YouSaid · the spoken record

Prosor

lines on the record: 556
first: 2011-06-30
most recent: 2015-07-30
sittings or episodes: 50
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

“Prosperity comes when society ensures that women are allowed to lead; it evaporates when their rights are restricted. Those principles have been an integral part of the State of Israel since its inception. Gender equality is enshrined in our 1948 Declaration of Independence. It has been implemented through law and public policy, starting with a landmark and comprehensive piece of legislation in 1951, known as the Women's Equal Rights Law. More than 40 years ago, Golda Meir became Israel's Prime Minister - making my country just the third in the world to elect a woman to its highest office. This year, the Israeli parliament enacted a new law as part of our implementation of resolution 1325 (2000), requiring that all Government investigative committees include an appropriate representation of women.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642 (2011) · source
“I would like to thank the Secretary-General for his remarks. Allow me also to thank Mr. Lazarous Kapambwe, President of the Economic and Social Council, for his statement, and also Under-Secretary-General Michelle Bachelet for her briefing and her leadership on the pressing issues before us. Today the Council takes up a debate that is very important to the Jewish State and the Jewish people. Our sages often remind us of the story of Miriam, who was Moses' sister and Judaism's first female prophet. As the Jewish people wandered through the desert for 40 years, Miriam sustained them with a well that supplied fresh and plentiful water. Upon her death, the well dried up and disappeared. The message of her story is very clear. Empowered women are the life source for thriving communities.”
2011-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6642 (2011) · source
“It must take root in homes, schools and media in order to teach tolerance and understanding and thus grow within hearts and minds. It must be built on the foundation of a younger generation that understands the compromises necessary for peace. A brighter future for the Middle East must be forged from within, when we are open and honest about the challenges before us, and resolute in our determination to meet them together.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Some of the countries represented here today played an important role in Gilad Shalit's release. For us, the supreme value of a single human life justified releasing more than 1,000 terrorists and criminals covered in the blood of innocents. The values inherent in such an act shine bright in our region. Many took note. On Twitter, one Syrian blogger, Soori Madsoos, wrote: "Their Government is prepared to pay the ultimate price for one citizen, while our Government kills us like we were animals, and our Arab neighbours say that it is an internal matter". Time and again, Israel has shown that it is ready and able to make bold and courageous decisions to preserve life, to uphold human dignity and to pursue peace. Sustainable peace must be negotiated, must be nurtured and must be anchored in security.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“People in Washington, London and Paris are struggling with an economic downturn, but still providing the bulk of support for Palestinian institutions, while Arab States, saturated in petrodollars, do not even give the Palestinians crumbs from the table. In the Jewish tradition we are taught that whosoever saves a single life saves an entire universe. This sacred principle forms the backbone of Israel's democracy. It drives our Government's policy. We witnessed a clear reflection of those values last week. All of Israel welcomed home our kidnapped soldier, Gilad Shalit, after he had spent more than five years in Hamas captivity. It was a moment of great joy, but it came with tremendous costs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary-General personally, and the people around him.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Speaking of friends, the many so-called Arab champions of the Palestinians' cause have a responsibility to play a constructive role. Constructive support from the Arab world is vital for building the civic and economic structures necessary for real Palestinian statehood and peace. Instead of simply adding to the cause of State-bashing, the Palestinians' true supporters will help advance State-building. Arab donors provided just 20 per cent of international funds for the Palestinian Authority's regular budget last year. Let me put this in perspective: last year Arab donations to the regular Authority budget accounted for a little more than half of what Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal spent on his newest personal luxury jet.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Palestinian unilateral action in the United Nations breaches the Oslo Accords, the Interim Arrangements, the Paris Protocol and other bilateral agreements that form the basis of 40 spheres of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, all of which could be jeopardized by unilateral action at the United Nations. This unilateral initiative will raise expectations that cannot be met. It is a recipe for instability and, potentially, violence. Members of the international community should be clear about the responsibility: you vote for it, you own it. All those who vote for unilateral action and recognition will be responsible for its consequences. At this critical juncture, the Palestinians' true friends will encourage them to put aside the false idol of unilateralism and get back to the hard work of direct negotiations.