingness to negotiate and compromise, Prime Minister Begin and President Sadat signed the historic peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. If President Abbas were serious about negotiating, he would not be here in New York; he would be in Washington, D.C. In 1994, His Majesty King Hussein of Jordan did not go to the United Nations to discuss the dispute with Israel.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“If President Abbas were truly serious about negotiating in good faith; if he were really interested in peace, he would not be here today. He would have taken the advice that he received from several members of the Council and from many Arab States and used this opportunity to start direct negotiations. If President Abbas were serious about negotiating, he would not be here in New York; he would be in Jerusalem. In 1977, after the Yom Kippur War and countless clashes on the border, President Sadat of Egypt did not come to New York to speak at the United Nations. He went to Jerusalem to speak in the Knesset. President Sadat understood that to achieve peace, bold and brave steps must be taken and that a difficult history must be relegated to the past.”
2020-02-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8717 (2020) · source
“The international community must support the Iranian people. We must not allow their voices to be silenced by internet shutdowns, imprisonment or death. More pressure must be applied on the regime. Now is the time to make sure that all sanctions and embargoes continue and to put new ones in place. It is the only way to keep the Iranian people and the entire world safe.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“He spoke out against the regime. The Islamic Republic spreads violence within and outside its borders, and its people have had enough. The Islamic revolution stripped the Iranian people of their rights and turned them into pawns in the regime’s plan for regional domination. They are victims of the regime. Let us be clear. The campaign against Iran’s nuclear aspirations, ballistic missile programme and regional agenda is a campaign against the Iranian regime not the Iranian people. We must empower the Iranian people. Israel sees the Iranian people as a partner in achieving a better, safer and more prosperous future in the Middle East. What the Iranian people are telling us now is that they see us as partners as well. The Iranian people deserve a Government that respects them and protects them, not one that kills and abuses them.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“Owing to the Iranian regime’s attempts to cover up its crimes, the number of civilians who have lost their lives in protests since November 2018 is unclear, but some reports indicate as many as 1,500 — 1,500 Iranians killed by their Government for exercising their right to freedom of expression. The Islamic Republic’s violence is not contained to Iran and neither is the criticism against it. The regime has used its proxies to spread violence and terror throughout the region. At the recent Security Council debate on the implementation of the Charter of the United Nations, we all heard from our colleague, the representative of Yemen, that his county is experiencing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. He blamed the war there on “Houthi militias, supported by the Iranian regime” (S/PV.8699 (Resumption 1), p. 5).”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria, Iran has spent at least $30 billion to support Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Every year, it transfers $700 million to Hizbullah and $100 million to Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Those amounts pale in comparison to the estimated $100 billion that the regime has spent on its nuclear programme. There is no doubt that that money could be better spent domestically, but we all know that the regime does not care about the Iranian people. The Iranian people are protesting because they are tired of the violence and of being shot at by their own Government.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“The Iranian people are protesting because they are tired of the regime neglecting the economy and, instead, spending billions on its proxies. Iran suffers from serious infrastructure problems, a weak banking sector and widespread corruption. It is expected that by March of this year, 57 million Iranians will be living below the absolute poverty line. As a result, Iran is experiencing the world’s greatest brain drain. Some 150,000 of Iran’s best engineers, pilots, doctors and other highly sought-after professionals leave the country every year in search of a place where they can walk and live in freedom from the fear of the Islamic Republic. Yet the regime continues to neglect its people and waste money on violence and terror.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“The recent cover- up of the downing of the Ukrainian passenger airplane is just the tip of the iceberg, but it was enough to chip away at the regime’s propaganda machine. Gelare Jabbari was an anchor for Islamic Republic of Iran broadcasting television and radio company, whose head is appointed directly by the Supreme Leader. Jabbari resigned following the Ukrainian airline incident. After announcing her resignation, she wrote to the Iranian people, asking them to forgive her for the 13 years she had told them lies. The Iranian regime lies to its people and to the international community. It lies about its nuclear programme and about its terror-driven regional ambitions. The Iranian people know that it is time for the international community to recognize that the Iranian regime is deceitful and cannot be trusted.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“I say today to the Iranian people, Israel is on their side. They are protesting because they are tired of being lied to by their Government. Allow me to share with the Council the story of one brave Iranian. Nikta Esfandani had the courage to join the protests in November and fight for her future. Tragically, during one of the protests, she was shot and killed by the regime. She was 14 years old. As if that was not enough of a tragedy, the regime then tried to cover up her death. At first, it announced that her death had been caused by something else and then it forced her parents to say that she died from poisoning. It appears that all options are on the table for the regime, except taking responsibility.