YouSaid · the spoken record

Gilad Erdan

lines on the record: 73
first: 2020-10-26
most recent: 2021-08-09
sittings or episodes: 6
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

“While the recently adopted United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy addressed, in general terms, the importance of maritime security and the need to prevent maritime terrorism, we call upon the Security Council to act urgently and take specific and decisive action to address this clear upswing in malign act ivities undertaken by the Iranian regime and its proxies in the maritime arena and beyond. The international community must unequivocally condemn and sanction Iran for its recent actions at sea and hold the regime accountable for this onslaught of attacks while creating effective mechanisms to stop any further attacks and possible escalation. Only in this way can we meaningfully enhance maritime security together as a global community and stop Iran before it is too late.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“This timely and decisive action by the Security Council and other global actors effected a palpable reduction in incidents of piracy off the coast of Africa, which by now have all but stopped. Today, a new threat has emerged, which similarly threatens maritime security and commerce on a global scale. The time is now for the Security Council to once again step up to the plate and take decisive action in the wake of increasingly brazen and murderous attacks by Iran and its proxies in the Gulf region and beyond.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“And with the hardliner, Ebrahim Raisi – otherwise known as the “Butcher of Tehran” for having massacred his own people in cold blood – now at the helm in Iran, we can expect this worrisome and dangerous trend to continue and ev en intensify. About 20 years ago, when the scourge of piracy in the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea threatened global shipping and transportation, the international community did not sit idly by. Indeed, this august forum took action and adopted critical international resolutions that were coupled with concrete action taken by various coalitions, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union Naval Force.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“In recent days and months, we have witnessed a spate of murderous attacks and hijacking attempts by the Iranian regime against commercial vessels in the Gulf region. These acts of maritime terrorism have lead, inter alia, to the murder of two innocent civilians, one a United Kingdom citizen, the other a Romanian citizen. They have disrupted international trade in a maritime artery vital to international commerce, at a time when the entire world is still battling a global pandemic. And they have threatened both regional and international peace and security. This latest onslaught of attacks is nothing new. For months, we have witnessed Iran and its proxies brazenly attacking innocent commercial ships and threatening maritime security in a most volatile region and at a most precarious time in world history.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“At the outset, I wish to thank the Government of India for convening this critical debate, which rightfully brings to the fore the centrality of maritime security for safeguarding common prosperity and international peace and security interests. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has most certainly underlined the importance of maritime security and transport, which constitutes an essential sector for the lives of all the peoples of the world. This debate and the call for enhanced international cooperation in this domain is certainly not a theoretical or academic exercise. Indeed, this important discussion, undertaken by the international body tasked with the protection of global peace and security, could not be more timely.”
2021-08-09 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/722 (2021) · source
“It can choose to support a more peaceful future by demanding the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and insisting on an authority in Gaza that invests in the well-being of the people of Gaza rather than in the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has already made its choice. We will take all steps necessary to defend our people. Now it is the Council’s turn to choose. The world is watching.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“It will continue the cycle of violence and undermine the chances for peace. But today the Council can choose a different path: to unequivocally condemn Hamas’s indiscriminate and unprovoked attacks, which threaten Israelis and Palestinians alike. It can choose to support Israel’s heroic efforts to defend itself and dismantle Hamas’s infrastructure of terror while doing everything to minimize the number of casualties on both sides. It can send a clear message to Hamas that the international community will no longer accept its strategy of turning Palestinian children into human shields and using schools, hospitals and high-rises to hide its terror machine.