YouSaid · the spoken record

Roet

lines on the record: 197
first: 2014-05-28
most recent: 2017-06-28
sittings or episodes: 22
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

“Yitzhak Kadman, Executive Director of the Israeli National Council for the Child, wrote, it is very easy to use children for the needs of adults. It is so easy to incite children and to drag them into war games. It is so tempting to turn children into symbols. It is so easy and, yet, so wrong, so simple and so dangerous. Tragically, this is exactly what the Palestinian leadership is doing. Such acts of terror do not occur in a vacuum. They are the product of a deliberate policy of incitement aimed at filling the minds of Palestinian children with hatred. From an early age, Palestinian children are subjected to propaganda that promotes hatred and incites them to violence. Young children watch television shows with friendly hosts that encourage them to kill all Jews and become martyrs.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“Just two days ago, in a televised broadcast to the Palestinian people, President Abbas accused Israel of killing an innocent 13-year old Palestinian boy. There are two facts that President Abbas did not share with his public. First, the boy is not dead. He is fully conscious and is being treated in an Israeli hospital. Secondly, he is not innocent. This 13-year old Palestinian brutally attacked a 13-year old Israeli boy who was riding his bicycle, stabbing him no fewer than 15 times. No one needs to take my word for it; there is a video of this on social media. When a young child is incited to pick up a knife instead of being encouraged to pick up a basketball or a book, something is deeply wrong. As Dr.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“They have no right to desecrate them with their filthy feet." I repeat, Jews have no right to desecrate it with their filthy feet. Can anyone imagine what the reaction would have been if an Israeli leader or any other leader, for that matter, had uttered such a hateful sentiment? The Security Council would have quite rightly wasted no time in convening to condemn it. Yet, when the President of the Palestinian Authority makes such a blatantly prejudiced statement, the Council reacts with complete silence. Even now, as the violence continues and lives are lost every day, instead of calming tensions Palestinian leaders continue to lie and use inflammatory rhetoric. They are stoking the flames by portraying terrorists as innocent victims.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“On the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, radical Islamists stockpiled rocks, planks, wooden sheets and fireworks, as well as Molotov firebombs and explosive devices, to prevent Jews, as well as Christians, from visiting the Temple Mount. The Palestinians and the representatives of the Arab countries speak of the sanctity of their holy sites, but when Islamist militants desecrated Al-Aqsa, by using it as a weapons depot, they stood mute. Instead, President Abbas defended these rioters and lit the spark that set our region ablaze. He declared, "We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem With the help of Allah, every shaheed will be in heaven, and every wounded will get his reward Al-Aqsa is ours, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is ours. Everything is ours, all ours.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“When the Palestinian leadership has so little respect for places that have been sacred to the Jewish people throughout their history, it is no surprise that the Palestinian people treat the Jewish holy site with such disdain and disregard. Just last night, a mob of Palestinians set fire to the Tomb of Joseph in Nablus, a site of prayer and pilgrimage for Jews through the generations. This is a desecration and a blatant violation of the freedom of worship. The heinous attack on a biblical holy site can be explained only by incitement and a lack of respect for the religion and heritage of others. The disrespect for the sanctity of holy sites is also evident in the actions of Palestinians on the Temple Mount. Militant Islamist agitators have used the Al-Aqsa Mosque as a staging ground for a calculated, violent provocation.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“Since 1967, Israel has been doing everything in its power to preserve the sanctity of this site. We do this out of a deep and abiding respect for the principle of freedom of religion and the historic connection of the three monotheistic faiths to the Temple Mount. Yet, it is clear that this respect is not mutual. Palestinian leaders are determined to erase Jewish history and deny any historic connection between the Jewish people and our holiest site. In a proposal that the Palestinians asked to submit yesterday to UNESCO, they tried do exactly that. This proposal calls on UNESCO to include the Western Wall, HaKotel HaMa'aravi, the site of Jewish prayer for millennia, as an integral part of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“Knowing full well the consequences of their words, Palestinian leaders have repeated this outlandish conspiracy theory over and over again and it is utterly baseless. Prime Minister Netanyahu, as we heard today, has stated time and time again, including from the rostrum in the General Assembly, that Israel is firmly committed to the status quo. We continue to protect the right of Muslims to pray in the mosque, as well as the freedom of all people - Muslims, Christians, Jews and others - to visit the Temple Mount. The facts speak for themselves. For decades Israel has maintained the status quo and will keep on doing so. Let me be crystal clear - Israel will not agree to any international presence on the Temple Mount. Such a presence would be a change in the status quo.