YouSaid · the spoken record

Gillerman

lines on the record: 555
first: 2003-02-20
most recent: 2008-07-22
sittings or episodes: 44
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

“A case in point is the city of Sderot, where up to 94 per cent of children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, including sleep and concentration problems and even bed-wetting. The psychological effects are no less damaging than physical wounds and should not be casually dismissed. Indeed, the frequency of rocket attacks has increased alarmingly in recent months, where, on average, one rocket is fired at Israel every three hours. The rockets, sadly, inflict devastating physical suffering as well. Over the past weekend, two brothers were seriously wounded when a Qassam rocket slammed into their hometown of Sderot, On Sunday evening, doctors were forced to amputate part of the left leg of one of the boys, eight-year-old Osher Tuito. In Hebrew, by the way, "Osher" means joy and happiness.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“On 29 October 2007, Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired mortars from the yard of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) elementary school in Beit Hanoun. That cynical abuse of the school and violation of a United Nations installation for terrorist purposes was rightfully condemned by the Secretary-General. Regrettably, the incident is absent from the aforementioned report. Similarly, while the report provides statistical data on the number of Israeli children physically injured by Qassam rockets, the report fails to reflect on the long- term damage, such as psychological conditions and stress disorders that are the direct consequence of the rocket barrages fired by Palestinian terrorists. That indiscriminate rocket firing poses a particular danger to children.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Numerous other television programmes, all viewed by thousands upon thousands of Palestinian children, are known to praise jihad and violence and indoctrinate that young viewership. Palestinian terrorists use similar tactics to actively recruit children to carry out terrorist operations. Then there are the cases of parents, mothers and fathers, who strap suicide belts on their own children and send them off to carry out terrorist attacks and those who dance on the rooftops celebrating the carnage they caused by firing Qassam rockets and injuring Israeli children. Those grotesque images shake us all to the very core, but they are also a very real aspect of the way that children are threatened and harmed by Palestinian terrorism. Moreover, the use of civilian areas to carry out acts of terrorism is being seen with alarming frequency.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“While terrorism is a global concern, the situation in our region provides a stark snapshot of some of the most daunting challenges the international community faces in the protection of children. Extremist ideology is the handmaiden of youth violence. Young people are extremely impressionable, susceptible to brainwashing and indoctrination by icons of popularity. Often enough, official textbooks used in schools teach children hatred and incite them to violence. Indeed, indoctrination is just as dangerous as the acts of violence and terrorism themselves, as they pervert the value and worth of education, poison the social bloodstream and create an infrastructure for continued terrorism and extremism. As one example, a recent episode of the Hamas television show "Tomorrow's Pioneers" featured a malevolent rabbit that eats Jews.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“In that regard, my delegation takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, (S/2007/757) and wishes to briefly highlight and expand on some of the issues it references. Armed conflict levies a heavy toll on all civilian populations, and no effort must be spared to ensure the protection of civilians, particularly children, whose inherent vulnerabilities make them dependent on others for safety. The spread of terrorism around the globe means that civilians today are especially and increasingly placed in danger, from both indiscriminate and targeted terrorist attacks. There can be no doubt that terrorism comes at civilians' expense. Even worse, children have often become the object of such terrorist interest for purposes of recruitment, incitement to violence, human shielding and even targeted attacks.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“Thousands of girls have been subject to sexual exploitation, prostitution, rape - which is even used as a weapon of war - and sexual and gender-based violence. Accordingly, Israel assigns great importance to the protection of children, particularly from violence and armed conflict. Israel has been a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child since 1991 and to its Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Last year, Israel was pleased to welcome the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Ms. Coomaraswamy, for a visit and to cooperate with and support her as she sought to better understand the impact of conflict on all the children of our region.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“I told the Secretary-General that Israel was the only democracy in the world where nurseries, kindergartens and schools are protected by armed guards, and I voiced my hope and prayer that by the end of my tenure here, no child in the world would have to be guarded by armed guards. Unfortunately, today, more than five years later, my grandson is nine years old and attending a school in Israel that is still guarded by armed guards. Over the past two decades, more than 2 million children have been killed in conflicts, with another 6 million maimed or permanently injured. More than a quarter of a million youths have been exploited as child soldiers, and, needless to say, most are recruited at such a young age that they are robbed of their schooling and youth.