Israel on the Move

March 14, 2018

An Inspiration to the World

“How unlikely was Israel’s birth; how more unlikely has been her survival. And how confounding, and against the odds, has been her thriving. You have turned the desert into a garden, scarcity into plenty, sickness into health, and you turned hope into a future.

 “Israel is like a tree that has grown deep roots in the soil of your forefathers, yet as it grows, it reaches ever closer to the heavens. And today and every day, the Jewish State of Israel, and all the Jewish people, bear witness to God’s faithfulness, as well as your own.

 “It was the faith of the Jewish people that gathered the scattered fragments of a people and made them whole again; that took the language of the Bible and the landscape of the psalms and made them live again. And it was faith that rebuilt the ruins of Jerusalem and made them strong again.

 “The miracle of Israel is an inspiration to the world. And the United States of America is proud to stand with Israel and her people, as allies and cherished friends.”

—US Vice-President Pence addressing the Knesset

 

“I’ve been speaking to the people of Iran with video messages. The response is amazing…Those people want freedom. They want a different life. They want economic prosperity. They want peace. They don’t want this far-flung Iranian aggression. We have no quarrel with the people of Iran, but we are absolutely resolute in our determination to stop and roll back the aggression of Iran’s regime.”

—PM Netanyahu addressing the Munich Security Conference

A Force for Regional Security

“When we talk about ISIS it’s important to understand that Israel helps Europe in two fundamental ways. The first is that we have, through our intelligence services, have provided information that has stopped several dozen major terrorist attacks, many of them in European countries. 

 “The second assistance that Israel has given to Europe and NATO has been the prevention of the establishment of what I call ISIS West in the Sinai. Israel is contributing to preventing that in myriad ways, and in general I would say that Israel is the most powerful indigenous force in the Middle East that fights radical Islam.”

—PM Netanyahu speaking to NATO ambassadors

 

“Counterterrorism is one of the highest priorities for President Trump and for Secretary of State Tillerson. In a time of tumult across the region, Israel is a beacon of stability. Israel stands out as a pluralistic and open society, all while maintaining loyalty to its Jewish identity.”

— Nathan Sales, US Coordinator for Counterterrrorism, speaking at INSS (Institute for National Security Studies

 

“The State of Israel knows it cannot afford to stay in place for even a moment. It cannot afford to become a country with a status quo in security…Arik reminds us that we must not entrench ourselves in our own positions instead of undermining the enemy. We must not become addicted to the feeling of stability, instead of developing the ability to disrupt the balance of the other. The State of Israel must initiate constantly—in security and foreign policy as well as in welfare and education.”

—President Rivlin speaking at a memorial service held on the 4th anniversary of Ariel (Arik) Sharon’s death

…And the Peace Process

“The United States remains deeply committed to helping the Israelis and Palestinians reach a historic peace agreement…But we will not chase after a Palestinian leadership that lacks what is needed to achieve peace. To get historic results, we need courageous leaders.”

—US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley addressing the UN Security Council

 

“Peace will not be achieved by denying Judaism’s thousands of years of ties to Jerusalem and the land of Israel. Peace will not be achieved by walking away from negotiations. Peace only has a chance of success through respectful, continuous dialogue and through negotiations. It is easy to walk away from the table. But that helps no one, and it reduces or perhaps eliminates the chances of achieving a comprehensive peace agreement. And that would be terrible for the Palestinian people.”

—Jason Greenblatt, US Mideast Envoy, speaking at INSS conference

 

“It is unfortunate that the Palestinian leadership is seeking to prejudice people against our unfinished plan, which they have not seen. We do not know what they claim to have seen.”

—White House official speaking to Israel Hayom

 

“They [Israelis] are again attempting to distract the international community and evade responsibility for the political deadlock and deplorable situation on the ground by making such false, shameful claims.”

— Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour, addressing the UN Security Council

 

“This nation—I repeat—will awaken together with its clergy, with the religion, with its Quran, with the tradition of its Prophet Muhammad. This nation will awaken and uproot the evil from its land, and it will regain its rights to Jerusalem and Palestine.”

— Mahmoud Al-Habbash, Abbas’ Advisor on Religious and Islamic Affairs and Supreme Shari’ah Judge

 

“We state that from now on we refuse to cooperate in any form with the US in its status of a mediator, as we stand against its actions.”

—PA President Abbas, speaking to Russian President Putin

 

“We are never forgetful, and there is no night we sleep without thinking about the enemies. The conducts of the regime [Israel] show that it will not last, as there are no signs indicating its survival.”

— Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, speaking at 10th anniversary of Imad Mughnyieh’s death

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