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

“All it did was impose an arbitrary one-year deadline that would have allowed the Palestinians to run out the clock and get a State without giving anything in return. You cannot wave a magic wand and hope that all of the critical issues such as borders, security arrangements, water allocation and the "claim of return" will magically be resolved. Rather than engage in negotiations, President Abbas is cultivating impossible fantasies. In November, he told an Egyptian newspaper that millions of Palestinians wish to return, and he will not close the door to them. Demanding that millions of Palestinians flood the Jewish State is a euphemism - there is no other word for it - for the destruction of the State of Israel. The proposals put forward in this Council dictate what Israel should do and the Palestinians should get.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“The Palestinians are under the impression that the United Nations is their personal vending machine: they can insert grievances and dispense claims against Israel at will. Ever since the United Nations voted to accept the Palestinians as a non-member observer State in 2012, the Palestinians have discovered that the United Nations is the gift that keeps on giving. This institution gives and gives and does not expect anything in return. When it comes to making New Year's resolutions, I can assure you that the Palestinian resolution imposing terms for a peace deal was not what we had in mind. I would be hard-pressed to conceive ofa more biased proposal. It did not address Israel's long-term security needs. It did not demand an end to Palestinian terrorism, and it did not recognize Israel as the nation State of the Jewish people.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“Today, other Arab nations in our region also recognize that radical Islamists are not just a threat to Israel, but they are a threat to their own stability and existence. Egypt and Jordan abandoned the three 'no's' and made peace with Israel. The Palestinians, however, are chained to the past. Weighed down by resentment and bound in hatred, the Palestinian leadership refuses to abandon the rhetoric and seek reconciliation. Decades after other Arab nations sought to end our conflict, the Palestinian leadership remains committed to the three no's. It will not negotiate, it will not recognize Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, and it will not make peace. The Palestinian leadership has said no to negotiations.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“Surrounded by extremist groups committed to our destruction, we have been forced to fight wars and endure wave after wave of terrorism. We have buried too many sons and daughters and shed too many tears, but we have never abandoned the dream of peace. In 1967, eight Arab Heads of State attended a summit in Khartoum to formulate the policies of the Arab States in the conflict with Israel. They emerged with their famous three 'no's': no negotiations, no recognition of Israel, and no peace. Even when it seemed impossible, Israel continued to strive for peace. Egypt and Jordan came to understand that while we are not brothers in faith, we are brothers in fate, with a shared destiny in the Middle East.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“We see it in Nigeria, where innocent people were cut down by gunfire and a ten-year-old girl was strapped into a suicide vest and sent into a crowded market. We see it in Pakistan, where children were gunned down as they sat in their classrooms. We see it in Syria and Iraq, where journalists are savagely murdered. We see it in Saudi Arabia, where a blogger was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for running a website promoting free speech. And, we see it in Iran, where 15 people were executed on New Year's Day. A war is being waged against human dignity and human rights, and we must fight back. Standing united with courage and conviction, we can turn back the tide of violent extremism and safeguard the values that we all cherish. Israel has been fighting to defend its values since its establishment.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“The terrorist who targeted Jews in a kosher grocery store attacked equality: the idea that every person, no matter his faith, is equal. By aiming their attacks at innocent civilians, the terrorists also attacked brotherhood: the bonds of our shared humanity. The world responded in force. "Je suis Charlie" and "Je suis juif" became rallying calls to defend our way of life. Millions of people took to the streets of Paris, and tens of thousands of people from Boston to Brussels to Buenos Aires rallied to honour the 17 victims who were murdered. Just as we stood united on the streets, we must remain united in our commitment to uphold freedom. Make no mistake. Freedom is under attack throughout the world.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“I congratulate Chile for its able stewardship of the Security Council this month. I thank Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz for being here today to preside over this session. Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate the new non-permanent members of the Security Council: Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain, and Venezuela. I welcome them and wish them good luck. They will need every bit ofit. I cannot begin without addressing the tragic events that took place in France last week in which radical Islamists launched an attack against our way of life. The slogan of the French Republic is Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite-Liberty, Equality, and Brotherhood. These are the very values that are being attacked. The terrorists who stormed the offices of Charlie Hebdo attacked liberty and the right of every person to express himself or herself.”