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“When I presented my credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan just over five years ago, on 6 January 2003, I said to him that I was doing so on behalf of a nation, a people and a child. When I said the word "child", I saw him tense, and then I said that the nation was the State of Israel, which I love very much, the people are the Jewish people, who I am very proud to represent, and the child was my four-year-old grandchild, Ron, who at the time was attending a kindergarten in Tel Aviv. Every time I went to pick him up from the kindergarten, my heart broke at the sight of the armed guard standing outside those innocent kids' kindergarten to protect them from terror.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your very able stewardship of the Council this month and thank you for convening this important meeting. My delegation also wishes to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Ms. Coomaraswamy, the UNICEF Executive Director, Ms. Veneman, and the representative of the Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict for their statements and their important work on behalf of children everywhere. In addition, my delegation commends the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflicts, under the able stewardship of France, for its work on the promotion and protection of children affected by armed conflict. At the outset, allow me a personal note.”
2008-02-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5834Resumption1 (2008) · source
“That this was done by the President of this Council while expressing his total support for terrorism should alarm us all as to what awaits us and what awaits this Council in the next 23 months. Maybe today all I can say is "TGIF" - "Thank God, it's February" - soon.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“As specified by Article 23 of the Charter of the United Nations, "The General Assembly shall elect ten other Members of the United Nations to be non-permanent members of the Security Council, due regard being specially paid, in the first instance to the contribution of Members of the United Nations to the maintenance of international peace and security ...". The importance of this paragraph was highlighted today by the litany of bias, distortion, bigotry and hate delivered by a representative of a country that was itself under sanctions by this Council not long ago. The same people who gave the world Lockerbie are trying to lecture this Council on human rights. The fact that he was congratulated by the assassins of Damascus, who are themselves under investigation by this Council, only added a sense of the surreal to it.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Many members of the Council here today have expressed through this debate their concern over the futility of these meetings, and they may now justifiably feel they were right. I wish to express my own sentiment that I did feel such futility through much of the meeting's duration. However, I feel that the meeting did ultimately serve an important purpose. It illustrated vividly and graphically how important it is to ensure that the membership of the Security Council is carefully screened and considered, and how much responsibility it carries with it.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Undercutting each other and pointing fingers will only undermine our collective strength. Siding with the terrorists gives them no incentive to reform and end the violence. Each of our roles here is important. With a precise understanding of those roles, Israel hopes that we can achieve a lasting peace for all citizens of the Middle East in our time.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Thankfully, the moderates in the region are hard at work to counteract the extremists. Israel went to Annapolis last November to bring the light and spirit of peace back to all people in the region. Israel is committed to the vision of two States - one Jewish and one Palestinian - living side by side in peace and security, as the ongoing dialogue between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas demonstrates. We are committed to seeing moderate Arab and Muslim States in the region support the process between us and the Palestinians. Stagnation is neither our policy nor our interest. Israel believes that an independent Palestinian State that desires to live in peace as our next-door neighbour is Vital to realizing sustainable peace and security in the region. But the moderates must work together.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“We recently saw the harmful effects of one- sided rhetoric in the resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Clearly, such initiatives do not benefit peace or human rights. If anything, they threaten the possibility of reconciliation and reaching an agreement. Darkness has fallen over Gaza, but it is not a darkness that stems from the absence of physical light. The darkness over Gaza is the result of darkness imposed by the extremists in Tehran and Damascus, whose terrorist proxies on the ground, Hamas and Hizbullah, want nothing less than to extinguish all progress, development, hope and light. The light of hope in Gaza can be turned on in an instant. The situation can change dramatically in a millisecond. All it takes is for the rockets to stop and for terror to cease.