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Textbooks and television glorify martyrdom and demonize the Jews. Incitement against Israelis also continues in the West Bank, among the official institutions of the Palestinian Authority, which names its public squares after suicide bombers. The unresolved questions about the future of a Palestinian State cannot be simply swept under the carpet. They go to the core of resolving our conflict. They have to be addressed. Let me be clear: for Israel, the question is not whether we can accept a Palestinian State; we can. The question is what the character of the Palestinian State that emerges alongside us will be - whether it will live in peace.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“This month, on a fund-raising excursion of terrorism with his Iranian patrons, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stood in front of an audience in Tehran and said that "the correct strategy to liberate our country and Jerusalem is violent resistance". Under Hamas rule, Gaza remains a launching ground for constant rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians that are fuelled by a continuous flow of weapons from Iran and elsewhere. Israel has a right to defend itself. As the Palmer report made clear, the naval blockade is a legitimate security measure for preventing weapons from entering the Gaza sea. When it is not attacking Israelis, Hamas is oppressing its own people. In Gaza, civil society is non-existent. Political opponents are tortured, women are subjugated and children are used as suicide bombers and human shields.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Palestinian unilateral action at the United Nations is no path to real statehood; it is a march of folly. Today the Palestinians are far from meeting the basic criteria for statehood, including the test of effective control. The President of the Palestinian Authority has zero authority in the Gaza Strip. Before flying 9,000 kilometres to New York to seek United Nations membership, President Abbas should have driven 50 kilometres to Gaza, which he has been unable to visit since 2007. In the same breath that they claim that the State will be peace-loving, Palestinian leaders speak of unity with Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization. Hamas and a love of peace? There is no greater contradiction in terms.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“The international community and the Palestinian leadership know it, but the Palestinian people do not hear it. This gap between perception and reality is a major obstacle to peace. The so-called right of return is the major hurdle to achieving peace. Since the Palestinian leadership refuses to tell the Palestinian people the truth, the international community and the people around this table have a responsibility to tell the Palestinian people about the basic compromises that they will have to make. The many issues that remain outstanding can and will be resolved only through direct negotiations between the parties. Israel's peace with Egypt was negotiated, not imposed. Peace with Jordan was negotiated, not imposed. An Israeli-Palestinian peace must be negotiated; it cannot be imposed.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“That is just a pretext for the Palestinians to avoid negotiations. The primary obstacle to peace is the Arab world's refusal to acknowledge the Jewish people's ancient connection to the land of Israel, and the Palestinians' insistence on the so-called right of return. Today the Palestinian leadership is calling for an independent Palestinian State, but insists that its own people return to the Jewish State. That is a proposition that no one who believes in the right of Israel to exist could accept, because the only equation in political science with mathematical certainty is that the so- called right of return equals the destruction of the State of Israel. The idea that Israel will be flooded with millions of Palestinians is a non-starter.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Israel has accepted the principles outlined by the Quartet to restart negotiations immediately without preconditions. We are waiting for the Palestinians to do the same thing. The Palestinians suggest that settlements are the core cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is an interesting assertion, considering the fact that the conflict raged for nearly half a century before a single settlement sprang up in the West Bank. From 1948 until 1967, the West Bank was part of Jordan. Gaza was part of Egypt. The Arab world did not lift a finger to create a Palestinian State, and it sought Israel's alienation when not a single settlement stood anywhere in the West Bank or Gaza. The issue of settlements will be worked out over the course of negotiations. But the primary obstacle to peace is not settlements.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Let there be no doubt, and I repeat, Israel wants peace with a future Palestinian State. In word and in deed, my Government has demonstrated time and again that we seek two States for two peoples living side by side in peace. I repeat: two States for two peoples. We do not hear that from the Palestinians or any Arab leaders. If anyone should hear the phrase "two States for two peoples", they should call me, on a 911 number if necessary, day or night. It is no coincidence that Prime Minister Netanyahu stood here last month and issued a clear call to President Abbas (see A/66/PV.19). Today let me reiterate that call to the Palestinians. Sit down with Israel. Leave your preconditions behind. Start negotiations now. The international community has called on the Palestinians to go back to negotiations.