2015-01-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7360 (2015) · source
“Israel will continue to strive for peace while fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah: "On your walls, 0 Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night, they shall never be silent." (The Holy Bible, Isaiah 62:6) Israel will never be silent. We will stand guard, and we will safeguard Jerusalem, not just for the Jewish people, but for people of all faiths. So today I issue this promise from the people of the promised land: under our watch, Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people, will remain a free and open city for all people and for all time.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“I am proud to represent an ancient people who have outlived history's most daunting empires. Where is the ambassador of Babylon? Where is the ambassador of Caesar's Rome? Where is the ambassador of Mesopotamia? They have been relegated to history, while we, the Jewish people, continue to stand tall against the trials and tests of time. We are a nation with deep roots in the past and bright hopes for the future. It is time for the Palestinians to realize that the children of Abraham - all the children of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike - are not doomed to live together in war, but rather destined to live together in peace.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Earlier this month - and this is also not hard to find out - Hanan Ashrawi, a prominent member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said that allowing Jews to visit the Temple Mount was a "declaration of war against Islam." Those are the irresponsible words of a person trying to ignite a religious war. You do not have to be a Catholic to visit the Vatican. You do not have to be a Jew to visit the Western Wall. But the Palestinians would like to see the day when the Temple Mount is open only to Muslims, and that will not take place. 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 ofIsrael and its eternal capital of Jerusalem extends back almost 4,000 years.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Even when riots break out, Israeli security forces, acting in coordination with the Jordanian Government, refrain from entering the mosque and its courtyard unless there is an imminent threat to the site and its visitors. The Palestinians, on the other hand, are doing everything in their power to inflame tensions. The Waqf has violated the status quo agreement by restricting access to Judaism's holiest place, the place where we believe that God began the act of creation, where Abraham brought his son Isaac and where Jacob fell asleep and dreamed of angels. Today a Jew who wishes to visit the sacred site is threatened with violence. But the Council does not have to take my word for it.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Israel went one step further than that with respect to religious freedoms, and decided that Jews would not be allowed to pray on the site. I want to make sure the Council understand this. The Temple Mount is Judaism's holiest place, but we were willing to restrict our own freedoms for the sake of peace. Can you think of another nation that would make such a compromise? Can you think of another religion that would make such a sacrifice? Today Jerusalem under Israeli authority is united - united for Muslims, united for Christians and united for Jews. As Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated this week, "We are maintaining the status quo and allowing everyone access to the holy places, and we will continue to do so." Israel is doing everything in its power to minimize tensions.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“I would like to remind the Council that from 1948 to 1967 Jerusalem was under Jordanian rule. Jerusalem was divided, and everyone could come in and visit Judaism's holiest sites, except the Jews. They were denied access. Following Israel's victory in the 1967 war, Israel reunited Jerusalem. Since then, all people - and I mean all people - regardless of religion and nationality have been able to visit the city's holy sites. While we were victorious and assumed control over all of Jerusalem, Israel extended a hand in peace to the Muslim world. According to the status quo brokered between Israel and the Waqf, Muslims would enjoy access to pray at their holy sites, while all other religions would be allowed access to the Temple Mount. That was the case until a couple of years ago.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“The Palestinians had the audacity to come to the Council and speak about religious freedoms. Let me tell you, Madam, just how much the Palestinian Authority cares about holy sites. Take Shechem, which has been under the control of the Palestinian Authority since 1995. Shechem was home to the grave of the Biblical patriarch Joseph. Palestinian vandals broke into the sacred site, burned Jewish prayer books and reduced the building to rubble. In Bethlehem, which is also under Palestinian Authority control, violent extremists have looted and desecrated the Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity's holiest sites. As a result of the persecution that they face, the City's Christian population has decreased by nearly 70 per cent. It is not just the Palestinians that have impinged on religious freedoms.