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“There are two choices: to create false moral equivalence — immoral equivalence — between the actions of a democracy that sanctifies life and those of a terrorist organization that glorifies death, by calling for restraint on all sides and failing to unequivocally condemn Hamas. If that choice is made, it will lead to the success of Hamas’s insidious strategy of firing at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. It will lead to the deaths of more innocent Israelis and Palestinians. It will lead to the strengthening of Hamas, the weakening of the Palestinian Authority and the undermining of the chances for dialogue. Choosing to avoid condemning Hamas will strengthen the radical terror group that aims to overthrow the Palestinian Authority, whose charter explicitly calls for wiping Israel off the map.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“That assault has forced Israel to defend and protect its citizens and strike Hamas’s terror machine in order to stop its aggression once and for all. Now let me speak about the future. Israel has always sought peace. Just this year, we signed peace agreements with four Muslim countries. In 2005, Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip and uprooted all the Jewish communities there, in the hope that it would bring about security. Instead, it brought unending terror attacks by Hamas. The members of the Security Council, responsible for maintaining international peace and security, stand today at a critical crossroads.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“At the same time as we defend ourselves against Hamas rockets, the terror organization has been calling on Israel’s Arab citizens to attack Jews. We have seen numerous appalling attacks by Arab citizens of Israel against Jews, including the abhorrent burning of synagogues, and multiple lynchings. We have also seen some appalling cases of Jewish violence against our Arab citizens. As Prime Minister Netanyahu said last night, that violence is entirely unacceptable. We are a country of law and the Israeli police is now working vigorously to stop the violence and arrest the perpetrators, whether Arabs or Jews. That is where we stand now: a massive, unprovoked assault by Hamas initiated not as the result of any incidents involving Israel but due to internal Palestinian political manoeuvring.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“Tragically, at times, despite all our efforts, Hamas’s use of human shields results in civilians getting hurt. As an Israeli, a Jew and a father of four, I am deeply pained by the death of every civilian, whether Israeli or Palestinian. But any attempt to compare Israel and Hamas is factually, legally and morally wrong. Hamas targets civilians; Israel targets terrorists. Israel makes every effort to avoid civilian causalities; Hamas makes every effort to increase civilian casualties. Israel sees every civilian death as a tragedy; Hamas sees every Israeli civilian death as a victory in its campaign of jihad based on its anti-Semitic charter and every Palestinian civilian death as a victory in its campaign to gain international sympathy. Israel uses its missiles to protect its children; Hamas uses children to protect its missiles.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“We thank the President of the United States, the Administration and the many other countries that support Israel’s right to defend our citizens from this terror. Every time Hamas fires at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Gaza civilians, it is committing a double war crime. It does not care where its rockets hit, as long as there is destruction. It does not care who the victims are, as long as there are victims. Israel is responding to indiscriminate attacks with precision, through targeted strikes against Hamas military targets. We take unparalleled steps to prevent civilian casualties. Not only do we strictly adhere to international law; we go beyond — making phone calls and sending text messages in order to make sure that everyone gets out beforehand.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“It has built a vast web of underground terror tunnels, which snake beneath playgrounds, maternity wards and mosques, with the clear strategic goal of increasing the number of Palestinian civilian casualties when Israel is forced to respond. It is not just Palestinians whom Hamas uses as shields. As we have revealed, Hamas is hiding its terror infrastructure, such as intelligence stations and command headquarters, in multistorey buildings, including those that house international media — citizens of countries on the Security Council. Israel has no choice but to stop these Hamas attacks, wherever they are being launched, and it is Hamas who should be held accountable for the consequences.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“In an extremely exceptional move, we made a request to the Supreme Court to delay its hearing on the Sheikh Jarrah case. We rerouted our annual Jerusalem Day parade and even took the unprecedented, unthinkable step of preventing Jews from entering their holiest site, the Temple Mount, on our national day of celebration. Even today, on the eve of the Jewish festival of Shavuot, when we celebrate receiving the Torah, Jews were prevented from entering the site because of Palestinian terror. And how did Hamas respond to all our efforts to de-escalate? By firing rockets and missiles at Jerusalem, our capital city. That is how it started. It was all planned in advance. For years, Hamas has been using international aid not to help the people of Gaza but to abuse them.