This has been a historic week for American-Israeli relations. This week Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, visited New York City to address the United Nations. The night before his speech to the UN he visited Ground Zero with his wife, Sarah. They remembered all those murdered that fateful day including four Israelis and laid a wreath at Ground Zero to honor them. PM Netanyahu's sympathy for the pain we experienced that day reminds us that Israel is no stranger to the heartache terrorism brings to a nation and its citizens. Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu know better than most how to comfort those who have experienced the horror and shock of an terrorist attack fueled by the hatred of Islamic fundamentalists. They know...They understand...They care...They share our pain. We will be forever grateful to them for their sympathy and support. The following video of the Netanyahu's visit was posted by the Prime Minister of Israel's Facebook page:
Prime Minister Netanyahu announced several days after speaking at a remembrance service for September 11th in Israel, that he would appear before the United Nations to tell those assembled at the UN the truth ahead of any vote on Palestinian statehood. It is no coincidence in my mind that he made this announcement just days after discussing the lessons we learned on September 11th. We must view any Palestinian statehood achieved through the UN without direct negotiations as a ploy of the Palestinian Authority to avoid recognizing the Jewish State of Israel. If the Palestinians secure a state through the UN and attempt to establish such a state, we can be assured that the said state will be a threat to Israel specifically because it will not recognize Israel's right to exist. If Palestinian Islamic fundamentalists control this new "state," a September 11th-style attack on Israel or the United States seems imminent. Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement, the Thursday following the 10th anniversary of September 11th, to address the UN serves as a stark reminder of the lessons of September 11th -- the consequences of underestimating the determination and misreading the capability of those who wish to destroy Israel and the United States were tragic. The United States made those fundamental mistakes and suffered the dire consequence -- September 11th. Israel understands this very well. They will not repeat the same mistakes. Those who oppose freedom - Islamic fundamentalists - must not be allowed to circumvent the peace process and destroy our allies.
The Prime Minister's address to the United Nations was a thoughtful, educational, and serious reminder of the need for peace through strength. Another great leader, Ronald Reagan, used to stress the importance of peace through strength. President Reagan achieved peace with the Soviet Union through strength. That victory was achieved by President Reagan's heeding the words of a Russian proverb that he liked to repeat to Mikhail Gorbachev often, " Trust but verify." Israel, though its dedication to peace through strength and the speeches of its Prime Minister, among other things, has demonstrated that it is ready for peace. Prime Minister Netanyahu is ready on the behalf of the Israeli people to negotiate peace. Israel is ready to trust, but only if it can verify.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's excellent speech to the UN: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/NetanyahuU
God bless and Shalom,
Nili Smit
No comments:
Post a Comment