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“If that is not manufacturing a crisis, I do not know what is. Let us try to follow the logic here. Palestinian extremists have turned the Temple Mount into a battleground by throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at visitors and police. That is phrased as "allegedly" throwing stones. Allegedly throwing stones? Why, we could build a whole quarry from the stones that allegedly were thrown. In doing so, they are preventing Muslims from praying at their holy site. Israeli police are forced into harm's way to restore quiet, and then the Palestinians come to the Security Council complaining about Israel's activities on the Temple Mount. Do you have trouble following this logic? I certainly do, but I can tell you this: it both starts and ends with the irresponsible actions of the Palestinian leadership.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“The video of his hateful remarks was broadcast on official Palestinian Authority television 19 times in 3 days. That is not someone who is not relevant, or second-tier. The results of those inflammatory remarks were almost immediate. Hundreds of Arabs rioted in Jerusalem, damaging the light rail system, and a Hamas terrorist deliberately drove full-speed onto a Jerusalem train platform, killing two people. Did President Abbas express outrage or remorse over the senseless killings? Of course not. He could not even muster the courage to denounce an attack that left a three-month-old baby dead. Rather than trying to extinguish the flames of conflict, the Palestinian leadership is adding fuel to the fire. First they incite violence on the Temple Mount, and then they run to the Security Council to complain about the consequences.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Palestinian President Abbas wrote a dissertation denying the Holocaust, and he educates Palestinian children to hate Jews. In schools, mosques and the media, generations of Palestinian children are being taught to hate, vilify and dehumanize Israelis and Jews. In his remarks in the General Assembly last month (see A/69/PV.12) - and everyone here heard them - President Abbas delivered a hate-fuelled attack and accused Israel ofthe worst crimes, including genocide. Earlier this month, he called on Palestinians to prevent Jews from visiting the Temple Mount by using "all means necessary". Are those the words of a leader committed to making peace? I did not hear that in the briefing by Under-Secretary-General Jeffrey Feltman. It is not just in general, from both sides.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Hamas's genocidal charter calls for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews worldwide. Some in this Organization do not have the courage to mention Hamas by name, never mind to condemn the terrorist group for its crimes. Hamas deliberately targets our civilians by blowing up buses and restaurants, kidnapping and murdering teenagers, shooting rockets into our cities and building terror tunnels into our towns. That is Hamas. What about the leader of the Palestinian Authority, President Abbas? Well, he is the reason that we are sitting here today. You see, he is orchestrating a campaign to vilify Israel, and the Security Council seems willing to play second fiddle. Let me remind the Council about the conductor behind the accusations that it heard today.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“With every shovelful of soil, they are trying to shovel away Jewish history. But one does not need a research institute at the United Nations to figure that out. If the Palestinians wish to secure a brighter future, they must stop rewriting history and start making history by making peace. They must abandon the destructive rhetoric. A people can only build a brighter future if it makes peace with the past. If not, it will be held captive by the chains of resentment and hatred and pass on a legacy of violence and intolerance to the next generation. Former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin said that ifan enemy ofthe Jewish people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him. Do not doubt him for a moment. If history has taught the Jewish people anything, it is that we must take all calls for our destruction seriously.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“The truth of the matter is that Jerusalem had a Jewish character long before most cities in the world had any character. It was the capital of the Jewish people long before Homer composed the Iliad, before Romulus and Remus founded Rome, and before the armies of Alexander the Great swept across the Middle East. Jerusalem is steeped in Jewish history. In an effort to erase all traces of the religious and historical ties between Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the Waqf is deliberately destroying archaeological evidence. Each and every one of us knows that. The United Nations knows it. Is it out there? Is it saying anything? They even brought in a fleet of bulldozers and removed 6,000 tons - not, you know, a little bit - 6,000 tons! - of earth from the south-east corner of the Temple Mount, also known as Solomon's Stables.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“The holy city is named more than 900 times in the Bible. On holidays we sing "l'shana haba'ah b'Yerushalayim" - "Next year in Jerusalem". For thousands of years, through persecution and massacres, expulsions and crusades, blood libels and pogroms, Jews turned their hearts in prayer towards Jerusalem. The connection between the Jewish people and our capital cannot be denied. And nothing you can say here, Madam President, could change that. Jerusalem is Mount Zion and Mount Moriah and the Temple Mount. To walk in that place is to follow in the footsteps of our forefathers and to feel the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people. The Palestinians and others have had the audacity to accuse us of trying to alter the historic Jewish character of our ancient city. Really?”