Showing posts with label Binyamin Netanyahu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Binyamin Netanyahu. Show all posts

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Pope Francis & Israel's Netanyahu To Meet In Rome Next Week

PM Netanyahu, Pope Francis To Meet In Rome Next Week

The Pope
Prime Minister Netanyahu is set to meet with Pope Francis for the first time since his ordination when he travels to Rome next week. (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO/Flash90)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Rome next week, where he is set to meet with Pope Francis for the first time, according to the Jerusalem Post. Netanyahu will meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry there as well his office announced Wednesday.
The prime minister is expected to meet with Kerry on October 23 and discuss Iran and the ongoing peace talks.
President Shimon Peres met with the pope in April, and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein spoke with him at the Vatican last week
While there has been much conversation as to when the pope will visit Israel, no official date has been set as of yet. During his meeting with Edelstein, the pope said, “I will come, yes I’ll come,” in response to the Knesset speaker’s invitation.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Israel celebrates its 65th Independance Day April 15, 2013

Israel’s 65th Birthday: ‘Around Us The Storm Is Raging’ – OpEd
By -- (April 13, 2013), Euroasia Review


Uri Avnery



“AROUND US the storm is raging / But our head will not be bowed…” we sang when we were young, before the State of Israel was born.

On the eve of Israel’s 65th birthday, this coming Monday, we could sing this rousing song again. And not just out of nostalgia.

Around us, many storms are raging. In Syria, a terrible civil wear is tearing the country apart. In Egypt, after the victory of the Arab spring, the country is still in turmoil.

The Lebanese state is still unable to impose its authority on the various armed sects, and the same is true for Iraq.

Iran is busy advancing its nuclear program, all the while muttering dark threats.

Israel sees itself as an island in the stormy sea, threatened on all sides, ready for the tsunami to hit any minute.

THERE IS something ironic about all this.

The Zionist adventure started with the promise to create a safe haven for the Jews, after centuries of helplessness.

Indeed, stripped of all ideological decorations, that was the central theme of the endeavor.

Everywhere, Jews were defenseless, dependent on the mercies of others. Here, in a state of our own, we would be able to defend ourselves, head unbowed.

In other words, for ages we were the object of history, now we were taking our destiny in our own hands, an actor on the stage of history, a nation among the nations.

Before that, Jews were some kind of ethnic-religious entity. With Zionism, the Jews – or a part of them – constituted themselves as a modern nation, able to defend itself against any enemy.

In this sense, Zionism was indeed a roaring success. Its creation, the State of Israel, is now strong and secure.

OR IS it? Listening to many of our leaders, the opposite seems to be true.

Years ago, Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, the caustic critic of the Zionist establishment, famously asserted that Israel was the only place in the world where the lives of Jews were in mortal danger. As it turned out, that was not entirely exact.

A few days ago, on Holocaust Day, our Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, declared that we are threatened by a Second Holocaust, perpetrated by a nuclear-armed Iran.

The next day, a group of international hackers, animated by pro-Palestinian sentiments, declared a cyber-war on Israel. They promised to inactivate the main institutions of the country, both military and civilian, governmental and private. As it turned out, the attack failed miserably. No significant damage was caused. But before this became clear, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman responded by comparing the campaign with the Nazi Holocaust.

What is this? Paranoia? Manipulation? Political gimmickry? All of these and more?

IN THE span of nine days, Israel is experiencing three national events. Each with sirens howling, official ceremonies, endless speeches. All TV, radio and print media totally devoted to the subject of the day.

Last Monday was Holocaust Day. The entire country turned to the memory of that awful chapter of history. At 10 o’clock, to the sound of the sirens, the whole country came to a standstill. Cars stopped in the middle of the road, men, women and children got out and stood at attention. Survivors still alive – mostly over 80 – told their horrible stories, listeners shed tears.