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“Israel is taking every necessary means to defend its citizens and is responding proportionately to these attacks. I have no doubt that if, on a daily basis the citizens of member States were being stabbed in the streets with butcher knives or shot on buses, their security forces would have reacted in the same way. We heard in the Secretariat briefing today the so-called reason for this campaign of terror. The real root cause of this wave of terror is clear. It was inflammatory rhetoric and lies that lit the fuse and it is incitement that keeps feeding the flames. The violence that Israel now faces began with lies about the Temple Mount. President Abbas has continually accused Israel of trying to change the status quo. Just two days ago he claimed that "Israel intends to make Al-Aqsa Jewish". This is a deliberate and malicious lie.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“These are just a few of the silent victims of Palestinian terror. Over the course of the last month, 24 terror attacks have claimed the lives of 8 Israelis and injured 70, including an official from the International Labour Organization. Fifteen of them are still hospitalized. This tide of terror has washed over the entire nation and it spares no one; young and old are being targeted every day. Israelis do not feel safe walking down the street, they avoid taking the bus to work and they fear for the lives of their children every time they walk out of the door. We face an enemy who is willing to die in order to kill. These people, who kill innocent civilians in cold blood, abide by no rule and have abandoned even the most basic morality.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“As we sit here today, Israel is facing an onslaught of terrorism; men, women and children are being stabbed to death on the streets on a daily basis. Yet for them there has been no demand for an emergency session of the Security Council; no call for the Palestinian leadership to stop their incitement; and not even a whisper of condemnation of these acts could be heard from the Council. Eitam and Na'ama Henkin were shot to death while driving in their car. Their four children were in the vehicle and watched their parents killed- executed- in front of their eyes. Chaim Chaviv was shot and killed on a city bus in Jerusalem on his way home from a visit to his doctor. Two terrorists boarded the bus, locked the doors so that no one could escape, and started to shoot and stab the passenger. Chaim Chaviv was 78 years old.”
2015-10-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7536 (2015) · source
“Without attention to intentions, those who are responsible for harming children will remain free to repeat their crimes, and we will fail in our sacred obligation to the children of the world. The Bible tells us that all children are a gift of God. We have an obligation to do all we can to protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us, no matter who they are or where they are from. Israel's concern for the life and well-being of children knows no colour, no ethnicity, no nationality or faith, and it knows no borders. Israel's commitment to the protection of children is absolute. We will remain committed to safeguard the lives of all children in accordance with our democratic values, our moral conscience and our belief in the sanctity of human life.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“Raising concerns with regard to the practices and procedures ofthe Office ofthe Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict should not be automatically perceived as mere national interest and is essential for the protection of children. I must express as well deep concern about the report's statement that the question of intent when determining responsibility will not be a crucial consideration. The laws of armed conflict provide one of the critical barriers preventing war from descending into unrestrained barbarism. Ignoring intention would be contrary to existing international law and would play into the hands of those who intentionally target and use civilians in combat and leave children more vulnerable.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“We are extremely troubled by the fact that internal sensitive information that was supposed to be known only to the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and to United Nations officials was leaked to the press in an intentional attempt to pressure and dictate the final outcome to include Israel in the report's annex. Have members ever heard anywhere a consideration of the Special Representative with regard to listing or not listing countries except this time? Such unauthorized and irresponsible leaks should not be tolerated. They serve only to undermine the credibility of the report, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and the entire United Nations system. This conduct should be investigated. No organization is perfect, and no procedure is immune to criticism.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“Yet non-governmental organizations with a publicly available record of notorious anti-Israel activity were welcomed with open arms as an integral part of the working group. Furthermore, the Office ofthe Special Representative left no real opportunity for Israel's extensive reservations to even be considered, thus making it evident that the engagement with Israel by that Office was a mere formality for the sake of checking the box. Such practices contradict the relevant Security Council resolutions and guidelines to involve Governments as an integral part throughout the process.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“And, even while attacked by the ruling authority in Gaza, Israel kept the flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. I ask myself why all of these clear and crucial facts are absent from the report of the Special Representative. Is it possible that they simply failed to notice? Unfortunately, the failure of this report goes far deeper than mere oversight. The drafting of the report was marked at every level by widespread, systematic and institutionalized biased conduct against Israel. From the outset, the regional working group conveniently forgot to inform Israel of the writing of the report, nor did they deem it necessary to seek input from the Israeli authorities. Time after time, Israel tried to provide official evidence and facts to the working group, but we were flatly refused.