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“In it we read about our forefathers - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - who wandered Jerusalem's rolling hills. We read about King David, who laid the cornerstone for his palace over 3,000 years ago. That is King David from Bethlehem, not King David from the West Bank, and certainly not King David from the occupied territories. And in the Bible we read about King Solomon, who constructed the First Temple. Jerusalem is a divine promise to the Jewish people. Following the destruction of our Temple and the Babylonian exile, the great Jewish leader Nehemiah led the Jewish people back to Israel saying: "Then I prayed to the God of heaven let him send me to the city in Judah, Jerusalem, where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it." Jerusalem is central to our identity and our tradition.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“It says a great deal that the international community is outraged when Jews build homes in Jerusalem, but does not say a word when Jews are murdered for living in Jerusalem. The hypocrisy is appalling. I have said it before and will say it again: the primary obstacle to peace is not settlements. That is a just a pretext for the Palestinians to avoid making painful compromises. The primary obstacle to peace is the Arab world's refusal to acknowledge that Israel is the nation State of the Jewish people i and its refusal to acknowledge Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Throughout history, Jerusalem has been the capital for one people and only one people - the Jewish people. I am holding a Bible which details almost 4,000 years of Jewish history in the land of Israel.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“In Saudi Arabia, three lawyers were sentenced to eight years behind bars for tweeting messages that "undermined the judiciary". That is a relatively light sentence in Saudi Arabia, which has beheaded 59 people so far this year. Most of the millions of men and women being oppressed in our region are completely ignored by the Security Council. They are cast aside to make way for a litany of half-truths, myths and outright lies about Israel. I am here to convey one simple truth: the people of Israel are not occupiers, and we are not settlers. Israel is our home and Jerusalem is the eternal capital of our sovereign State. There are many threats in the Middle East, but the presence of Jewish homes in the Jewish homeland has never been one of them. And yet that is the issue that we have convened to discuss today.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Barely a week has gone by since the Security Council met to discuss the situation in the Middle East (see S/PV.7281). One would think that we have reconvened today to address the rampant violence and bloodshed that plagues the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea. After all, the past few days have seen untold suffering. In Iraq, a suicide bomber drove into a security checkpoint and killed 38 people. In Lebanon, militants linked to Al-Qaida launched an attack on the central market, leaving 42 people dead and 150 wounded. In Syria, 500 people were killed and injured in seven days of the regime's aerial bombardments. In Iran, a 26-year- old woman named Reyhaneh Jabbari was executed for killing a man who tried to rape her.”
2014-10-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7291 (2014) · source
“Tens ofthousands of lives and the future of West Africa hang in the balance. Every country, no matter how small, has a role to play in combating the Ebola epidemic. We are standing at a crossroads. In our generation, global health and development goals that once seemed unattainable are now within our reach. At the same time, we are confronting global health challenges that threaten to set us back decades. This must be the moment when we replace apathy with ambition. This must be the moment when we enable nations to become the architects of their health-care systems rather than their victims. This must be the moment when we unite to defeat this disease and strengthen health-care systems around the world so that this tragedy is never repeated.”
2014-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7268 (2014) · source
“Israel has taken this message to heart and over the years has been one of the first countries to respond when disaster strikes. From Haiti to Ghana and, more recently, the Philippines, Israel has lent a helping hand to dozens of countries. Israel stands ready to join an international task force to combat the Ebola outbreak. In the meantime, we have sent emergency funding to Sierra Leone and medical supplies to Ethiopia. We have also coordinated with the World Health Organization and sent experts in public health and infectious diseases to Cameroon. We have trained dozens of doctors, nurses and other medical staff from six different hospitals on how to prevent and contain the disease. Israeli non-governmental agencies are now preparing to send another team to Sierra Leone. The time for global action is now.”
2014-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7268 (2014) · source
“In many places fear and misunderstanding have turned to anger, hostility and even violence. A global crisis requires a global response. We know that this virus can be controlled. Ebola outbreaks have occurred in Africa on more than two dozen occasions over the past 40 years, and every time they have been brought under control. The global community has the tools and the know-how to save thousands of lives, but the response from all of us so far has been inadequate. The people of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are looking to us for help. They are counting on us for more health-care workers, equipment and medical supplies. Israel is proud to be playing its part. The Jewish faith teaches tikkun 01am, the obligation of every person to make the world a better place.”