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“In 1995, for example, King Hussein went to the United States and said, "For our part, we shall continue to work for the new dawn when all the children of Abraham and their descendants are living together in the birthplace of their three great monotheistic religions". Let me repeat that King Hussein said three monotheistic religions, not one or two. Those who seek peace do not negate the narrative of the other side. On the contrary, they recognize its existence and choose to sit down and negotiate peace in good faith. That is what President Sadat did; it is what King Hussein did. The ancient Jewish bond with the land of Israel is unbreakable. This is our homeland. The United Nations recognized Israel as a Jewish State 64 years ago. It is time for the Palestinians and more than 20 Muslim countries around the globe to do the same.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“The road to peace can only be built on a foundation of mutual recognition and a dialogue. A month ago, President Abbas stood in this building and said, "I come before the General Assembly today from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, ascension of the Prophet Muhammad and the birthplace of Jesus Christ". (A/66/PV.]9, p. 29) He denied 4,000 years of Jewish history. It was not a small omission. It was not an oversight. The Palestinian leadership's attempts to erase the connection between the Jewish people and the land of Israel is not new. Others in the Arab world have offered a different message.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“The choice before us is clear. It has never been more critical to make the right choice for the future of the Middle East and all its inhabitants. It is time for the Council to stop ignoring the destructive forces that seek to keep the Middle East in the past, so that we can seize the promise of a brighter future. Make no mistake. It is important for Israel and the Palestinians to resolve our long-standing conflict. It is important on its own merits, so that Israelis and Palestinians alike can lead peaceful, secure and prosperous lives. But it will not produce a sudden outbreak of stability, harmony and democratization from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. Seriously addressing the underlying problems of the Middle East will be essential to advancing Israeli- Palestinian peace.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“One can only imagine what it would do with nuclear capabilities - with the dangerous combination of extremist ideology, advanced missile technology and nuclear weapons. The reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency make clear that Iran continues to march towards the goal of a nuclear bomb in defiance of the international community. We all cannot allow it to place the entire world under the spectre of nuclear terrorism. The world must stop Iran before it is too late. The Middle East is trembling. Its future is uncertain. Two roads stand before us. There is a future offered by Iranian and Syrian leaders of more extremism, greater violence and continued hate. Their vision will not liberate human beings. It will enslave them. It does not build. It destroys. There is another road - a path of progress, reform and moderation.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“fundamental human rights includ[ing] multifarious deficits in relation to the administration of justice practices that amount to torture the imposition of the death penalty in the absence of proper judicial safeguards the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities, and the erosion of civil and political rights". (see A/66/374, para. 18) Iran remains the world's central banker, chief trainer and primary sponsor of terror. Recent events have shown that its State-directed terrorist activities extend from the Persian Gulf to the Washington Beltway, with targets that range from innocent protesters to foreign soldiers to official diplomatic representatives. That is the way the regime behaves today.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Some members of the Council remain blind to Al-Assad's brutality. In Libya, the reign of Muammar Al-Qadhafi is over after more than 40 years of repression and many months of bloodshed. The Libyan despot's violent end illustrated what Churchill once described as the signal disadvantage of a dictator. What he does to others may often be done back to him. That truth haunts the minds of many leaders in our region. Al-Qadhafi's fate rings an alarm bell for them. In Iran, an Ayatollah regime represses its own people, as it helps other tyrants to butcher theirs. Last week, United Nations Special Rapporteur Shaheed briefed the General Assembly, offering a chilling picture of what daily life in Iran looks like. His report highlighted "a pattern of systemic violations of ..”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“For years, it has been the only explanation that they have been able to offer to their own people. From time to time, they spice up the story. When a shark attacked a tourist in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh recently, the local Egyptian Governor suggested that Mossad was using sharks to harm Egyptian tourism. Everything wrong in the Middle East, according to many Arab leaders, is simply Israel's fault. If it is not Mossad, it is the Central Intelligence Agency, MI6 or some other foreign force. Today, the people of the Middle East demand real answers for their plight. We have seen their brave stands in public squares. We have heard their cries. We have witnessed the deadly response to such calls for freedom. In Hama, Dara and Latakia, the Syrian regime slaughters its citizens in a desperate bid to hold onto power.