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“In seeking a purely political condemnation of Israel, the Non-Aligned Movement's statement makes no mention of Palestinian terrorism or Hamas, let alone Hamas' indiscriminate and vicious rocket attacks against Israel. In essence, it fails to reflect an understanding of the reality on the ground and the overall responsibility of this Council. How ignorant or cynical can even the Non-Aligned Movement get? As the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan once said, what indeed is the Non-Aligned Movement non-aligned about? Is it even relevant today? We believe in continued dialogue, as ongoing today between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. That means, however, taking a balanced and fair approach to the conflict and not promoting biased narratives.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“They manipulate and misuse democracy and human rights to promote instability and chaos. The international community must not be fooled. It must know that Hamas is the enemy of everything the United Nations stands for. Hamas does not represent the will of the Palestinian people, but rather the will of the extremists who seek to undermine everything we have worked for. An unfettered Hamas in power is nothing less than civilization in retreat. The urgency of the need to realize that terrorists seek to undermine our democracies and destroy our human rights was underscored recently by the recent statement of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement on the situation in the Gaza Strip.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“But it is all the more alarming as the Iranian President's remarks come only one day after the United Nations observed international Holocaust remembrance day, a solemn occasion when the international community reaffirmed its resolve to preserve the eternal memory of the Holocaust and to utilize the instruments of human rights and civic responsibility to ensure that genocide never again occurs anywhere. During a week in which the nations of the world have come together to remember the victims of the Holocaust and perhaps the greatest example of the perversion of civic power, it is appropriate to recall how the extremists seek to undo those efforts. Hamas and Hizbullah are undemocratic parties that use the instruments of civil society to achieve their own racist, hateful and violent agenda.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Iran uses Holocaust denial and threatens to destroy Israel to promote its utterly racist worldview. Iran cannot live in a world where there is a Jewish State, and so it bankrolls terrorists on the ground to do its dirty work. It must be stopped, and I sincerely hope this Council will make sure that it is. Speaking before a televised audience only yesterday evening, the Iranian President reiterated his belligerent threats against Israel, saying "The life of Zionists will sooner or later come to an end". Surely, such inflammatory and inciting rhetoric shakes every one of us to the very core.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Hamas does not have the word humanitarian in its vocabulary. As noted in Under-Secretary-General Pascoe's briefing last week, more than 20 months have passed since the kidnapping of Corporal Gilad Shalit, whose whereabouts and condition remain unknown. The terrorists holding him will not allow any Visits to assess his well-being. That is the real ongoing humanitarian crisis. On several occasions, my delegation has stressed that terrorists are dependent on States for support and assistance. Syria is home and headquarters to numerous terrorist organizations, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas. The political leader of the latter, Khaled Mashal, lives there while continuing to orchestrate the killing of Israelis. Iran also funds Hamas and Hizbullah and generously supports terrorism elsewhere around the globe.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Israel works closely with the relevant United Nations and humanitarian agencies on the ground to ensure that the needs of the civilian population are met. In contrast, what can be said of Hamas's commitment to Gaza's humanitarian needs? Hamas diverts the fuel supply that is being sent in to produce domestic power. It keeps the Gaza population in the dark, so that it can manufacture more rockets to fire at Israel. By firing on border crossings, the terrorists cynically force closures, which hamper efforts to deliver humanitarian aid. Recently, we even saw humanitarian convoys being used by Hamas to smuggle explosives and weapons into Gaza. Hamas stages images of misery in its ongoing manipulation of the media, making Gaza not only its theatre of operations but also a theatre of disinformation.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Very characteristically, the Palestinian Observer has yet again used the word "occupation", this time 13 times. He did not use the word "Hamas" even once. He should remember that this is the real world. This is the Security Council. This is not theatre. While those acts of terrorism have been taking place, Israelis live in constant fear and danger. My Government has been clear - in words and in deeds - that it will do everything possible to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The flow of electricity to Gaza is continuing, meeting at least three quarters of Gaza's electricity needs. Supplies including cooking gas, 500,000 litres of diesel fuel for generators- primarily for hospitals - 2.2 million litres of industrial fuel for power plants and 50 truckloads of humanitarian aid have all entered the Gaza Strip since last week.