2014-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7268 (2014) · source
“We are witnessing a crisis for the countries affected, the African continent and the international community. Diseases do not respect nations or nationalities. A health crisis in one country can easily spread to others in the region and often well beyond. Unless we coordinate our response and invest more resources in fighting this disease, the Ebola outbreak will spread even further. The epidemic already threatens to destabilize an already fragile region. Schools and workplaces are closed, and it is almost impossible to get any kind of medical care because Ebola has crippled the system. As soon as a new treatment facility opens, it immediately fills to overflowing. Patients and families are lining up outside begging for help. Health workers on the front lines are becoming infected and dying.”
2014-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7268 (2014) · source
“I thank you for convening this important meeting, Mr. President. The presence here earlier today of the Secretary-General, Dr. David Nabarro, and Ms. Margaret Chan reflects the high level of political concern and commitment to addressing the global outbreak of Ebola. Israel is proud to join with other nations in sponsoring today's resolution 2177 (2014). The Jewish philosopher and physician Maimonides said that the physician should treat not only the disease but also the patient who is suffering. The suffering in West Africa is immense. The Ebola epidemic has killed thousands of people and new cases are being reported daily. We must never lose sight of the fact that behind the startling figures and statistics there are people who are suffering, with families that are suffering too.”
2014-09-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7268 (2014) · source
“For the sake of those children and for the future of our region, the international community must act and must act now. As Dr. Seuss wrote: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better."”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Learning about human rights would contaminate children's minds? The truth is that every single day Hamas is polluting young Palestinian minds with hatred and violence. Over 100,000 children have graduated from Hamas's paramilitary camps, which encourage teenagers to "follow in the footsteps of the suicide martyrs". The toxic lessons taught by Hamas are poisoning any opportunity for Palestinian children to grow up in peace. Generations of Palestinians have suffered under a leadership that would sooner tear Israel down than raise its own people up. It is time for the Palestinian leadership to teach its children tolerance, coexistence and mutual understanding. The United Nations has a duty to shield the world's young people from hate and protect them wherever and whenever they are threatened.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“And, of course, we are well aware that, on at least three separate occasions, rockets were found hidden in the schools of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). I can assure you that Hamas did not place them there because it had added rocket science to the school curriculum. Hamas has made its educational priorities clear. Earlier this year, UNRWA tried to distribute new textbooks to teach Gaza's children about human rights. Hamas rejected the books on the grounds that the materials would brainwash Palestinian children. A representative from Hamas's Education Ministry explained that the books would foster "negative feelings toward armed resistance" and that the inclusion of topics such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would contaminate children's minds.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“They deploy minors as suicide bombers and recruit them to carry out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers; they send children deep underground to dig their terror tunnels; and they place children in harm's way by using schools, hospitals and civilian neighbourhoods as bases for their terror activity. During Hamas's most recent escalation, terrorists booby-trapped hundreds of Palestinian homes and went so far as to use children's bedrooms and even baby cribs to hide explosives and conceal terror tunnels. Hamas also launched M-75 rockets from a children's playground located in the Shuja'iya neighbourhood. Dozens of other rockets were launched only steps from Gaza schools, including the Al-Wakaf Al-Shariah School, the Sinah School, the Haled Al-Alami Girls School and the Shahada Al-Manar Boys School.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“They go to school with security guards, walk through metal detectors in malls and live with bunkers in their buildings. They grow up thinking that all of that is normal. Each and every day, Israeli parents worry that their children will be the next victims of a rocket attack, kidnapping attempt, suicide bombing or stone throwing. Israel is committed to upholding international law and takes extensive measures to ensure the protection of civilians. In contrast, radical extremist groups like Hamas see no problem with using civilians and children to achieve their ends.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“It was not an accidental death. From that school, terrorists fired deliberately at the kibbutz to murder civilians - children, women and old people." Today, over 1 million Israeli children live with the threat of Hamas missiles. One in every three children living in communities near Gaza has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Thousands of those children cannot sleep at night and refuse to go outdoors - for good reason. In recent weeks, the Israel Defence Forces have discovered dozens of terror tunnels leading from Gaza to the doorsteps of Israeli communities. Hamas planned to use those tunnels to send terrorists into the hearts of those communities to kill and kidnap as many people as possible. As a father who has raised three children in Israel, I can say that Israeli children grow up in an abnormal reality.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“The rockets landed on Israeli kindergartens, playgrounds and homes. Four year-old Daniel Tragerman of Kibbutz Nahal Oz was one of the tragic casualties of those attacks. Daniel's mother, Gila, sent a letter to the Secretary-General this week, in which she wrote: "Daniel, 4.5 years old, was killed in our house, while playing with his sister in a tent built indoors and not outside, because it's dangerous. He was killed by a mortar shell that was shot by terrorists from Gaza, he died in our hands. Daniel died in front of his little sister, who is 3.5 years old; he died in front of his baby brother Uri, only four months old and right before our eyes, his mother and father. Daniel was killed by a mortar shell that was fired by Hamas members from an elementary school for boys in Gaza City. It was not a stray shell.