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“I do not claim that the Council is not dealing with the situation of specific countries in the Middle East. It does. However, I think that it is time to start connecting the dots so that we can face the bigger picture. For generations, the Arab world has failed miserably to address the needs of its own people. The United Nations Development Programme has sponsored five - five- Arab Human Development Reports since 2002. Year after year, the Arab researchers who write the reports often offer a glimpse into the real world of the Middle East. Young people struggle without access to jobs and education. Women are denied basic rights. Free expression is repressed. Minorities are persecuted. Elections are a sham. With their world in flames, Arab leaders continue to blame Israel and the West for all their problems.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“At the outset, I would like to extend my condolences to the people of Turkey following yesterday's tragic earthquake. Let me begin by reminding the Council that the name of today's debate is the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, and not vice versa. This morning, I would like to take the unusual step of actually focusing on the situation in the Middle East. Let me assure the Council that I will give proper attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict later. However, let us first look at the facts. The Middle East is in turmoil. Thousands of innocents have been gunned down in the street. People are calling for their freedom and demanding their rights. Yet, month after month, the Council deals disproportionately with one - and only one - conflict in the region.”
2011-10-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6636 (2011) · source
“Seize the opportunities before us to advance down the real road towards peace - a road of solutions not resolutions, dialogue not monologue and direct negotiations not unilateral declarations.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“We expect the international community to do all in its power - and more than it has done so far - to bring about his immediate release, which we await, and every family in Israel awaits. Israel is happy to have many friends around the world. As we are often reminded, true friends never shy away from letting you know what they think. Today I issue a call to the true friends of the Palestinians - to those who want to see them fulfil their national aspirations. As they march down the path of unilateralism, the Palestinian's true friends should tell them the simple truths. Direct negotiations cannot be bypassed. Peace cannot be imposed from the outside. To the Palestinians I also issue a call. Take Israel's outstretched hand.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“New information shows Iran's intention to install uranium centrifuges at its facility in Qom - a facility that was concealed for many years from the International Atomic Energy Agency. Such behaviour does not just endanger the Middle East only, or a specific group of countries. It endangers us all. We cannot underestimate the danger of long-range missiles and short-range minds. The international community cannot stand by as the Ayatollah regime seeks to assemble a dangerous mix of extremist ideology, missile technology and nuclear radiology. Let me remind the Council that Gilad Shalit, Israel's kidnapped soldier, has been held in captivity for more than five years, with not a single visit from the Red Cross.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“The turmoil that is sweeping our region - from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea - has shown that there are many challenges facing the Middle East - most of which do not revolve only around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In particular, the international community cannot allow the issue of Iran to fall under the radar. Iran remains the centre of terrorism in our region, transferring arms to Hamas, Hizbollah and other terrorist groups, in serial violation of numerous Security Council resolutions. Iran continues to advance instability in the Middle East - from Syria to Bahrain to Morocco. Last month's report by the Panel of Experts established pursuant to resolution 1929 (2010) made clear that Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons capabilities, in complete disregard of the will of the international community.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Whether the Palestinians bring forward a draft resolution in the General Assembly or invoke the "Uniting for Peace" resolution (General Assembly resolution 377 (V)), it is clear that the Palestinians are not united, and are far from united for peace. There is much uncertainty about the future Palestinian Government: its acceptance of the Quartet conditions, the peace process, the control of its security forces and many other questions that each and every representative here knows very well. It will take at least until after the Palestinian elections next year before it is clear what Palestinian unity really means. For Israel, this so-called unity has only brought continued impunity for the terrorists who fire rockets into our cities. Today's debate is titled "The situation in the Middle East".”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Will it be on behalf of both the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terrorist organization, which promotes a charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews? Will it be on behalf of Akram Haniyeh, the Palestinian Authority's chief spokesman? - Or Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, who in a speech there last December said: "When I say 'the land of Palestine', I am not referring [only] to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem. I refer to Palestine from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River, and from Rosh Hanikra to Rafah." On these issues Israel and the international community must have clarity.