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“That operation was in response to more than 450 rockets and mortars launched from the Gaza Strip, including more than 60 in just one day, while Israel did not react. Israel took all measures to de-escalate the conflict by accepting ceasefire after ceasefire, while Hamas rejected all attempts. In a war forced on Israel by Hamas Israel, took unprecedented precautions to avoid the loss of life of innocent civilians, going beyond what is required by international law and what is done by any army in the world. The Israel Defense Forces used leaflets, phone calls and text messages to warn the civilian population to evacuate rocket launch sites. It aborted or suspended operations against terror targets when it became apparent that civilians would be harmed.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“While Israel tried to save Palestinian lives by warning them to leave combat areas, Hamas threatened their lives ifthey did. While Israel takes every precaution to avoid harm to non-combatants, Hamas voids international law by launching rockets from schools, hospitals, mosques and other places in which children would usually be safe. The military use of schools by Hamas is dreadful. As today's resolution states, such use is "in contravention of applicable international law" (resolution 2225 (2015), para. 4). Omitted from the report was one clear fact: this was not a war that Israel wanted. Israel deeply regrets the harm caused to the Palestinian civilian population during Operation Protective Edge.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“Finding Hamas in this report is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. In reality, Hamas and other terrorist organizations launched approximately 4,000 rockets and mortars during last summer's conflict. Those missiles were deliberately directed at Israel's civilian population. In the words of Hamas spokesman, Fawzi Barhoum, "Our rockets are aimed at the Hebrews, the murderers, the Israelis, the criminals. Our missiles accurately target the homes of the Israelis and the Zionists." More than 15,000 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel from Gaza since 2001. There is a generation of children in Israel that lives under daily threat of Hamas rockets and mortars. Not only did Hamas deliberately target Israeli civilians and children, it also demonstrates complete disregard for the lives of Palestinian children.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“Yes, the Council heard right: twice as much space was dedicated to Israel than to Syria, where approximately a quarter of a million people have been killed, including, according to The New York Times, more than 3,500 children just this year, while the report misleads by inexplicably putting the number at 368. The reason for that skewed presentation is evident. Instead of being balanced, neutral and focused on fact, the report's discussion of Israel is politicized, stained with interests and distorts reality. What about Hamas, a terrorist organization that as we speak runs military summer camps for elementary school children? Surely a report about the use of children in warfare would discuss it in detail. Well, read through the report and try to count how many times the name Hamas even appears.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“Too many dreams are being shattered, too many hopes are being extinguished and too many are robbed of their childhoods by unimaginable brutality. It must stop. The Security Council must act to end those atrocities against children. Today's resolution 2225 (2015), which Israel sponsored, is a positive step forward. Last week, the Secretary-General published his annual report (S/2015/404) on children and armed conflict. With all the regimes, with all the organizations that intentionally and strategically target children throughout the world, it is simply absurd that the report disproportionately focuses on Israel. The report has 17 paragraphs on Syria, 9 on Yemen, 8 on Iraq, 6 on Libya and no less than 32 paragraphs on Israel.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“In the Democratic Republic of Congo, civilians, including children, are being beheaded, mutilated and raped. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia's massive and indiscriminate air strikes have hit hospitals and schools and killed hundreds of civilians, including many children. The Houthis are recruiting boys as young as 14 to use as child soldiers, arming them with Kalashnikovs and sending them to the front lines. In Iraq, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is forcing young girls to call their parents to detail being gang-raped by dozens of men. In Syria, ISIS forces abducted and tortured Kurdish children and forced them to watch footage of ISIS beheadings and attacks. When we look at the world today through the eyes of children, we see a terrifying picture.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“The girls and boys of today represent the hope for a better tomorrow. When a child is a victim of war, his world, his family and his community lose their most precious possession: their hope for a brighter future. The loss of any child is an incomparable tragedy. The deliberate infliction of harm on children is an inhumane crime. Protecting children is our highest obligation. According to the Jewish tradition, whoever saves one life it is as if he has saved the entire world. Seventy years after the establishment of this institution, there are far too many lives we fail to save. The painful fact is that children all over the world are suffering from unprecedented cruelty and inhumanity. In Nigeria, Boko Haram has already abducted 1,000 children, many of whom were placed on the front line to act as human shields.”