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“Abuses against children in armed conflicts not only tear at our hearts, they unravel entire communities and destroy the fabric of a society. An estimated 2 million children have died as a direct result of armed conflict over the last decade, and many more have been permanently disabled or seriously injured. In the Middle East, terrorists regularly single out children in their attacks. In June, millions of Israelis were numb with horror when they learned that Hamas terrorists had kidnapped and murdered three Israeli teenagers - Eyal, Gilad and Naftali - as they made their way home from school. That is just one of many attacks targeting Israeli children. Over the summer, over 3,800 rockets and mortars were fired into Israel, which represents an average of one rocket every 10 minutes.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“I would like to congratulate the United States on its presidency of the Security Council this month. I also want to commend Special Representative of the Secretary-General Leila Zerrougui for bringing much needed attention to this important subject. Israel assigns great importance to protecting children in armed conflict, and we look forward to the commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in November. One of the world's most-beloved children's authors, Dr. Seuss, once wrote: "A person's a person, no matter how small". All children around the world deserve to grow up in an environment where their dignity and human rights are respected and their aspirations are valued. Yet in too many parts of the world, children are the targets of violence or casualties of conflict.”
2014-09-08 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7259 (2014) · source
“From this Chamber 1 issue a warning to the world - do not close your eyes to the threats around you. War is not inevitable - it is not a force ofnature, nor is it a part of human nature. It can and must be avoided. We all want to live in peace and see our children grow up in peace, but we cannot stand idly by in the face of the threats that we face every day. To prevent the next war, we must go to war against radical ideology. We must declare a war on incitement, a war on bigotry and a war on hypocrisy. Armed with our commitment to freedom, tolerance and peace, I have no doubt that, working together, we will emerge victorious. This is a battle that we can win, and we must win.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“It stores weapons in United Nations facilities, transports terrorists in ambulances and fires rockets indiscriminately from mosques, schools and hospitals deep into the heart of civilian centres in Israel. Few nations have the courage to admit that Hamas is committing a double war crime - targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians. Every nation must ask itself whether it wishes to see a Middle East that is free, open and tolerant, or whether it wishes to see a Middle East in which a violent and radical minority suppresses the rights, beliefs and aspirations of millions of people. This problem is not hundreds of miles and decades away. Radical extremism affects us all - right here and right now. Make no mistake: we are locked in a battle for our shared security.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Today, 41 Islamic terrorist groups are operating in 24 countries. Those groups have crippled communities and brought entire nations to their knees. And still the international community remains largely silent. It is silent as Hizbullah amasses and smuggles thousands of weapons, as Al-Qaida abuses and persecutes women, as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant slaughters Christian and Yazidi communities, and as Hamas intentionally places Gaza's men, women and children in harm's way. Hamas - like the Islamic State of the Levant and Boko Haram and Al-Qaida - shares a disdain for democracy, a contempt for modernity and a determination to destroy our way of life. In Gaza, Hamas sees no problem with abusing international humanitarian centres and religious institutions for terrorist purposes.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“When synagogues and Jewish-owned shops are burned and looted - is it enough to claim that anti-Semitism is wrong? When mobs beat Jews as they walk the streets - is it enough to only express disgust? When heads of State and ambassadors in this institution compare Israel to Hitler and the Nazis - is it enough to issue a condemnation? Did you, Mr. President, even make an effort to issue a condemnation? This institution was born from the ashes of the Second World War to confront tyranny, but it is failing. Radical extremism has touched every part of the world from Buenos Aires to Burgas and from Bangkok to Burkina Faso. Oppression and extremism are not bound by borders. Nowhere is the threat more obvious than in the Middle East. In 2004, there were 21 Islamic terrorist groups spread out over 18 countries.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." We see the forces of tyranny grow stronger, and we must have the courage to take action. We must abide by our commitment to speak out and fight until freedom triumphs over oppression. When my father fled Berlin in 1936, the writing was already on the wall. Boycotts against Jewish-owned businesses were common, graffiti was being scrawled on synagogues and Jews were called "Untermenschen" or subhumans and were being beaten and harassed on the streets. Now, 70 years after the Holocaust, Jewish communities from Cuba to Casablanca are being threatened, and on the streets of Europe cries of"Death to the Jews" can once again be heard. Yet the world seems to have learned nothing.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“First of all, Mr. President, I would like to thank you for convening today's important meeting. I would like to thank the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their respective briefings. I speak to you today, Sir, as a man who has seen and experienced war - both on the battlefield and on the diplomatic field. My experiences have taught me that war does not begin when the first shot is fired. War begins when hatred and intolerance go unopposed. That idea was expressed by Martin Niemoller, a German pastor who bravely spoke out against the Nazis, when he wrote: "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the trade unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.”