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“The West Bank economy is a bright spot in the midst of a global recession, growing by 10 per cent in 2010. Yet, it is clear that much still needs to be done to create a functioning State that lives in peace with its neighbours. Even the most basic condition for statehood does not exist. The Palestinian Authority does not maintain effective control over all of its territory nor does it hold a monopoly on the use of force. The Hamas terrorist organization still maintains de facto control in Gaza. Let me turn at this point to my Palestinian colleague, Permanent Observer Mansour, and ask a simple question. On behalf of whom will he present a resolution in September - Mr. Abbas or Hamas?”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has stated openly and repeatedly that we will accept a Palestinian State alongside a Jewish State. Yet the Palestinian leadership has not done the same. It will not tell its own people that it accepts a Jewish State. Without such an acknowledgement, it will remain unclear whether the Palestinians' quest for statehood is part of an effort to end the conflict with Israel or a pretext to continue it. Palestinian leaders claim that they will be prepared for statehood by September, parading this as a magic date before the international community. We recognize the progress that the Palestinian Authority has made over the past two years with the assistance and cooperation of Israel and the international community.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Let me point out that Israel's only international airport - named after David Ben-Gurion, one of our founding fathers - lies within a few miles of the West Bank. That is shorter than the distance from where we are sitting right now to JFK or Newark Airports. It could be a target of constant rocket fire. One can only imagine the reaction if other airports were under a similar threat. Lasting peace must be based on a demilitarized Palestinian State and an emphasis on education that promotes peace instead of hatred, tolerance instead of violence, and mutual understanding instead of martyrdom. On the issue of the Jewish State, we must have clarity as well. If lasting peace is to take hold, Israel's recognition of a future Palestinian State must be met with an equal acknowledgement that Israel is the Jewish State.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“You do not have to be a rocket scientist to realize that if rockets fall on your cities, schools and citizens, your Government has a right to defend itself. Our civilians face this reality every single day. No target is free from attack. Just this year, rockets have been launched at homes, synagogues, kindergartens and even a bright yellow school bus, killing a 16-year old boy. Without clear security arrangements, there is no guarantee that terrorists, arms and munitions will not flow into the West Bank in a future Palestinian State, just as they are being smuggled into Gaza today as we speak. One does not have to look too far to recognize Israel's existential security challenges.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“There have been attempts to find a framework for relaunching the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. These efforts must be consistent, taking into consideration the vital interests of both sides. Some of those who speak most loudly and clearly about the interests of Palestinians suddenly seem to lose their voice, hesitate and sometimes even mumble when it comes to discussing Israel's vital interests: its recognition as a Jewish state and its right to live within safe and secure borders. Both of these issues - security and recognition of Israel as a Jewish State - are absolutely essential to ensuring the future of the State of Israel. With regards to our security challenges, let me remind the Council that Hamas and Hizbullah have fired 12,000 rockets into Israel since we withdrew from Gaza and southern Lebanon.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Palestinians like Mr. Fayyad and Mr. Amr see the practical reality before us. Like many others, they recognize that after September will come October, and November, and December. They know that this declaration will be in violation of the bilateral agreements that are the basis for Israeli- Palestinian cooperation, and will create expectations that cannot be met. Now is the time for the international community to tell the Palestinian leadership what it refuses to tell its own people. There are no shortcuts to statehood. They cannot bypass the only path to peace. The Palestinians will have to make compromises and make hard choices. They will have to get off the bandwagon of unilateralism and back to the hard work of direct peacemaking.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“It is no coincidence that we do not hear the same resounding enthusiasm for the Palestinian's march towards unilateralism at the United Nations. On the contrary, many in the international community are looking for ways to avoid this action. Many have recognized that Palestinian attempts to create a State by bypassing negotiations are akin to picking out a chimney-pot for one's house before laying its foundation. They see the potential consequences of mistrust and unmet expectations that could lead to violence. It is evident that some Palestinian leaders understand this as well. Prime Minister Fayyad has spoken out against such a declaration. Just last week, Nabil Amr, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization Central Council and a former minister of the Palestinian Authority (PA), called on the PA to delay its statehood bid.