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“Every year during Ramadan and throughout the year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims are free to pray at their holy site in peace. Even after these extremely violent riots, Israel remains committed to the status quo and to religious freedom for all. Here is another photograph, of Eid Al-Fitr prayers from this past Thursday, showing tens of thousands of Muslims praying at Al-Aqsa. Do you really believe that these peaceful prayers are what caused Hamas to launch this large-scale attack on the people of Israel? Israel will continue to uphold the rights of all believers to practice their religion in freedom and security in the Holy City of Jerusalem. As opposed to Hamas, which did everything in its power to incite violence, Israel took all possible steps to de- escalate tensions in Jerusalem.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“Palestinian extremists turned the Al-Aqsa Mosque into a site for stockpiling weapons and launched violent attacks, with firebombs and rocks, against Jewish worshippers and against the Israeli police. Here is a photo of the stones and other weapons that Palestinian rioters placed in Al-Aqsa, desecrating this holy site and endangering the safety of all worshippers. The Israeli police had no choice but to intervene to restore order and ensure that both Jewish and Muslim worshippers could pray in peace. Using non-lethal means, our police force was able to disperse the violent riots without a single fatality. I doubt whether there are many police forces anywhere in the world that could have achieved such an outcome. I want to emphasize that Israel deeply cherishes freedom of religion.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“As in any democracy, the Israeli Government does not interfere with court proceedings. Everyone knows that. Buying into Hamas’s political propaganda ploy to portray the massive, unprovoked rocket attacks as a result of the dispute in Sheikh Jarrah is not only wrong, but it is also dangerous. It sends a disturbing message. There is never an excuse to indiscriminately fire rockets at civilians. There is never a justification for terror. Do you really believe that property dispute is what caused Hamas to launch that large-scale attack on the people of Israel? After threatening Israel over Sheikh Jarrah, Hamas’s next move was to incite violence on the Temple Mount, the holiest site in the world for Jews and one of the holiest for Muslims.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“It was completely premeditated by Hamas in order to gain political power. It was all a part of their vicious plan. While Hamas seeks the destruction of the State of Israel, it is also vying to take power in the West Bank and to replace the Palestinian Authority. Hamas was frustrated last month when President Abbas postponed Palestinian elections, after not holding them for 15 years. It looked for another way to seize power. Unfortunately, it chose to escalate tensions in Jerusalem as a pretext to start this war. Suddenly, Hamas leader Mohammed Deif, who had been silent for years, was threatening that Israel would pay a heavy price if an Israeli court went ahead and ruled on a property dispute in Jerusalem. Now let me be clear: Israel is a country of law with a robust and independent judiciary.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“Just before I arrived here today, I called my elderly parents, who live in the southern city of Ashkelon and have just 30 seconds to reach a bomb shelter each time Hamas attacks. Let me ask members of the Security Council: what would they do if thousands of terrorist rockets were being fired at their country and people? At their parents or children? How would they respond if an organization with a similar fanatical jihadist ideology as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) were bombing Beijing or Moscow or Dublin and shutting down the airports of Paris or Oslo or London? What would they expect the Security Council to do? This is not the first time that Hamas has indiscriminately fired deadly missiles at Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. But this time it is different.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“This is a photograph of Nadine Awad, a 16-year-old girl, an Arab citizen of Israel. She was studying biology and chemistry and she dreamed of changing the world. She was murdered last Wednesday by the radical jihadist terrorist group Hamas. A Hamas rocket slammed into her home in central Israel, killing her and her father. Over the past week, millions of Israeli children, women and men have been huddling in bomb shelters while thousands of Hamas rockets landed all around them. Hamas has murdered 10 people in Israel, Jews and Arabs, and hundreds of its rockets have fallen short upon the people of Gaza itself, killing Palestinian children and destroying Palestinian homes. Hamas is carrying out its terror attacks while hiding behind Palestinian houses, schools and hospitals, deliberately using civilians as human shields.”