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“I remind the Council that Israel disengaged from the Gaza Strip more than two years ago in the hope that the Palestinians would govern the area responsibly - looking after their own people and improving the standard of living and the quality of life. Instead, the Palestinians turned Gaza into a terror base and a launching pad for missiles against Israel. My Palestinian colleague has continued - unashamedly or because he is uninformed - to repeatedly refer to Israel as the occupying Power, blatantly ignoring the fact that Israel did indeed leave Gaza totally over two years ago. The only occupying Power in Gaza is the terrorist occupation of Hamas, which keeps not just Israelis but also its own people hostage to its terror and violence.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“That terrifying version of "Russian roulette" - and I assure the Council that it is not a game - has been given that name because no one knows when the next rocket will be fired or where it will land and it is a source of tremendous terror. Hamas directs its terrorist campaign from the Gaza Strip, where it violently seized control last year, in order to menace, maim and murder innocent civilians. Two weeks ago, a Hamas sniper murdered a 20-year-old volunteer from Ecuador, Mr. Carlos Chavez, in the fields of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha. Not only does Hamas fire rockets indiscriminately, they now also target civilians with precision weapons.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Within that group, the city of Sderot has sustained the majority of the rocket attacks - with astonishing courage but also tremendous pain and suffering. Sderot - as a British journalist covering the region has said - is a city that measures life in 15-second intervals. Fifteen seconds: that is all the time that the people of Sderot have between the sounding of the red- alert warning siren and the inevitable crash and explosion of Qassam rockets. There is no normal life in Sderot. Everyone is on edge, fearful of leaving their homes, terrified of dropping their children off at schools and kindergartens and frightened even to go to the supermarket.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“The events of last week demonstrate just how terrorism not only endangers and threatens civilian lives but also places the entire peace process in grave peril. Last Thursday evening, two armed Palestinian terrorists infiltrated Kfar Etzion in the West Bank and wounded three Israelis. In another incident that occurred at around the same time, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Israeli police officers stationed near the Shoafat refugee camp in Jerusalem, killing a police officer and wounding another. While those acts of terrorism took place, over 230,000 Israelis have continued to live within range of Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Since Hamas came to power, more than 4,200 rockets and mortar rounds have been fired at Israel's southern cities and towns.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“While Israel returned the suspect to Lebanon after a short investigation, we hope that marking the Blue Line, as well as placing warning signs, will prevent future incidents. Let me now turn to the situation with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the peace process with the moderate Palestinian Authority leadership. The ugly face of Palestinian terrorism - the relentless, vicious and horrifying acts of violence directed at Israelis simply because they are Israelis - is the greatest humanitarian crisis and threat to human rights and peace and stability in our region. Israel calls on the moderate Palestinian Authority leadership to shoulder its responsibilities under the various agreements, including the Road Map, and put an end to the violence and terrorism and to the incitement to commit such acts against our people.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Moreover, some of those weapons are destined for areas south of the Litani River, where a re-armed Hizbullah maintains a presence. Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hizbullah on 12 July 2006, are still being held, without any sign of life or visits by the Red Cross. Resolution 1701 (2006) is explicit in its call for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers. I call on the Council, as I have done before, to implement those provisions and help to bring our boys home without delay. Lastly, the incident on 7 January in the Halta area, when a Lebanese crossed into Israel, is a reminder of the need to demarcate the Blue Line.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“I would like to thank Under-Secretary-General Pascoe for his informative briefing. In the absence of the President, I would like to point out that the growing instability and dangers to international peace and security in Lebanon, particularly those posed by Hizbullah in the areas south of the Litani River, are more severe today than ever before. The two Katyusha rockets fired on northern Israel on 8 January and the terrorist attack that wounded two Irish peacekeepers on the same day are mere by two examples. While Israel welcomed the Council's statement to the press condemning those terrorist attacks, much more needs to be done to implement resolution 1701 (2006) in its entirety. Weapons continue to pass through the porous Syrian-Lebanese border, in violation of the arms embargo.”