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“This was the way of President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin; the way of Prime Minister Rabin and King Hussein. It has been the framework for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for the past two decades. Only this month, we were again reminded that negotiations are the route to statehood when South Sudan proclaimed its independence and was accepted as the l93rd State Member of the United Nations. It marked a new chapter in a long and difficult journey. Both South Sudan and the Sudan harboured serious frustrations. Major problems arose. Yet, the parties did not seek quick fixes or instant solutions. Although it was hard, they sat together and negotiated, reaching a mutual agreement. This is why South Sudan was accepted by such a broad consensus of the international community.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Our nation seeks a lasting peace in which the Palestinians will have their own State alongside - but not instead of - the Jewish State of Israel. This morning, I would like to share several observations about the Middle East peace process, which stands yet again at a critical juncture. First, let me state clearly that unilateral actions will not bring peace to our region. Like a false idol, the Palestinian initiatives at the United Nations may be superficially attractive to some, yet they distract from the true path to peace. Winston Churchill said that all the secrets of statecraft lie in history. On this question, history's lessons are unmistakable. Peace can be achieved only through bilateral negotiations that address the concerns of both sides.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“Let me thank you, Sir, for your able stewardship of the Security Council this month. It is an honour and a privilege to have you presiding over this important debate of the Security Council. I would like to begin by offering my Government's condolences to the people and Government of Norway following last week's appalling attacks in Oslo and Utflya. The victims of this tragedy remain in our thoughts and prayers. I speak before the Council today as a proud representative of the Jewish State and the Jewish people - a people whose bond to the land of Israel and our eternal capital, Jerusalem, extends back more than 3,000 years. It is where we began and where we have been reborn, realizing the dreams of our forefathers to be a free people in our own land.”
2011-07-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6590 (2011) · source
“As we consider that obligation, I am reminded of a lesson from an ancient Jewish text that teaches us to remember that God said to Adam in the Garden of Eden: "See to it that you do not spoil and destroy my world; for if you do, there will be no one to repair it after you".”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Knowledge in these fields will be critical as we prepare for and adapt to changing climatic conditions. Israel will continue to share its expertise with other countries through a number of capacity- building projects and programmes. To that end, we will again initiate a draft resolution on agriculture technology for development at the next session of the General Assembly that will promote the use of sustainable agriculture technology to enhance conservation and mitigate environmental degradation. Israel looks forward to continuing to engage with others to advance progress on this issue, which to our minds remains critical for our common future. Indeed, all countries, big and small, have an obligation to each other and to the next generation to respond to this issue with unity, ingenuity and conviction.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“To that end, the Israeli Government has established a ministerial committee on environmental protection and climate change that incorporates all relevant Government ministries, as well as representatives from civil society and other significant stakeholders. The committee has formulated a national climate change plan for Israel. We are working to reach our ambitious reduction standards through a wide range of efforts, including by improving the efficiency of energy systems, promoting green building and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. In response to the arid and semi-arid conditions that prevail throughout much of our country, Israel has developed significant experience in combating desertification and has unique expertise in the fields of afforestation, agriculture and highly efficient water conservation.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Israel is a committed party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), the Kyoto Protocol and post-2012 negotiations. We supported the Pacific small island developing States when they initiated the process for the adoption of General Assembly resolution 63/281, bringing this issue to the attention of the General Assembly. The loss of territory in small island nations as a result of climate change raises significant legal issues. Israel recently partnered with the Marshall Islands to advance dialogue on these issues, hosting a conference at Columbia University Law School last May. Israel continues to work towards achieving our nation's target of a 20 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, while serving as a full and active partner in global efforts to address climate change.