2021-05-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/480 (2021) · source
“If the Council wants to play a role in bringing stability to the region, it must focus on the most pressing issues facing the region and take action. Furthermore, it must be sure to adopt approaches to bringing peace that have been proven to work, and not cling to approaches that have failed time and again because of the Palestinians’ rejectionism and only because of that.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“We have also facilitated the transfer of 61,000 vaccines through the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access programme, 60,000 from the United Arab Emirates, 10,000 from Russia and 100,000 from China. Israel has also vaccinated all foreign diplomats stationed in Israel, including United Nations workers and force personnel. It should be understood that, pursuant to the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has the responsibility for all medical issues, including vaccination. To that end, it has signed a deal for 2 million doses and should be receiving over 400,000 of those units by June. These are turbulent times in the Middle East. Iran continues to be the biggest threat to peace and security in the region and beyond.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“Despite this productive cooperation, which, by the way, has been recognized by consecutive Special Coordinators for the Middle East Peace Process, the Palestinian Authority has attempted to slander Israel, as Council members have heard, with some of them echoing the Palestinian Authority’s false claims. If we truly want to encourage productive dialogue and build trust between the sides, perhaps the Security Council should discuss how, despite having no legal obligation to do so, Israel has vaccinated many, many Palestinians. We have provided 5,200 vaccines to the Palestinian Authority and have vaccinated over 100,000 Palestinian workers in Israel.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“The Agency has long become a political institution that distorts the definition of a refugee, and, without a complete overhaul, has no legitimacy to exist. We cannot end without addressing the outrageous claims made against Israel with respect to the coronavirus disease, instead of it being praised for all that it has done. Since the beginning of the pandemic Israel has worked with the international community to assist the Palestinians in dealing with the crisis. We see it as our moral obligation to help the Palestinians, and we understand that it is also in our interest to help our neighbours.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“The rhetoric used in this place needs to be balanced and conducive to reconciliation. The Palestinian leadership’s incitement and choice to continue their pay-for-slay policy instead of using those resources to help their citizens must be criticized by the Security Council. This forum must also call for the critically needed reforms in the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The textbooks used by UNRWA encourage violence and terrorism. They include anti-Semitic content and further entrench the conflict. UNRWA itself has admitted to having found material inconsistent with United Nations values, but there is no evidence to indicate that it has taken any meaningful steps to rid itself of this deplorable content.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“The Abraham accords have taught us that peace in our region can be reached only through dialogue and acceptance, not through threats and terrorism. The success of the peace between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and the Sudan is rooted in the fact that it is a people-to-people peace. It is the citizens of our countries who have embraced the message of coexistence and tolerance and, as a result, each other. For there to be a chance for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, they need to educate for reconciliation, not hate. They need to teach their children to build bridges, not how to blow them up. They need to completely change the discourse. Part of changing that discourse must start in this Chamber, with the Security Council.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“It should indeed be worrying for everyone. Terrorists who deny Israel’s right to exist are being allowed to participate in the elections. Hamas’s list of candidates includes such names as Jamal Abu Al-Hayja, who carried out numerous terrorist attacks, Nael Barghouti, one of the longest-serving inmates in the Israeli prison system, and Tawfiq Naim, another convicted terrorist. As then-Senator Biden mentioned in his remarks at the time on the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, the political rise of Hamas presents a challenge. Hamas does not even come close to meeting the Quartet’s three requirements of acknowledging Israel’s right to exist, renouncing violence and accepting all previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“If the members of the Security Council intend to once again use time to make statements to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I hope that they will at least address how this institution will be able to continue to work with the Palestinian Authority if Hamas increases its power in the upcoming elections and becomes an official part of the Authority. That is the most important issue to address with respect to the conflict — not old, recycled false accusations about demolitions that are carried out because of illegal construction by the Palestinians. Hamas — the anti-Semitic, genocidal terrorist group — calls for the destruction of the Jewish State and for the murder of Israelis. The fact that Hamas is being allowed to run in the upcoming elections and is predicted to increase its power should be worrying for this body.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“For the moderate nations in the Middle East, this is not enough. As Council members know, Israel is in a unique position. It is the only country in the world that the Iranian regime threatens to annihilate. For Israel, Iran poses an existential threat. That is why we will not see ourselves bound by any agreement that does not fully address the threats against the existence of the State of Israel. And every single member of the Security Council would do the same if it were in our shoes, particularly in the light of the Holocaust. Even though Iran is, without a doubt, the most pressing issue in the region and even though Israel has time and again raised these concerns in speeches and letters, debates on the Middle East ignore the dangers of the tyrannical Iranian regime.