2008-01-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5827 (2008) · source
“Indeed, peace is a holistic state of existence. To truly achieve it, one half of the population cannot be ignored. Only with full participation of women in all aspects of conflict resolution, peacemaking and security will there be a viable social, economic and political subsoil for democratization, sustainable development and peace to grow. Israel, for its part, is determined that women should play an increasingly active role in peace negotiations and is committed to advancing the role of women in all aspects of society. Israel is hopeful that an enhanced role for women in peace negotiations will build lasting bridges of understanding with our neighbours and usher in a dawn of harmony and prosperity for all.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“As Israeli and Palestinian leaders continue to meet, our goal is to reach an understanding on the widest possible common ground in order to enable progress on the way forward towards the realization of the two-State vision. This is for the benefit of all citizens of the region, men and women alike. Similarly, there is a movement of Israeli and Palestinian women working together from across civil society and the political spectrum to advocate for peace. The recognition and effectiveness of such advocacy organizations and NGOs is a testament to the vibrancy of Israeli democracy and pluralism, and Israel takes great pride in their leadership. Spinoza, the famed seventeenth-century philosopher, once said that peace is not the absence of war: it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence and justice.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Similarly, the Israeli Women's Equal Rights Law was amended in past years in the spirit of resolution 1325 (2000) mandating that the Israeli Government include women in any group appointed to peacebuilding negotiations and conflict resolution. I wish to note that this commitment is not merely in theory, but also in practice. We do not just preach it; we practice it. My Minister, Ms. Tzipi Livni, Vice- Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, was appointed just last week to lead the negotiations with the Palestinians. Due to the important choices being made on the ground - namely, the existence of a Palestinian Government that accepts the Quartet principles and is committed to a dialogue and process with Israel - a sense of renewed hope and optimism can be felt on the ground.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“In that regard, Israel has been working through Government and non-governmental channels to increase awareness and amplify the voice of women in peace negotiations and conflict resolution. In Israel, implementation of resolution 1325 (2000) continues on a variety of levels, including but not limited to distributing Hebrew translations of the resolution, distributing and disseminating information on the resolution to national, regional and non- governmental organization (NGO) bodies, campaigning to raise awareness through public relations work and media coverage and monitoring and documenting the impact of conflict on women and girls.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“I am sure that her impressive tenure at the United Nations, and especially in the Security Council, will have prepared her well for this important mission, and we wish her well. Nevertheless, a great deal remains to be done. National mechanisms and machineries for the advancement of women need to be strengthened to ensure women's active participation in public policy formulation on matters of peace and security. The mainstreaming of gender into all policies and programmes at the international and national levels is a crucial factor in the prevention of sexual discrimination, exploitation and abuse. If women are ever to truly see their needs recognized and their interests represented in peace accords, they must have access to peace negotiations from the earliest possible stages.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“The severity of such graphic exploitation, abuse and violation of human rights cannot be overstated, and the perpetrators of these crimes must be brought to justice. Israel welcomes the report of the Secretary- General on women and peace and security (S/2007/567) and its System-wide Action Plan review and update. Similarly, we are pleased at the Secretary- General's efforts to identify women as candidates for senior level positions within the United Nations system, with particular attention given to special representatives. We hope to hear in the future of new appointments of women in senior roles. With this in mind, we commend the appointment of our former colleague, Ambassador Ellen Loj, as the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Liberia.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“We have no doubt that the advancement and progress of women will translate into nothing less than the advancement and progress for all. As such, Israel remains committed to the principles and goals of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, as well as the principles outlined in the World Summit Outcome (General Assembly resolution 60/1) adopted by our leaders in 2005. The deliberate acts of violence against women and the girl child, especially in situations of armed conflict, are particularly alarming. Women, and children, for that matter, are severely affected by the consequences of armed conflict. We have even seen and are continuing, unfortunately, to see the heinous crime of rape used as a political weapon.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“It remains a living document that continues to inform and inspire the struggle for rights and freedoms of all people around the world. In this regard, the spirit of resolution 1325 (2000) lives and breathes within the Declaration. My delegation would like to commend the efforts of the various entities within the United Nations, among them, the Division for the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women for their efforts in promoting resolution 1325 (2000) and for all that they do to make the voices of women heard. Israel strongly believes that women must play an equal role in all aspects of State and civil society.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“At the outset, allow me to congratulate the Ghanaian presidency on its able stewardship of the Council this month and to thank it for convening this open debate on women and peace and security. As we mark the seventh anniversary of the adoption of resolution 1325 (2000), I also wish to thank the Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations and Ms. Rachel Mayanja for their informative statements. Next year, the international community will reach another milestone when it celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Declaration, universally recognized as an international instrument of the highest importance, is of increasing significance as a unifying factor among all peoples and cultures.”