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“They created the world’s first taxation system and postal service. They invented the world’s first water supply system, refrigerator, algebra, animation, chess and the list goes on. It is incredible to think of the great contrast between their rich history and the current regime. It is absurd that the people who invented human rights and protected the freedom of religion are ruled by a regime that tramples both. That absurdity has brought them to stand up for their heritage and their country’s rich history and, while the Islamic Republic is doing all that it can to silence their voice, they stand strong and proud. They are not deterred by violence or by the threat of imprisonment. They do not allow the violation of their freedom of speech to prevent them from spreading their message.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“It is encouraging to see that more and more countries are taking steps to hold the regime accountable, but there is still much more than can and must be done. It is inspiring to witness the brave Iranian people, who have been oppressed by their own Government for decades, fight back. The Iranian people are risking their lives by taking to the streets and demanding their rights. I would like to take this opportunity to speak to the Iranian people directly. Our Persian neighbours have a tremendously rich heritage of which they should be proud. Since the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 550 BCE, the Persian people have made vital contributions. They gave the world its first declaration of human rights and racial equality, which freed slaves and gave people the right to choose their own religion.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“Allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on assuming the presidency of the Security Council and welcome the new members to the Council. Today I would like to address a people with an incredibly rich history and heritage, whom Israel considers a partner in building a better future in the Middle East — the Iranian people. Unfortunately, the Iranian people are ruled by a regime that remains the biggest threat to peace and security in the region. The regime has proudly announced that it is enriching more uranium than before the disastrous Iran deal. It supports and funds terror, instead of investing in its own people. Its forces shoot live ammunition at protesters. The regime outright lied to the international community to cover up its fatal actions that took the lives of 176 passengers and crew aboard a Ukrainian aircraft.”
2020-01-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8706 (2020) · source
“Civilians across the Middle East are risking their lives to protest the regime's presence in their countries. They are doing all they can to hold back the regime's regional ambitions. It is time that the international community took action and join them. Let their courage serve as a catalyst. More pressure must be applied on the Iranian regime to stop its terror in the region and around the world and to stop promoting its nuclear programme. We must follow in the footsteps of our American ally, leave the Iran deal and apply more sanctions. The Iranian regime does not care about the civilians in the region, but the civilians of the region are counting on the hope that the Security Council does.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“The Islamic Republic remains the biggest threat to security and stability in the region, yet many members of the Council and the international community try to appease the regime. For years, Israel has warned that the regime's nuclear and expansionist ambitions pose a threat to the entire world. We have warned that the regime will sacrifice everything, even innocent civilian lives, to promote its agenda. Such appeasement has done nothing to slow it down. Today we heard from Ms. Raemer from Israel about what it means to be a civilian affected by the Islamic Republic for years. We could have heard today from a civilian in Gaza, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria or Iran, and his or her experience of living under the influence of the regime would have been similar.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“Once and for all, let us destroy this criminal and corrupt regime that for 40 years has made the dear Iranian people miserable." While blood is flowing in the streets of Tehran, cash continues to flow to the regime's proxies and allies, causing further bloodshed across the region. Meanwhile, it is expected that by March 2020, 57 million Iranians will be living below the absolute poverty line. It is therefore no wonder that protesters are chanting in Iran: "No to Gaza, no to Lebanon. I give my life only for Iran". But the Islamic Republic does not care about its civilians; it cares only about its extremist ideology. Wherever the Iranian regime's tentacles of terror reach, civilians suffer.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“Iranian citizens recently took to the streets to exercise their basic right to criticize their Government's policies - policies that place the regime's expansionist ideology over the well-being of Iranian civilians. In response, the Iranian regime killed more than 200 civilians and injured thousands more. Pouya Bakhtiari, a 27-year-old electrical engineer, was shot and killed during the protests, which he attended with his mother and sister on 16 November in Mehrshahr, Iran. Pouya had an active Instagram account, with over 14,000 followers, on which, despite threats, he shared his opinions on the regime. On his way to the protest, during which he was murdered, he recorded a video message for his followers, saying, "People, do not miss this opportunity.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“The Islamic Republic does not care about the civilians of Yemen; it cares only about its extremist ideology. Syria is another example. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ground forces, the Quds Force and intelligence services have all been deployed to keep Bashar Al-Assad in power, no matter the cost - billions of dollars - although 400,000 Syrian civilians have lost their lives in the civil war, many of them killed by people who were trained by the Iranian regime and were using the weapons that the regime had provided them. I repeat again that the Islamic Republic does not care about the civilians of Syria; it cares only about its extremist ideology. The Iranian regime abuses civilians even in its own country.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“The Islamic Republic does not care about the civilians of Lebanon; it cares only about its extremist ideology. The Iranian regime also abuses civilians in Yemen. The regime funds arms and trains the Houthi forces. The Houthis' flag bears the slogan: "Allah is the greatest of all, death to America, death to Israel, curse upon the Jews, victory to Islam". That is the exact same rhetoric that comes out of the Islamic Republic. The Iranian regime allows the Houthis to use weapons that they provide them to arm young children. The Houthis have over 18,000 child soldiers in their forces. Yemen's humanitarian crisis is the largest in the world. Some 80 per cent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, including more than 12 million children. The Iranian regime's support of the Houthis is responsible for prolonging that crisis.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“For over three decades, Hizbullah has worked to further the extremist ideologies it shares with the regime. Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been quoted saying that Hizbullah believes in Ayatollah Khamenei more than it believes in the Lebanese Constitution. Last month in Beirut, protesters chanted: "This is Lebanon, not Iran". In response, they were beaten and attacked by Hizbullah. The Islamic Republic directs Hizbullah to use civilian homes and schools to store rockets and to build tunnels into Israeli towns and villages. Very critical for us is the fact that the regime provides Hizbullah with kits to convert rockets into precision-guided missiles that could provoke war in the region - a war that would endanger Lebanese civilians only to promote the regime's ideology.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“Iranian Shiite militias violently crushed the recent protests in Iraq. They share responsibility for the death of more than 400 Iraqis and wounded more than 20,000. Those civilians were protesting the economic conditions and corrupt Governments that are the result of Iranian interference in the country. Twenty-three-year-old medical student, Ayat, tweeted that there were demonstrators on the streets near Tahrir Square in Baghdad. Her patients were teenagers. She said, "At any moment, they could fire at us. At any moment, we could die." The Islamic Republic does not care about the civilians of Iraq; it cares only about its extremist ideology. The Iranian regime abuses civilians in Lebanon. The Iranian regime created Hizbullah in the 19805.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“Instead, I can assure those present that it will once again be wasted on furthering an extremist agenda through terror tactics and harming civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike. While there is a need for funds in Gaza, we can be sure that the money will not serve its purpose, so long as Hamas is in power with the support of Iran. Nineteen-year-old Amir Abu Oun was one of thousands who took to the streets in Jabalia to protest against Hamas' policies in March. On his first day of peaceful protest, he was beaten by Hamas forces. On the second day, he was detained for five days, during which he was deprived of food and, once again, beaten. The Islamic Republic does not care about the civilians of the Gaza Strip; it cares only about its extremist ideology. It is not only in Gaza that the Iranian regime abuses civilians, but also in Iraq.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“They use those civilians as shields in the pursuit of Tehran's extremist ideology. They traumatize the innocent and hurt the vulnerable. That is why it is hard to be a civilian in Israel next to the border. It is hard to be a civilian in the Gaza Strip, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria. The Iranian regime abuses civilians on both sides of the border of the Gaza Strip. It funds Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It directs them to aim rockets at Israeli civilians. It helps Hamas use the funds provided by some members of the Council to build terror tunnels and rockets, instead of hospitals and schools. Just last week, the 2020 humanitarian response plan was issued in this building, with the aim of providing hundreds of millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. We hope that it will go to help the people of Gaza. It will not.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“An entire generation suffers from the trauma caused by the fear that the noise heard at night is that of a terror tunnel being dug under the bed. We have been reminded by Council members today, as we have been reminded many times before, that it is also hard to live on the other side of the border, and they are right. It is indeed hard to be a civilian in the Gaza Strip. In fact, it is hard to be a civilian in all places where the Iranian regime's tentacles of terror have reached. The Iranian regime is dedicated to forcing a radical and dangerous revolution on the region. Central to that strategy are its proxies. Wherever they are, they spread terror and violence against innocent civilians. The regime's proxies do not care about the host countries' civilians.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“I would like to start by congratulating you, Madam President, on assuming your role as President of the Security Council. Your leadership and moral clarity have already had a palliative effect on the work of the Council, and I am sure that they will continue to do so. I thank Mr. Mladenov for his briefing, and I also thank Ms. Raemer for sharing her touching story with us today. Her courageous testimony was moving and enlightening. I hope that Council members will take it to heart. Ms. Raemer's testimony illustrated how Iranian- funded Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have been terrorizing civilians living on the border of the Gaza Strip for more than a decade. An entire generation has never known a life without having to be aware at all times of where the closest bomb shelter is located.”