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Ocean acidification could destroy whole ecosystems and deplete fish reserves. Rising seas may destroy usable land, forcing communities and even nations to relocate. This issue affects us all. However, Israel recognizes that it holds particular significance for Pacific small island developing States, which face the prospect of severe land degradation and even total loss of their territory. Already, we have seen rising ocean levels cause degradation and loss of land in many regions, including among the Pacific small island developing States. These consequences present not only economic risks but also serious threats to social stability and security. My country recognizes the need for an immediate, coordinated and wide-ranging international response to the challenges associated with climate change.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“I would first like to thank you, Mr. President, and commend the German delegation for organizing this important debate in an efficient and interesting way. Albert Einstein once said that we cannot solve the problems we have created with the same thinking that created them. The challenges of climate change call for innovative solutions and new ways of doing business at all levels of Government and society. Today's debate provides a timely opportunity for the international community to think outside the box and advance progress on a very important aspect of this issue. The effects of climate change on peace and security are real. They are already appearing, and will become increasingly evident in the years to come. Drought and land degradation may create food shortages.”
2011-07-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6587Resumption1 (2011) · source
“This prevents them from becoming contributing members of a global, tolerant society. For the sake of those children and for the future of our region, the international community has a duty to end this culture of incitement. We need education that promotes peace instead of hate, tolerance instead of violence and mutual understanding instead of martyrdom. The child victims of terrorism are real. Each one has a name and a family; each one has their own dreams and aspirations. The international community cannot accept the perpetuation or justification of terrorism in the Middle East or anywhere else. The next generation of children in our region will deserve a brighter future without conflict, without terror and without hate.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“In the past six months, more than 100,000 Israeli children have been kept out of school on numerous occasions to avoid the danger of rockets. There is no monopoly on the suffering caused by terrorism. All children in our region suffer. Hamas and other terrorist groups deploy minors as suicide bombers and recruit them to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. They use children as human shields; they place children in harm's way by using schools, hospitals and civilian neighbourhoods as a base for their activity. The Council has a responsibility to address the broader context in which children are used and abused in armed conflict. In schools, camps and mosques and through the media, generation after generation of children across the Middle East have been taught to hate, vilify and dehumanize Israelis and Jews.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“They killed both parents; they killed their two children, ages 4 and 11; and, in an act of unspeakable cruelty, they murdered the youngest member of the family, a three-month old baby girl. That is just one of many attacks that terrorists have launched against Israeli children. Last April, Hamas deliberately targeted a yellow school bus in southern Israel. They struck the bus using an anti-tank missile, completely destroying it and killing a 16-year old boy. That attack underscores the daily reality facing children throughout much of southern Israel, where the threat of rocket fire is ever present. Since the beginning of the year, some 290 rockets and mortars have been fired into Israel - an average of nearly two attacks every single day. This alters the fabric of life.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“However, we salute Special Representative Coomaraswamy's professionalism and dedication to protecting children in conflict around the world. My statement would not be complete without reiterating the pressing need to protect children in the face of terrorism and extremism. While this is a global concern, the situation in our region provides a clear picture of this multifaceted challenge. In the Middle East, terrorists continue to single out children in their attacks. My country was numb with horror last March when Palestinian terrorists brutally murdered five members of an Israeli family in Itamar as they slept in their home. The terrorists went from room to room, using knives to carry out their appalling crime.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source
“Thousands of children conscripted into armed groups have been released in conflict zones around the world. To that effect, the United Nations has signed new action plans over the past year in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Chad. We welcome those developments and call for the agreements to be implemented without delay. However, releasing those children is not enough. The international community must make special efforts to reintegrate them into society so that they can hope for a future outside of combat. I would like to extend Israel's appreciation to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, for her significant role in carrying out these efforts. We sometimes find that her reports could benefit from a wider range of resources.”
2011-07-12 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6581Resumption1 (2011) · source