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“The fact that world leaders state they are committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons may be encouraging but it is simply not enough. Iran continues to pose an unacceptable threat to Israel and the countries of the region. The international community also wanted to prevent North Korea from becoming a nuclear Power; the lessons from that time still need to be learned. There is consensus among international intelligence agencies around the world that Iran’s nuclear programme is intended for military use, not for civilian purposes. Since that is the case — and for us to be safe — Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear capabilities today or at any time in future. We cannot trust that Iran’s enrichment capabilities will not be diverted to military use. The JCPOA did not address any of these concerns. All it did was buy time.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“Just like in 2015, the fanatical Ayatollahs will use sanctions relief to fund their terrorist activities and continue to secretly develop their military nuclear programme. All they will have to do is wait for the restrictions in the agreement to expire in 2030. They will then have international legitimacy to have thousands of advanced centrifuges enriching uranium, and their breakout time will be almost down to zero, as President Obama himself admitted. What will the Security Council do if that happens? Why wait until then when its members could respond right now? How will the Council act in the face of Iran’s continued violations and its possession of uranium enriched to 60 per cent? It is clear to everyone that the capabilities and knowledge that Iran is developing right now are irreversible and that no agreement can roll them back.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“We believe that that would be a serious mistake. Today, everyone understands that what Prime Minister Netanyahu said back in 2015 is true — that the deal is fundamentally flawed and does not prevent threats from Iran. Members of the international community call for an improved agreement that does not expire in under a decade and which has better and more enforceable inspection mechanisms. Unfortunately, many of them also believe the right way to reach such a deal is by first rejoining the JCPOA and then trying to negotiate a longer and stronger deal with the Iranians. For us, that is hard to understand, for once the international community gives up its leverage, why would Iran agree to negotiate a new deal?”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“The regime is also a serial human rights violator. It persecutes minorities and executes protesters, journalists, women, members of the LGBTQ community and thousands of others. And yet the Security Council does not take the steps necessary to stop the country. It continues to ignore the most pressing matter in the Middle East and, instead, wastes the time of these debates recycling useless discussions of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, even though the Abraham Accords have clearly proven that that is not the issue — Iran is. Over the past few months, despite Iran’s continued illegal nuclear development and escalated regional violence, the international community has attempted to re-engage with the murderous, genocidal regime in an effort to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“These capabilities cast further doubt on the regime’s claims that its space programme is for “peaceful purposes”. What peaceful purpose requires a one-ton warhead? The ayatollahs also continue to pursue their objective of creating radical regional hegemony by supporting and arming their terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East. Be it the Houthis in Yemen, Shia militias in Iraq, Hizbullah in Lebanon and Syria or Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, Iran spreads its tentacles of terror across the Middle East. It supports, arms and funds these terrorist organizations, which, under its control, murder countless people and destabilize the entire region. The only thing the Iranian regime cares about is its tyrannical and murderous objectives. It will say and do whatever is needed to reach that goal.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“But Iran refuses to accept this structure. What more does Iran have to do to prove it is not trustworthy? How long can the international community ignore Iran’s provocative and dangerous behaviour? Just a few short months ago, Iran held a widescale military exercise dubbed “The Great Prophet 15”. As a part of the exercise, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps displayed the capabilities of multiple surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, some of which have the ability of delivering nuclear warheads. Such display was in complete violation of paragraph 3 of annex B of resolution 2231 (2015). In February, Iran unveiled its new space launch vehicle. Analysis of this vehicle indicates that it can carry a one-ton warhead as far as 5,000 kilometres.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“I truly hope that that is not the case today. In recent weeks, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran has escalated its nuclear extortion and begun enriching uranium to 60 per cent. It is clear to everyone that there is no need for Iran to enrich uranium to that level if it is intended for civilian purposes. But Iran’s nuclear ambitions are not civilian; they are blatantly military. Any Iranian claims of wanting to develop nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes should be seen for the lies that they are. There is no civility in Iran’s nuclear programme. If the regime truly wanted nuclear capabilities for civilian purposes, it could have achieved this years ago. It could have chosen a route similar to other countries: no enrichment of fissile material on their soil, only through import.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“They were peacefully protesting and merely expressing their right to free speech. Now, five young Iranian men are locked up in jail waiting to be executed. Their crime — waging war on God. Hadi Kiani, Mohammad Bastami, Mehdi Salehi, Majid Nazari and Abbas Mohammadi will most likely join the thousands of others murdered for speaking out against the world’s most abusive regime. And yet today’s debate will focus once again on Israel. Iran’s relentless attempts to acquire military nuclear capabilities, its terrorist proxies that continue to destabilize the region and its grave human rights violations remain the most substantial threats to peace and security in the Middle East. These should be the focus of debates on the region. Sadly, some members of the Security Council completely ignore the threat posed by the regime.”