2019-12-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8690 (2019) · source
“The United States has played an important role to that effect, and we believe that the Arab countries in our region, through their influence, can also play a vital role in bringing both sides to the negotiating table. Israel is more than willing to negotiate, as we have shown many times in the past. But, in order to get the Palestinians to the table, the international community must stop trying to force an outcome. Instead, they must force the Palestinians to show up - simply show up - without preconditions. The political conflict will never have a legal solution. The only solution is a negotiated one.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“How many times has President Abbas met with Prime Minister Netanyahu over the past four years? Maybe the international community thinks it is helping the Palestinians, but it is not. It is simply delaying the day that we will actually have to sit down and negotiate directly. The international community's actions are delaying the negotiations, which is clearly counterproductive. The automatic support of some European countries for the Palestinians has resulted in a propaganda campaign that starts here in New York and ends in Ramallah. If they truly want to help, they must change their approach because their criticism is preventing direct negotiations. If the international community wants to bring the conflict to an end, it must shift its focus from trying to determine the outcome of a negotiation to encouraging the occurrence of one.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“The United States is not trying to misuse international law in order to force an outcome to the conflict, but rather understands that one can only come from negotiations. This idea was echoed by an American official who said that the announcement will create an appropriate level playing field for future talks. When the international community tries to force a solution, it achieves the exact opposite effect. When Palestinians see that their battles are being fought for them, why would they agree to come to the negotiating table where they would have to compromise to speak with us? I would ask my colleagues, the Ambassadors of Belgium and France, how many times they have met Mr. Mansour over the past year or over the past four years. How many times has Mr. Mansour met with the Israeli delegation over the past four years?”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“It does not advance the prospect of negotiations. It all but guarantees that they will not happen in the near future. The United States announcement this week says the exact opposite of what others in the international community are saying. It says that we cannot decide for the parties what the solution will look like and that only they can make that determination. There is a crucial difference between saying that we will not declare all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria illegitimate and that we will allow the parties to decide on what happens with them in future, on the one hand, and that we will declare that these communities are illegitimate and that there can be only one outcome in future, on the other. Why should we negotiate if the Security Council knows better?”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“Just last week, the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was renewed. UNRWA maintains the status of refugees and preaches in schools about a non-existent right of return. Why would the international community choose to keep people in refugee status? Why should someone who is a citizen of another country - for example, of the United Kingdom or the United States - still be considered a refugee according to UNRWA? The only possible explanation is that it is an attempt to shape the solution to the conflict. Furthermore, inviting to the Council Israeli organizations that, under the umbrella of Israeli democracy and freedom of speech, paint a distorted picture of reality - and this is not the first time - is an attempt to solidify a one-sided narrative.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“The General Armistice Agreement of April 1949 between Israel and Jordan explicitly states that the demarcation line was established for military purposes only and, as stated in Article VI of the Agreement, "without prejudice to future territorial settlements or boundary lines". That was signed in 1949 between us and the Jordanians. Adding such a precondition is an attempt to decide the outcome of the negotiations before they have begun. Similarly - and this explains why some in the international community insist on claiming that Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are obstacles to peace despite knowing very well what I just mentioned - the claim is meant to try and decide the fate of these communities in a future agreement before the sides have - or really one side has - even agreed to negotiate.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“Perhaps, that is done out of frustration over the fact that a solution to the conflict has not yet been reached. The international community uses questionable legal tools to try to solve a political conflict. There are many examples of such behaviour. In internationally endorsed agreements, Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed - we signed that agreement - that the future border will be negotiated directly and bilaterally. Although I heard certain remarks contrary to this fact in the Chamber today, we nevertheless have those agreements. Some in the international community have decided to go beyond the explicit agreement between the parties and add a few preconditions. Several minutes ago, we heard some Council members say that future borders will be negotiated based on the so-called 1967 lines.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“We did not hear them mentioned here today. The first is the Palestinian Authority's incitement against Israel and the Jewish people. When an entire generation is taught in school that the State of Israel has no right to exist, when children are taught to idolize martyrs whose so-called heroic acts are killing innocent people, and when teachers demonize Jews, we are faced with a real obstacle to peace. Incitement is an obstacle to peace, but we do not hear all Council members saying so because it places blame on the Palestinian Authority instead of on Israel. The second real obstacles to peace is the Council's attempt to determine the outcome of the negotiations before they have even started. Too many members of the international community have a habit of trying to alter the starting point of future negotiations.