2014-08-21 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7247 (2014) · source
“The leaders of many Governments represented in this Chamber have already expressed their support for Israel's right to defend itself. We thank them for standing by our side at this important hour. I ask the rest of those present to join them. I have here with me a compass. I offer it to the international community in the hope that it will guide its members towards making the right decision and standing for greater clarity, for good against evil and for right against wrong.”
2014-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7220 (2014) · source
“But that day has not yet come. For now, we are forced to wage war against a terrorist group committed to our destruction. As we speak, night has fallen in Israel. Rather than sleeping soundly in their beds, our sons and daughters are out there in the darkness standing guard over Israel and the people of Israel. In the Book of Psalms, King David says, "Too long have I lived among those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war" (The Holy Bible, Psalm 120:6-7). Israel was left with no choice. But each and every individual in this Chamber has the choice to stand against terrorism and for the right of people to live in peace; to stand against the use of human shields, and for human rights; to stand against oppression and for the freedoms that we hold dear.”
2014-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7220 (2014) · source
“By now it should be clear that Hamas is using the cover of a political agreement to gain legitimacy for its extremist objectives. Following the establishment of the unity Government, Hamas Minister Fathi Hamad declared that, "the whistling bullets, the sound of bombs and missiles exploding and the capture of Israeli soldiers was music to our ears". The danger could not be clearer. Supporting the unity agreement gives Hamas the opportunity to weave incitement, violence and terror into the basic fabric of Judea and Samara, just as it did in Gaza. The citizens of Israel want to live in peace. We want to see our children grow up and grow old without ever having to run for a bomb shelter or put on an army uniform. Our hope is that some day - some day - we will read about attacks on Jewish people in history books, rather than in newspapers.”
2014-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7220 (2014) · source
“Time and again, we have called on the international community to condemn the rocket fire and we have been met with silence. It is time for the international community to face the consequences of its inaction. Hamas used its foothold in Gaza to trample on the Palestinian people and build a terror base in Israel's backyard. Now it sees an opportunity to do so again. Hamas is using the unity Government to export its terrorist capabilities from Gaza to Judea and Samaria. If Hamas is not stopped, it will mean more terror for Israel and more tragedy for the Palestinians. The international community embraced the unity agreement between Fatah and the terror organization, believing that it would move us closer to peace. Does that sound logical? How could embracing a terror group whose raison d'etre is the eradication of Israel bring about peace?”
2014-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7220 (2014) · source
“Over the past two weeks, Hamas has fired 1,500 rockets that threaten 5 million Israelis, or 70 per cent of our population living throughout the country. After each escalation, the international community brokers a ceasefire and Israel accepts it, hoping that it will finally bring peace. After three rounds of major assaults and over 12,000 rockets in nine years, it has become clear that Hamas is not interested in bringing quiet to Gaza. It is employing the Hudna strategy. When Hamas finds itself on the verge of defeat, it agrees to a brief recess to reset, rearm and resume aggressions. For years, we have told the Security Council about the thousands of rockets that Hamas was smuggling into Gaza. We have talked and we have repeated these facts. We have been met with silence.”
2014-07-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7220 (2014) · source