2015-06-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7466 (2015) · source
“When a journalist cannot report the truth and the public is left in the dark, tyranny, dictatorship and the abuse of human rights will follow. It is the responsibility of the international community to work together to protect journalists across the globe. The United Nations was founded on the basis of allowing free and open debate in order to ensure a peaceful world. Only a determined commitment on the part of the Security Council to safeguarding a free press can ensure the realization of the promise of that vision for ourselves and for future generations.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“According to Freedom House, an organization that monitors the suppression of freedom around the world, Israel is the only country in the region with a free press. We in Israel understand that a free press is the cornerstone of democracy. Those of us fortunate enough to live in an open society know that with a free press comes bad press, and in Israel we know it all too well. The press is free to challenge the strategic assessment of the head of our army, to debate the reasoning of our Chief Justice and to give political advice to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Israel is a model for how a democratic nation, even while facing immense challenges, can maintain a free and thriving press. Threats to journalists and a free press are threats to our way of life.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“An Indian film crew videotaped a Hamas missile launch just metres from their hotel room, but waited until they were beyond Hamas's reach to air the damning footage. Under such conditions, missiles launches go unseen, the use of human shields goes unreported and falsehoods are accepted as truths. While Hamas routinely harasses and intimidates journalists, the Palestinian Authority is no better. According to a United States State Department human- rights report, Palestinian Authority security forces harass, detain and prosecute journalists for trying to do their jobs. Furthermore, the Authority abuses the idea ofa free press by using State-controlled media outlets to broadcast hateful rhetoric and dangerous incitements. There is only one exception to the rule in the Middle East.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Israeli families spent last summer racing to bomb shelters, knowing they had only seconds to take cover from Hamas rockets. Thousands of those rockets were fired in broad daylight from hospitals, schools and children's playgrounds. Yet those who turned on their televisions or opened their newspapers did not see reports of the obvious war crimes committed by Hamas. When we ask why so few pictures of those rockets and the Hamas terrorists who launched them ever saw the light of day, the answer comes from the stories of the journalists themselves. The Italian journalist Gabriele Barbati did not dare to report that Hamas-launched rockets killed Palestinian children in a refugee camp until he was, in his own words, out of Gaza and far from Hamas's retaliation.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“He has been detained without bail, denied access to an attorney and accused of espionage and propaganda against the establishment. Just yesterday, his shadowy trial opened. Not surprisingly, the hearing to decide his fate will be conducted behind closed doors. In other parts of the Middle East, terrorists have seized control and journalists face an even more barbaric fate. Those fanatical zealots mock the very idea of human rights and prefer rule by the sword to rule by law. Their idea of due process is a masked man beheading a helpless kneeling human and posting the execution on YouTube. The iron-fisted rule that Hamas exercises over the Gaza Strip provides a powerful example of what happens when the press is not free to report What it sees and hears.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“In these times of instability, journalists are compelled to report from nations ruled by fear and repression and from lawless lands ruled by warlords. Those whose duty it is to report on the horrific events in such areas are at unprecedented risk of being abducted, tortured or brutally murdered. The most dangerous place in the world for journalists is the Middle East. From Saudi Arabia to Iraq, and from Gaza to Iran, freedom of the press is under siege. Hope for new freedoms has shriveled under the harsh reality of Middle Eastern autocrats and theocrats,who are determined to use any means at their disposal to silence those who would question their legitimacy. Ten months ago in Iran, a Washington Post reporter, Jason Rezaian, was arrested along with his wife.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Extremist groups target journalists not only to silence them but to declare war on the most fundamental values of the free world - freedom of opinion and expression, freedom to speak our minds and freedom to receive and impart information. They seek to force their barbaric ideology on us by dictating at the point of a gun what we can and cannot say. We should make no mistake - such groups recognize no borders, and their violence and intimidation are not restricted to any particular region of the world. The shots at the offices of Charlie Hebdo in Paris were meant to silence the community of journalists worldwide. However, as hundreds of thousands of the citizens of France proclaimed in the streets, we will not allow the enemies of a free press to silence our freedoms.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“Justice Louis Brandeis famously said that sunlight is the best disinfectant. Today, unfortunately, there are many places that are under a total solar eclipse. Without the work of courageous reporters, repressive regimes go unchecked, atrocities go unrecorded and the public remains unaware of the reality on the ground. Those who work in places of conflict and strife ensure the free flow of information from distant battlefields around the globe to our iPads in the comfort of our homes. There are places in the world where a camera is considered a deadly weapon, a tweet is an act oftreason and a microphone is grounds for arrest.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“I would like to congratulate Lithuania on its successful presidency of the Council this month. We would also like to thank Mr. Linkevicius, Lithuania's Minister for Foreign Affairs, for personally presiding over today's meeting. I would like to take a moment to recognize that we had Mariane Pearl in the Security Council with us today. The brutal murder of Mariane's husband Daniel in Pakistan in 2002 shocked the world, but her tireless work ensures that his legacy lives on, and he is remembered very fondly in Israel. May his memory be blessed. This discussion could not come at a more critical time for journalists in conflict situations. Those brave men and women serve as the eyes, ears and mouth of the entire world in the very places where many would prefer us to be blind, deaf and mute.”