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“Needless to say, the response to this gesture was once again the rejectionism of the other side. History clearly demonstrates that not only is Israel working to attain peace, but it has proven time and again that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are not obstacles to achieving it. Why then would some members of the Council obsessively repeat the mantra that Jewish communities - which they refer to as settlements - are an obstacle to peace? Perhaps, it has to do with the political agenda and desire to force a solution on the sides. Otherwise, why would the international community refuse to acknowledge the true obstacles to peace? As opposed to the baseless claim that the Jewish communities stand in the way of peace, there are two true main obstacles to peace that must be overcome, if we are to be able to reach an agreement.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“In our peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, we have proven that when there is a partner, we are willing to negotiate and go to great lengths to achieve peace. In 2005, Israel unilaterally decided to leave the Gaza Strip. Despite its rights to the land, Israel made this difficult decision because we thought that it would bring us closer to ending the conflict. Instead, it was met with terror and violence. Last week, we witnessed yet again rockets being fired at civilians 4 some 400 rockets. In 2009, President Obama asked Prime Minister Netanyahu to freeze building in Judea and Samaria. Prime Minister Netanyahu showed pragmatism and froze building for 10 months. Israel once again showed its willingness to make compromises in order to achieve peace.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“This is not a recent development or claim, but a historical truth that will never again be denied. The United States announcement reaffirms that resolution 2334 (2016) was based on political motives and has resulted in prolonging the conflict. Many times, members of the Security Council have claimed, as they did today, that the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are an obstacle to finding a solution to the conflict. The Pavlovian response of some European countries to Secretary of State Pompeo's announcement only further delays the chances of ending the conflict. History teaches us that such claims have no merit. Let me be clear - Jewish communities are not an obstacle to peace. Israel has made this clear many times, not only with words, but with actions.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“Two days ago, the United States adopted an important policy that rights a historical wrong. We thank the United States Administration for clearly rejecting the false claim and historical lie that the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria are inherently illegal under international law. Earlier today, I had the pleasure of speaking with United States Ambassador Craft who, as she is travelling in Latin America, called to express her continued support for Israel. We look forward to combating the hypocrisy we see when it comes to identifying the true obstacles to peace in the region. We hope that the rest of the international community will find the courage to review the United States policy with an unbiased eye. Judea and Samaria are inseparable parts of the Jewish people's homeland.”
2019-11-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8669 (2019) · source
“It is our human obligation to fight for the lives of innocent civilians; it is our moral obligation to fight for human rights for all; it is our mandated obligation to ensure that nation-States are not held hostage by terrorist organizations and the countries that support them. I call upon my fellow members to join forces in the fight against this threat.”
2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source
“Finally, if all else fails, we must take military action to stop those terror organizations. Israel congratulates our dear friend the United States on its recent, successful operation. Al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham, posed a threat to the safety and security of the entire world. We thank the United States for making our world safer. The four steps I have mentioned are not enough. If this organ wants to serve its purpose of promoting safety and stability in the new world order, it must adjust. We must work together to promote new methods and forms of cooperation. The Council was created to ensure the security and stability of the United Nations Member States. Non-State terrorist organizations represent the biggest threat to both security and stability.”
2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source
“The international community must come together to return stability to the region by immediately taking the following four steps. First, we must all recognize such non-State organizations for what they are - terrorist organizations. The international community must designate them as terrorist organizations and publicly condemn them and their actions. Secondly, we must prevent the funding of such organizations, which includes using our intelligence forces to find all sources of revenue that they hold and cutting them off. It also means forcing regimes to stop providing funding to those organizations and applying more sanctions. Thirdly, we must encourage the countries in which those terrorist organizations live to take action against them, and we must assist them in those efforts.”
2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source
“The proxies of Iran and other terrorist-supporting States are forcing people out of their homes, leaving the rest of the world to take care of them. This organ was created to promote stability and safety in the world. However, the world in which this organ was created - a world in which violence was played out among States - no longer exists. The international community is trying to win again new players, using an old strategy in a game that has long since evolved. If this organ wishes to truly serve its mandate of promoting safety and stability, it must adapt itself to a world with non-State actors. For years, Israel has had to deal with non-State terrorist organizations that seek to destroy it. Through its experience, Israel has developed methods for dealing with them and looks to share those methods with the world.”
2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source
“Sometimes they stay in the Middle East, but, as we have seen in recent years, many make their way to Europe. By the end of 2016, nearly 5.2 million refugees and migrants had reached European shores after enduring agonizing journeys from Syria, Iraq and other countries. Unfortunately, many more did not manage to reach those shores. In 2018, more than 138,000 people risked their lives trying to reach Europe by sea. More than 2,000 ofthem drowned. In Yemen, 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes because of increased violence. Many flee to neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and Ethiopia. The immigration crisis is a direct result ofthe growing power ofnon-State terrorist organizations in the region.”
2019-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8648 (2019) · source