2021-04-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/404 (2021) · source
“Those efforts were praised by the previous Special Coordinator, Mr. Mladenov. According to international agreements, the Palestinian Authority is responsible for the health care of its own population, just as it is responsible for the education system. It informed Israel that it intends to purchase vaccines from the Russian Government, and Israel has announced that it will facilitate their transfer. Those are the facts. Anyone who joins the Palestinian campaign of lies either does not know the facts or is motivated by politics or anti-Semitism. There is a long history of using every crisis to spread anti-Semitism and blame the Jews. I hope that, on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the members of the Council will check the facts and not allow that bigoted tradition to continue.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Thanks to the winning combination of essential early steps taken by Prime Minister Netanyahu, its national health-care system and its people’s resilience and experience with emergencies, Israel is leading a successful vaccination campaign that includes all parts of Israeli society. We are also sharing what we have learned with other countries. Israel is known for lending a helping hand whenever and wherever it can. COVID-19 is no exception. For us, human life is paramount. Over the past six months, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided millions of dollars’ worth of aid to assist countries in their struggle against the pandemic. In addition, since the onset of the pandemic, Israel has worked closely with United Nations bodies to assist the Palestinians, training medical staff and supplying them with essential equipment.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“The Accords have brought incredible opportunities to all those who embraced them. Those opportunities are even greater than the economic and cultural cooperation already taking place. They bring stability and new hope for the future of the region. The Palestinians tell Member States that they want peace, so let them explain why they called the peace agreements a “betrayal” and a “stab in the back”. Let them explain why they joined Iran in opposing the agreements. Finally, I would like to shatter the latest blood libel being spread by the Palestinians — the false and grotesque accusations about Israel’s campaign to vaccinate its people.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“He would not be doing his utmost to find new ways to continue his pay-to-slay policy, including by trying to establish a new bank to transfer funds to terrorists. He would come to the negotiating table without making outrageous demands and would not call for another pointless international conference. Any call for such a conference is just a distraction. It is just another form of Palestinian rejectionism. Abbas has suddenly remembered that he cares about democratic values. After 15 years of avoiding elections, it is no coincidence that he chose to announce his intention to hold elections as the new Administration entered office. The Middle East of today is not the same Middle East as before. It is no longer held hostage by the Palestinians. Thanks to the Abraham Accords, things have changed for the better.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Time and again, Israel has expressed its willingness to negotiate and find a viable solution to the conflict. We are a people dedicated to peace. We pray for peace. We educate our children on the importance of peace. Israel has repeatedly demonstrated that it will make peace when there is a willing partner. That was true decades ago when we made peace with Egypt and Jordan and it is true today as we expand the number of peace agreements. The Security Council must encourage the Palestinians to join the circle of peace as well. The only way to achieve peace is through direct bilateral negotiations without preconditions. If President Abbas were truly serious about peace, he would stop inciting violence.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“In that regard, we appreciate President Biden and his Administration’s commitment to assuring that that will never happen. We will work together to achieve that important goal. As new Member States enter the Security Council, I hope that the approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will change. I suggest that the Council discuss the real obstacles to peace: Palestinian incitement and a culture of hate. For years, Palestinian incitement against Israel has prevented any possibility of reconciliation, and that has brought terrible consequences. Even in 2020, as we all fought the pandemic, there were hundreds of attempted Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis. Just a few weeks ago, an Israeli woman, Esther Horgan, a mother of six, was brutally murdered when she went out for a run.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Once back in the JCPOA, all Iran has to do is wait for the restrictions to expire automatically in less than a decade. It is undisputable that the JCPOA does not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities. It merely delays it by a few years. Unfortunately, it gives international legitimacy to a tyrannical, genocidal, rogue regime to become a nuclear Power once it expires. The striking speed and efficiency with which the regime manages to restore its uranium production capabilities is clear proof of the deal’s flaws. Again, the Security Council must not allow the world’s most dangerous regime to possess the world’s most dangerous weapon. Israel knows how to protect its citizens, and we will never allow Iran to become a nuclear Power or become a nuclear threshold country.