At Yad Vashem, Netanyahu made his standard speech – Never again… We shall not… the Iranian bomb… Second Holocaust…

Tomorrow evening will be Memorial Day. The country will mourn for the many thousands who fell in Israel’s numerous wars. Bereaved parents will lay flowers on the graves of their beloved. Politicians will make speeches about the lives so nobly given up for the nation to prevent a Second Holocaust.

The next day will be a day of joy. Without an interruption, the sirens will announce the end of Memorial Day and the beginning of Independence Day. Speeches about the sacrifices of the fallen will be superseded by speeches about the glories and achievement of the state, which rose so miraculously from the ashes of the Holocaust. In the center of festivities stand Israel’s armed forces, among the strongest and most efficient in the world.

The close proximity of these three dates is not accidental. It is a conscious attempt to imbue generations of Israelis with the idea that Israel is under constant threat, like the Jewish communities in Europe throughout the centuries, and that the IDF is the sole guarantor of our national and even individual security.

Many people consider this a manipulation, as indeed it is. Under Netanyahu, this has reached new heights (or depths). Jewish victimhood is bandied about as a totem that sanctifies all our policies: the occupation, the settlements, the oppression of the Palestinians, the rejection in practice of peace based on the two-state solution.

It is also a political ploy. The constant reminders of existential dangers – in Iran, in Syria, in Egypt and elsewhere – are designed to rally the population around the leadership. In the recent election campaign, Netanyahu presented himself as a “strong leader for a strong state”. Never mind that he is actually a weakling, notorious for succumbing to foreign and internal pressures. Fear-mongering is his most effective instrument.

HOWEVER, it would be a great mistake to discount Israeli fears as artificial. They are quite real.

Foreigners are often amazed to hear Israelis asserting in the same sentence, literally in the same breath, that “Israel is a regional power”, and that we shall not go “like lambs to the slaughter”, as Jews were alleged (by Israelis) to have done in the Holocaust. Both halves of this sentence are real. They live side by side in the minds of most Israelis.

No one who has been in Israel on Holocaust Day can have the slightest doubt about the huge impact that the Holocaust continues to have on our minds. Most of us (myself included) have relatives who perished in the Shoah. The profound sense of victimhood, the fears and apprehensions are deeply ingrained in us. It would be almost impossible to eradicate them in a few years.

YET WE must overcome them, because they have no relation with current reality and prevent us from rational behavior.

The simple fact is that Israel is a strong state, and will remain so for a long time to come.

We have a very strong and efficient military, more than sufficient for meeting any foreseeable threat. The Arab spring has at least temporarily removed several military menaces. That is true also for the real or imagined nuclear threat from Iran. No Iranian leader would ever risk the total destruction of his country, with its thousands of years of civilization, in order to destroy poor us.

But a strong military is only one component of security. There are many others.

In 65 years we have built a solid and strong economy, more resilient than much bigger and stronger economies around the world. In several areas, such as high-tech, science, medicine, agriculture and the arts, we belong to the premier world league. Israel’s intimate relations with the No. 1 world power seem safe for a long time to come and of huge advantage in many fields, even given the gradual decline of US power.

The revived Hebrew language is vibrant and firmly entrenched. Israeli democracy, though under constant threat, seems to be able to withstand the onslaught. We can surely be proud of what our society has achieved, practically from scratch.

The only real dangers facing Israel come from within. Mad policies, the continued occupation, the permanent war, the encroachment of fundamentalist religion – these are the real causes for worry.
I AM pointing this out not in order to inflame a sense of triumphalism, but on the contrary.

In Israel, it is the Right which thrives on fear and constantly invents new threats, in order to deny peace and promote a sense of “the whole world against us”. They depict our state as just another beleaguered ghetto, facing a perpetual danger of annihilation.

The Israeli peace camp must resolutely stand up against this world view. Israel is strong, and because it is strong it can take risks, make peace with the Palestinian people and the entire Arab and Muslim world.