2007-10-23 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5766Resumption1 (2007) · source
“Choosing the right options means choosing a peaceful alternative, the alternative of hope, which is more promising, more secure and more dignified for all. The alternative of peace begins with the people and their choices, and the people of the Middle East, particularly their leaders, must have the wisdom and courage to choose wisely.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Lastly, Iran and Syria - the State sponsors of terror in the region and in Lebanon - are re-arming Hizbollah in defiance of resolution 1701 (2006) and resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1747 (2007). The international community must see to it that those forces of extremism no longer threaten the well-being and security of the region. It is not enough for the moderates to merely shun the extremists and shut out their darkness. We must also usher in light and do so through the choices we make and courses we chart. The region must transform gloom into hope. That can only be accomplished through responsible and sensible choices. The international community has made its choice on who to engage and the Palestinians and the Lebanese are making their choices as well.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Indonesia itself voted only last year for Security Council resolution 1701 (2006), which called for the immediate release of our two boys, whose abduction and brutal holding sparked the conflict. There is an alarming degree of hypocrisy in voting for the resolution last year and ignoring it today. Membership in the Council should carry with it more responsibility. The presence of armed Hizbollah elements south of the Litani river, and the transfer of weapons from Iran and Syria to Hizbollah in Lebanon, in blatant violation of the arms embargo, is also a cause for grave alarm. Some of those weapons are destined for southern Lebanon and have undoubtedly found their way there. Israel has watched with great concern as Hizbollah reverts to its previous capabilities. In that respect, the passages over the Litani river are crucial.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Here I wish to stress three main areas that demand the Council's vigilant attention and immediate action. The continued detention of our boys, IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, kidnapped by Hizbollah terrorists on 12 June 2006 and the absence of any sign of life pose grave humanitarian concerns. I reiterate my call to the members of the Council to make the utmost effort for their immediate and unconditional release. In that context, I wish to express my disappointment at the statement made by Indonesia referring to what it termed, "Israel's invasion into Lebanon a year ago". Ignorance is not always bliss. Re-writing history is an affront to the intelligence of the Council. Indeed, a year has passed, but that period should not obliterate the real roots of last summer's conflict.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“The unanimous adoption of resolution 1773 (2007) last week, was an important step in maintaining regional security. Israel expresses its appreciation to the troop-contributing countries, the UNIFIL command, the strategic cell in New York and the troops on the ground. Israel appreciates the difficulty of their task and values their dedication. They are undertaking a most significant and crucial responsibility while faced with the challenges of peacekeeping in our region. Israel also wishes to join the Council in expressing its condemnation of the recent attacks on UNIFIL forces and to offer condolences to the families of the victims and their countries of origin. Although it has been over a year since the adoption of resolution 1701 (2006), the situation in southern Lebanon remains precarious, fragile and unsettling.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“A huge difference can be seen in the moderate and pragmatic choices being made in the West Bank and the extremist and violent choices being made in Gaza. The masks have now been removed. Hamas is not just choosing extremism over moderation; it wishes to forcefully convert the world to its hateful, violent and venomous ideology and instil terror and fear in the hearts of those who do not share its evil world View. Israel for its part, will work with those that make the right choices, under the direction and guidance of the Road Map, to advance the political and economic horizons that sow the seeds of peace. With regard to the situation along the Blue Line, Israel welcomes the extension of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate for another year.