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“That must be leveraged to ensure that Iran has a reason to change its destructive behaviour and abandon its nuclear ambitions. Prior to the deal, we all saw that Iran agreed to come to the negotiating table only when it faced the essential combination of crippling sanctions and a credible military threat. Returning to the JCPOA and giving up that leverage, even if intended to lay the groundwork for a future agreement, would be a mistake. It will rule out any possibility of a long-term settlement that has real, effective enforcement mechanisms and that will secure peace in the region. We appreciate the commitment of the international community to blocking Iran’s pathway to nuclear weapons, but we believe that once sanctions have been lifted and Iran’s economy begins to improve, it will have no reason to negotiate.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Iran has a long history of lying to the international community. It must not be trusted. As the secret Iranian archive that Israel revealed proves, Iran lied to the international community when it signed the agreement. It failed to disclose its massive nuclear-weapons programme, trying to keep it hidden so that it could be used once the deal’s “sunset” provisions have expired. Iran deceived the world when it signed the agreement, and it continues to deceive the world today. The regime believes that its recent violations and rogue behaviour will force the international community to lift the sanctions and return to the JCPOA. The Council must not give in to this nuclear extortion and must not remove sanctions. As the regime’s behaviour proves, the sanctions have taken a toll on the Iranian economy.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“The way in which Ayatollah regime operates is reminiscent of the darkest period in history. We should all remember this tomorrow when we commemorate the Holocaust. The reality in 2021 is not the reality of 2015. What we all know today about Iran is not what the international community knew when it signed the nuclear deal with Iran. Now we know that, contrary to the signatories’ premise, Iran did not use the removal of sanctions to improve the lives of its citizens but instead doubled down on its malign activities. Rather than using the dividends of the nuclear agreement to build schools and hospitals, it built an arsenal of missiles. Rather than using its resources to fight the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it wasted them on funding terrorist proxies and undermining peace and security.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“He was forced to flee his home after expressing opposition to the Iranian regime. Rouhallah continued to share the truth about Iran from France, where he lived as a refugee. He was lured back to the Middle East, where he was abducted. Pictures later released by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard showed him blindfolded. Back in Iran, he faced a sham trial and was found guilty of the nonsensical crime “corruption on Earth.” He was, as expected, sentenced to death. Despite a global campaign, Rouhallah was executed, and, in the face of criticism, President Rouhani defended that barbaric murder as “lawful.” Thousands of Iranians are paying the price for the international community’s complacency when it comes to the regime’s grave violations of human rights and its inhumane behaviour.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“These are just the latest in a long list of violations that leave no doubt of Iran’s intentions. We cannot allow the most dangerous regime in the world to possess the most dangerous weapon of all. And yet this will not be the focus of the debate on the Middle East by an institution entrusted with promoting peace and security. Absurd. I would like to be clear: Israel has no grievances with the Iranian people. They, too, are victims of the regime’s extremist ideology. President Rouhani and Minister Zarif are responsible for thousands of executions and grave violations of the human rights of their own citizens. Indeed, it is impossible for anyone to remain unmoved by the brutal murder of Rouhallah Zam. Rouhallah was a 47-year-old husband, father of two and journalist.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source
“Iran should be the focus of the remarks of the members of the Security Council today, for there is no greater force endangering and destabilizing the Middle East, and there is no bigger threat to peace and security around the world. The regime does not stop at threatening Israel. It has spent the time since signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) developing its nuclear capabilities and deepening its knowledge in a way that makes clear it has not abandoned its intention of becoming a nuclear Power. As a recent report of the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates, Iran continues with its clandestine activities, including nuclear-contaminated sites, and lately even creating the infrastructure needed for producing uranium metal, a sensitive material that could be used in a nuclear warhead.”
2021-01-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2021/91 (2021) · source