65 years ago, when we were a population of hardly 650 thousand people, my generation had this self-confidence. Our heads were unbowed. We must rediscover this now.



http://www.eurasiareview.com/13042013-israels-65th-birthday-around-us-the-storm-is-raging-oped/
 

Friday, February 22, 2013

Sen. Marco Rubio: Jerusalem is Israel's Capital

Sen. Marco Rubio: Jerusalem is Israel's Capital

     Senator Marco Rubio & Benjamin Netanyahu

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is taking a stand to support Israel's right to Jerusalem.
 
The fate of Jerusalem is one of the most divisive issues in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Obama administration has refused to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

But in his first official visit to Israel, Sen. Rubio affirmed his belief that Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish state.

"It's wonderful to be here in such a city (Jerusalem) which is of course the capital of your country but the spiritual capital of millions of people around the world," Rubio told Israeli President Shimon Peres.

When he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rubio reiterated America's bipartisan support for Israel.

"Well, you live in a challenging neighborhood, but the Israeli-American relationship is one of the most important ones we have," Rubio said.

"And certainly our commitment to that partnership is bipartisan and it should remain that way, and that's why I'm pleased the president is coming here in March," he continued.

After four years in office, President Obama will make his first visit to Israel in March.


Thursday, December 6, 2012

Netanyahu to Czech PM: Thank You for Standing Up for Peace

Netanyahu to Czech PM: Thank You for Standing Up for Peace

Netanyahu thanks Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas for his country’s vote against the PA's unilateral statehood bid.
 
 
By Elad Benar, Israel National News
First Publish: 12/6/2012
 
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited Prague on Wednesday where he thanked Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas for his country’s vote against the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations last week.

The Czech Republic was the only European country among the nine countries that voted against the resolution to recognize “Palestine” as a non-member observer state in the UN.

“My real purpose in coming here is to say on behalf of the people of Israel to you and your government and your countrymen and women, to say thank you,” Netanyahu told Necas in a joint press conference.





“Thank you for your country's opposition to the one-sided resolution at the United Nations; thank you for your friendship; thank you for your courage. I know that in voting against the one-sided resolution, the Czech Republic stood with the United States and Canada and a handful of other countries against the prevailing international current.

But history has shown us time and again that what is right is not what is popular, and if there is a people in the world who can appreciate that, it's the people of your country. Seventy-four years ago, in 1938, in Munich, leading powers of the world forced this proud democracy to sacrifice its vital interests. 

The international community applauded almost uniformly without exception.  They hailed this as something that would bring peace, peace in our time they said.  But rather than bring peace, those forced concessions from Czechoslovakia paved the way to the worst war in history.

“I know that your country has learned the lessons of history,” said Netanyahu. “So has my country, Israel. That is why Israel will not sacrifice its vital interests for the sake of obtaining the world's applause. Israel is committed to a genuine peace with our Palestinian neighbors – a genuine and durable peace.

For peace to endure, it must be a peace that we can defend.  No other peace can survive in the Middle East. We remain committed, as you said, to a negotiated settlement between us and our Palestinian neighbors. That solution is a two-state solution for two peoples, a peace in which a demilitarized Palestinian state recognizes the one and only Jewish State of Israel.

“Unfortunately, on Thursday,” said Netanyahu, “the Palestinians asked the world to give them a state without providing Israel with peace and security in return.

“The UN resolution completely ignored Israel's security needs.  It didn't require the Palestinians to recognize the Jewish state.  It didn't even call on it to end the conflict with Israel.  And this is why it was unacceptable to Israel, and that is why, too, it has been unacceptable to all responsible members of the international community.

“Our conflict with the Palestinians will be resolved only through direct negotiations that address the needs of both Israelis and Palestinians.  It will not be resolved through one-sided resolutions of the UN that ignore Israel's vital needs and undermine the basic foundation for peace.”

“Mr. Prime Minister, I'm proud to be here in Prague. I told you just now in our Cabinet meeting that I saw, in my entry at the airport, a bust of Tomáš Masaryk, the great leader of this country, of this nation, and I believe that Tomáš Masaryk would have been very proud of the stand that your country took last week at the United Nations.

Thank you for standing up for the truth; thank you for standing up for decency; and thank you for standing up for peace. Thank you."

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/162893