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Hamas still holds Gilad, creating a severe humanitarian situation. I ask you to consider the shattering darkness Gilad experienced on his twenty-first birthday and what must be done to secure his immediate release and safe return. In spite of the volatile security situation in the Gaza Strip, Israel continues to respond to humanitarian needs there. Since 19 June, more than 60,000 tons of humanitarian aid was transferred from Israel to the Gaza Strip in cooperation with the Gaza District Coordination and Liaison Office. Israel remains committed to ensuring the timely and safe passage of aid through the appropriate channels. If we consider all this, we see that important choices are being made on the ground.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Lives were saved this time, but who knows when the next attempt will be. Since 1 August, Hamas has smuggled more than 13 tons of explosives and 150 rocket-propelled grenades into Gaza. Some 40 tons of explosives were smuggled in the past three months. Moreover, 56 terror attacks, among them the firing of 20 Qassam rockets occurred last week alone. Close to 70 rockets were fired by Palestinian terrorists during August, marking a sharp increase in rocket terror activity. Two days ago, Corporal Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas on 25 June last year, celebrated his twenty-first birthday, but not at home with friends and family as most of us do. Gilad Shalit celebrated his birthday for the second year now in captivity, alone in an undoubtedly dark and cold place, devoid of the warmth and life he deserves.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“While the moderates have chosen an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue, the extremists have chosen violence and instability, threatening both Israeli and Palestinian security. In Hamastan, in the Gaza Strip, we see the exact opposite of the positive choices made in the West Bank. In Gaza, Hamas hurriedly constructs positions and fortifications, building tunnels for fighting and smuggling explosives, antitank weapons and rockets through the desert. Hamas has even sent its terrorists for training in Iran so that they can attack Israel. Iran, the world's terror haven, is continuing to destabilize our region. On the morning of 25 August, IDF forces foiled a terrorist attack on the town of Netiv Ha'asara north of the Gaza Strip. Imagine the blood, death and carnage if the attack had not been prevented.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“It is in that context that I must express my sadness at witnessing once again the dichotomy between the positive developments on the ground and the repetitive Palestinian narrative. I can only express my hope that, eventually, reality and common sense will prevail and bridge the void between an age-old ritual and the real world in which we live. Yes, there are problems on the ground on both sides, but it is our duty to build on the positive and promote hope, rather than to continue the futile process of doom and recriminations. Our hope lies in the promise of tomorrow, not in being hostage to yesterday. Yes, the Palestinian people have made some important choices, but unfortunately the right choices are not being made by everyone.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Israel has also undertaken additional steps to bolster the Palestinian Authority, including releasing tax funds, freeing more than 250 Palestinian prisoners and granting amnesty to those who renounce terror and violence. As we can see, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are actively speaking, engaging with each other and working together. That is due to the many crucial choices made by the Palestinians. As just one example, the action taken by the Palestinian security forces this past Monday morning in Jenin, when they assisted an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who had mistakenly entered the city, demonstrates the strengthening of the Palestinian Government in its efforts to combat terrorism and its commitment to working with Israel to enhance security.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source
“Just yesterday, Prime Minister Olmert met again at length with President Abbas to discuss the development of Palestinian institutions and mutual issues concerning Israel and the Palestinians living side by side. At least two more meetings will be held in the near future to promote and advance the bilateral track. A day earlier, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had a meeting with Prime Minister Fayyad, at which the two discussed enhanced economic and civilian cooperation. They also agreed to hold direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian heads of local authorities and representatives of organizations to advance cooperative projects.”
2007-08-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.5736 (2007) · source