2015-05-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7450Resumption1 (2015) · source
“At this moment, as we speak, smuggling ships are steaming across the high seas, cargo trucks are snaking across mountain passes and small aircraft packed with illegal weapons are flying low to avoid detection. The mortars and missile launchers that they carry could take dozens of innocent lives and spark the next major conflict. Terrorists and their backers depend on divisions in the international community to keep their operations afloat. No nation is free from responsibility, and no nation can escape the consequences of inaction. The Council must take a bold first step by holding accountable those Member States that arm, train and fund terrorists. The failure to act today will invite disaster tomorrow.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“Similarly, the uncontrolled trafficking of shoulder-fired missiles known as man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS), is of particular concern to Israel. In 2002, Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists in Mombassa, Kenya, fired two surface-to-air missiles at an Israel Airlines plane. The missiles narrowly missed, but the attack marked a turning point: terrorists were using small arms to target civilian airliners. In recent years, the Middle East has seen the proliferation of thousands of MANPADS. Misleadingly categorized as small arms and light weapons, MANPADS have the potential to cause mass casualties and undermine stability. The threat is very real and demands the immediate attention of the international community.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“In Yemen, for instance, seven-year-old Hassan was recruited by Houthi rebels to man checkpoints. Instead of learning to read and write, Hassan's only lessons are how to use his Kalashnikov rifle. Like Hassan, countless young boys have been forced to give up their childhoods to fight someone else's war. The next generation of children in our region deserves a brighter future - a future without hate, without conflict and without terror. Every nation is threatened by the proliferation, illegal transfer and misuse of small arms. Following the downfall of Muammar Al-Qadhafi, armouries brimming with assault rifles, grenades and surface-to- air missiles were plundered by militants. Thousands of Libya's 20,000 surface-to-air missiles have fallen into the hands of non-State actors and terrorists.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“The grim reality is that small arms will continue to take the lives of innocent civilians unless the Council takes meaningful steps to enforce compliance with sanctions and arms embargoes, particularly with regard to Iran. The Iranian regime regularly transfers tons of weapons and munitions to Hizbullah terrorists in blatant violation of four Security Council resolutions - 1559 (2004), 1701 (2006), 1747 (2007) and 1929 (2010). If the international community continues to be missing in action, those resolutions will continue to be dead on arrival. In Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, terrorists groups have taken advantage of the chaos and instability to raid unsecured weapons caches. After securing the weapons, terrorist groups recruit and kidnap young boys to fight their battles.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“For years Iran has destabilized and radicalized the Middle East. In recent years it has also intensified its campaign to smuggle weapons to its terrorist proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, Hizbullah in Lebanon and the Syrian Golan and Hamas in Gaza. Last summer, Hamas terrorists fired over 3,800 rockets and mortars from Gaza towards Israeli civilian communities, an average of l projectile every 10 minutes. One of those mortars hit the home of Gila and Doron Tragerman. Their four-year-old son, Daniel was playing in the living room when the mortar shell slammed into their house and killed the little boy. Two days later, Ze'ev Etzion and Shahar Melamed from Kibbutz Nirim were also killed by mortars fired by terrorists in Gaza.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“Let me begin by thanking you, Madam President, for Lithuania's able stewardship of the Security Council this month and for holding this very important debate, as more than half a million people die every year as a result of the illicit trafficking in small arms and light weapons. Last year, Israel was proud to sign the Arms Trade Treaty. Israel supports the principles and goals of the Treaty and believes it is an important step towards better regulating the trade in arms and preventing weapons from reaching terrorist groups and rogue actors. Israel has passed significant pieces of legislation to guide its own robust export-control system. In the Middle East, the illicit trafficking in small arms is a big problem. Small arms are the weapons of choice for terrorists who seek to spread fear and undermine stability.”
