Notable Quotes

March 31, 2008

Quotes from the Past 60 Years

From the Enemy:

The Arab armies were unequivocal as to their goals in the 1967 Six Day War. Syrian leader Hafez Assad called the war “a battle of annihilation.” Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser said, “Our basic objective will be the destruction of Israel.”

“There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad…Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitably should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and God's victory is realized.”

―Hamas Charter, written when Hamas was established in 1988

From the Israelis:

“We extend the hand of peace and good-neighborliness to all the States around us and to their people, and we call upon them to cooperate in mutual helpfulness with the independent Jewish nation in its Land. The State of Israel is prepared to make its contribution in a concerted effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.”

―David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, May 14, 1948

“The renaissance of Israel did not and does not consist merely of the establishment of state-national instruments for the Hebrew nation; but it will express its fullest and highest form in the revelation of its eternal spirit and the fulfillment of its historic mission in redeeming mankind.”

―David Ben-Gurion

“Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us.”―Golda Meir, Israel’s fourth prime minister, date debated “Zionism and pessimism are not compatible.”

―Golda Meir

“The Temple Mount is in our hands! I repeat, the Temple Mount is in our hands!”

―Israel Defense Forces {IDF} Colonel Motta Gur, June 7, 1967

“We are proud of what we have done because we have demonstrated to the world that a small country…[believes that].the dignity of man, human life and human freedom constitute the highest values. We are proud not only because we have saved the lives of over a hundred innocent people…but because of the significance of our act for the cause.”

―Israel’s Ambassador to United Nations Chaim Herzog (1975–78), in a UN debate about the 1976 Entebbe rescue mission in Uganda when an IDF commando unit freed hostages

“Soldiers of Israel, we have no aims of conquest. Our purpose is to bring to naught the attempts of the Arab armies to conquer our land.”

―Moshe Dayan, Israel’s Defense Minister (1967–74), June 5, 1967, the day the Six Day War began

From America:

“I believe it [Israel] has a glorious future before it, not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization.”

―former US President Harry Truman, May 26, 1952

“Israel was not created in order to disappear―Israel will endure and flourish. It is the child of hope and the home of the brave. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy, and it honors the sword.”

―US President John F. Kennedy (1961–63)

“Americans admire a people who can scratch a desert and produce a garden. The Israelis have shown qualities that Americans identify with: guts, patriotism, idealism, a passion for freedom. I have seen it. I know. I believe that.”

―US President Richard M. Nixon (1969–74)

“The security of Israel is a moral imperative for all free peoples.”

―Henry Kissinger, US Secretary of State (1973–77)

“For the first time in history, thousands of black people are being brought to a country not in chains but in dignity, not as slaves but as citizens.”

―William Safire, New York Times columnist, on the rescue of Ethiopian Jews and bringing them to Israel, January 7, 1985

“In Israel, free men and women are every day demonstrating the power of courage and faith. Back in 1948, when Israel was founded, pundits claimed the new country could never survive. Today, no one questions that. Israel is a land of stability and democracy.“

―US President Ronald Reagan (1981–89)

“America and Israel share a special bond. Our relationship is unique among all nations. Like America, Israel is a strong democracy, a symbol of freedom, and an oasis of liberty, a home to the oppressed and persecuted.”

―US President Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

“We will stand up for our friends in the world. And one of the most important friends is the State of Israel. My administration will be steadfast in support of Israel against terrorism and violence, and in seeking the peace for which all Israelis pray.”