2015-05-13 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7442 (2015) · source
“Every democracy walks a fine line between defending civil liberties and upholding the rule of law. It is not easy, but we can never allow terrorist groups to gain the upper hand. The recent decision of the European Court of Justice is an injustice to the victims of Hamas terror attacks. Terrorism is a global problem, and all those who stand for freedom must make a continuous effort to fight it. Terrorism will not retreat on its own. It cannot be stopped by embracing moderates or making concessions. Complacency breeds catastrophe and we will all bear the consequences. For the sake of our children, our nations and our common future, we must stand shoulder to shoulder and hold to account all those who support and engage in terrorism.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“Its founding manifesto pledges loyalty to Iran's supreme leader, seeks the establishment of an Islamic regime and calls for war against Israel and the West. Terrorist groups will continue to undermine international peace and security so long as State actors supply them with weaponry, financing, training and safe havens. A stable and prosperous Middle East will remain elusive until the Security Council unmasks those rogue regimes and compels them to end their support for terrorism. Thirdly, the international community must broaden and strengthen sanctions against terror groups. More effective procedures are needed to bring individuals involved in terrorist activities to justice. Mechanisms must be put in place to freeze their financial assets and prevent their movement through the territories of Member States.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“In fact, in Gaza just a few days ago, Hamas held a rally at which Abu Obeida, the spokesman for the military wing of Hamas, publicly thanked Qatar and Iran for their ongoing support. In addition to financing Hamas, Iran is bankrolling Hizbullah with up to $200 million a year to wage war on its behalf. In the last two years alone, Hizbullah operatives have been detained in Nigeria, Thailand and Cyprus for plotting attacks on civilians. And at the instruction of Iran, Hizbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah publicly declared that his forces will ensure the survival of Syria's Al-Assad regime. The international community can no longer ignore or downplay the global threat posed by Hizbullah.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“In 2009, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that a Hizbullah member tied to the Philadelphia criminal underworld was trying to sell stolen cell phones, laptops and cars. The international community must develop a robust strategy to interrupt the flow of funds from criminal enterprises to terrorist groups. By severing the connection, we will cut the financial and logistical lifeline that keeps terrorist groups afloat. Secondly, the Security Council must address the State sponsors of terrorism. The fact of the matter is that some Member States in this Organization support, harbour, finance, train and smuggle terrorists and weapons in our region. Qatar is aggressively funding the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Al-Nusra Front in Syria, and Hamas in Gaza.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“Hizbullah, for example, runs one of the largest and most sophisticated global criminal operations in the world. For years, it has funded terrorism through criminal enterprises, including narcotics trafficking and forging currency. In 2008, German authorities arrested two Lebanese members of Hizbullah carrying more than â‚¬8 million generated from cocaine smuggling. In 2011, American authorities uncovered an extensive Hizbullah narcotics-trafficking and money-laundering scheme that was generating as much as $200 million a month for the terrorist organization. In addition to raising funds through drug sales, Hizbullah is deeply involved in the trafficking of counterfeit and stolen currency and goods.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“The haunting images of terrorism will forever be in our minds - school children murdered by the Taliban, journalists beheaded by ISIS, innocent Christians massacred by al-Shabaab and the countless innocent civilians who were victims of suicide attacks perpetrated by Hizbullah and Hamas. In order to effectively counter the threat posed by terrorists, the international community must address every means by which radical groups take root and grow. To confront terrorism 2.0, we must prevent, preempt and undermine terrorism. In other words, we must invest in counter- terrorism 3.0 - a three-pronged approach to combating and preventing terrorism. First, we must cut offthe supply lines that originate with organized crime networks. Terrorist groups rely on criminal networks to provide them with weaponry and munitions.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“The venture gained momentum and was able to recruit more people, grow its revenue base and acquire more sophisticated tools. Like many start-ups, it turned to social media to amplify its messages and gain greater prominence - that too fueled further growth. It soon expanded its portfolio to deal in illicit enterprises, including stealing and selling crude oil, kidnapping, smuggling and trafficking in goods. Today, that billion-dollar enterprise is a household name - the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS), also known as Daesh. The meteoric rise of ISIS is just one example of "terrorism 2.0". Extremist groups are using every tool and means at their disposal to further their radical ideological goals and commit senseless acts of brutality.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“I would like to thank the Foreign Minister of Chad for presiding over today's debate. Before I begin, I would like to say a few words about the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan and Australia. The cowardly attacks on children in a school and on innocent civilians in a coffee shop are a painful reminder that no nation is immune to terrorism. We condemn in the strongest possible terms those heinous and senseless acts of violence. The thoughts and prayers of the Israeli people are with the families of the victims in Pakistan and Australia, and we pray for a speedy recovery for all those who were injured. I want to tell the Council about a small start-up that emerged in our region just a few years ago. Like any new enterprise, it secured funding, recruited talent and acquired the equipment needed for its day-to-day operations.”
2014-12-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7351 (2014) · source
“It is up to us to uphold those freedoms. So I urge everyone - all women and men who wish to see a more peaceful planet i to bet on women, invest in women, ensure that they have opportunities, support their right to be a part of the decision-making process. I promise that we will not be disappointed.”
2014-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7289 (2014) · source
“In Israel, we understand that women's participation is a game changer. That is why two of the past three chief justices of our Supreme Court have been women, and the current Israeli Parliament has more women than ever before. In recent years, Israel has welcomed its first female Major General, elected a female Governor to our central bank, and three women were appointed to head our leading banks. Israeli women are agents of change, drivers of progress and makers of peace. Given the chance, that could be true for all the world's women, but we have work to do. We must persist in our efforts to advance gender equality until all women can dress as they like, be educated as they choose, work where they wish, marry the person they love, raise their families as they see fit and make the choices that will determine the course of their lives.”
2014-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7289 (2014) · source
“Thanks to that strategy, Rwanda tops the world for women in Parliament with 53 per cent in 2013, and the nation has made impressive progress towards reducing poverty and inequality. Israel understands the tremendous benefits of investing in every member of society. We celebrate different ways of life, we value diversity, and we believe that every person should choose how to live his or her life. From the prophets Deborah to Miriam and Queen Esther, Jewish history is rich with female leaders. More recently, courageous women from Hannah Senesh to Dorit Beinisch have left their mark on the Jewish people and the Jewish State. In fact, our Declaration of Independence was signed by two women, Golda Meir and Rachel Cohen-Kagan, and Israel had a female Prime Minister before many other countries granted women the right to vote.”
2014-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7289 (2014) · source
“We know that, when a woman generates her own income, she reinvests 90 per cent of it in her family and community, and we know that eliminating gender gaps in labour force participation can lead to bigjumps in income per capita. To put it more simply, when we boost the participation of women, we boost the growth potential of an entire nation. Supporting women's economic empowerment requires meaningful policy intervention, beginning with the inclusion of women in the decision-making process. Women bring unique ideas, priorities and expertise to bear on challenging political problems. Creating opportunities for women and girls advances security and prosperity for everyone. Take Rwanda, for example. Rwanda's legal system guarantees equal rights in terms of land ownership and inheritance, and its Constitution enshrines gender equality.”
2014-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7289 (2014) · source
“It is therefore a great disappointment that where we see those vast injustices and atrocities towards women around the globe, as well as great opportunities for the advancement of women, a leading Arab country decided to use this forum to advance narrow political goals by aattacking my country. The issue is far too important for all of us and there should be no politicization of the matter. Around the world, women continue to be marginalized and minimized. Today, the majority of the world's poor are women. They earn only three-quarters as much as men and are frequently locked out of leadership and decision-making positions. The tragedy is that when women face barriers to achieving their potential, entire societies suffer. The truth of the matter is that women's economic empowerment lies at the heart of sustainable development.”
2014-10-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7289 (2014) · source