More Quotes
“We’re here because we believe we are making real progress toward a comprehensive deal. But as I have said many times and as I discussed with President Obama last night, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table forever … We also recognize that we shouldn’t get up and leave simply because the clock strikes midnight. And I emphasize, given that the work here is incredibly technical and that the stakes are very, very high, we will not rush and we will not be rushed, and we won’t let ourselves be rushed through any aspect of this. All that we are focused on is the quality of the agreement, and that is what will continue to define our work.” (US Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement, 09/07/2015)
“Iran, the leading patron of terrorism in the world, is squeezing more and more concessions from the major powers. Today, Iran is the greatest threat to world peace. The concessions agreement that Iran is about to receive from the major powers paves the way for it to arm itself with nuclear weapons and deliver them via the missiles that it is continuing to develop. And of course, Iran is continuing to disseminate terrorism and is currently building its network in over thirty countries. How can a state that repeatedly violates the decisions of the international community be trusted?! How can Iran be given hundreds of billions of dollars without this money being conditioned on it not being used to grease the wheels of its ramified terrorist machine? Iran’s increasing aggression is many times more dangerous than that of ISIS, which is dangerous enough, and the true goal of this aggression in the end is to take over the world.” (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks at the state memorial ceremony for Theodor Herzl, on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, 7 July 2015)
“According to what we know, Hamas is building its forces up again … It is training its forces and boosting the number of mortars that it manufacturers. It continues to bolster its arsenal and dig more tunnels.” (Col. Nochi Mandel, the deputy commander of the Gaza Division, speaking to Israel Radio, 07/07/2015)
“The Jewish people and the State of Israel owe an eternal debt to Nicholas Winton who singlehandedly saved hundreds of Jewish children from the Nazis. In a world plagued by evil and indifference, Winton dedicated himself to saving the innocent and the defenseless. His exceptional moral leadership serves as an example to all humanity. Nicholas Winton will forever be remembered by us with the deepest admiration and gratitude. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.” (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement, 02/07/2015)
“I am aware of the distress and pain of the Israeli Arab society – the violence in the Arab community, the shortages in housing and employment, the significant gaps in the allocation of resources and budgets – and I am working with the government on the one hand, and the mayors and companies on the other hand, in order to advance these issues.”
“The President’s house is your house; it is the home of all citizens of Israel. The citizenship of the Arab residents of the State of Israel is not a goodwill gesture. It is the citizenship of individuals and of a society which is part and parcel of this land; this land is their homeland, the State of Israel is their home. I am happy that Arab community leaders, and citizens, see this house as an address to raise their concerns, and I hope that this cooperation will go from strength to strength.”
“Today it so happened that we all fasted together, Jews and Arabs. At a time when you are marking the month of Ramadan, today we marked the 17th of Tammuz, and fast over the downfall and destruction of Jerusalem in Temple times. For all of us, the purpose of this fast is not to discipline the body, but to cultivate in our minds and spirits compassion and kindness, and opening our hearts to the one another.”
“Ramadan is based on the values of compassion, mercy, and grace. But unfortunately, there are those who seek to exploit the sanctity of Ramadan, and distort its meaning in favor of criminal and murderous terrorism. I join in the concern of those countries around us, about the increase in terrorism, and I send my condolences to the President of Egypt, and the Egyptian people, following the horrific terrorist attacks in the Sinai. In the face of these bloody events, we have the duty, all the children of Abraham, to condemn strongly, loud and clear, these atrocities committed ‘in the name of God’, or ‘in the name of Islam’.”
“These have not been easy weeks for anyone who loves this country; for those who believe we have the ability and the duty – as Arabs and Jews – to live together. At this time, in the face of those on both sides who seek to fan the flames, we cannot and must not remain silent. We must remember that the greatest task which remains before us, is to build trust between the Jewish and Arab communities. This mission is not, and must not, be the mission the property of any particular political camp. Because in the building of trust between Jews and Arabs in the State of Israel, in the land of Israel, lies the key to our existence here, to fate, and to our future.”
“Today, perhaps more than ever, we need leadership on both sides, who do not lose their voice, and are capable of standing before their own communities without losing their inner compasses, especially in the depth of the storm. We need leadership on both sides, uninhibited by fear, nor feeding fear. Leadership that is not driven, but that leads. Leadership that creates a common language and builds trust between the parties. Leadership that does not embolden the animosity and division between people, but rather strives valiantly each and every day towards a vision of hope and cooperation. During the days of Ramadan, Jerusalem has always worn its festive clothing. Jerusalem was and remains the focus of prayer, and of commerce and the marketplace – and this is how we want it to remain. We are working extensively to ensure a festive atmosphere in the Palestinian areas. But the Palestinian Authority have a responsibility to act decisively against terrorists seeking to sabotage our daily lives here.”
“I hope and pray that this month will be one of prayer, and of mercy, and of the opening of one heart to another.” (Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addresses Israeli Arabs before hosting Iftar meal, 05/07/2015)
“Up until several months ago, when we said that ISIS was carrying out actions on our borders, people were skeptical. And here we see before our very eyes ISIS operating with unusual brutality on both our northern and southern borders.
Our hearts are with the Egyptian people and we send our condolences to the Egyptian government and to the families whose loved ones have fallen in the struggle against vicious terrorism. The actions that we have seen from ISIS are nothing compared to the capabilities being built by the Iranian regime.
It is clear that nobody in their right mind would give ISIS nuclear weapons.
But in the major powers’ current talks with Iran they are giving it – this extremist state that is exporting terrorism around the world – the ability to develop an arsenal of nuclear weapons, of very many nuclear bombs along with the means to deliver them – long-range missiles. Therefore, we now face two threats – from ISIS and from Iran.
We need not strengthen one at the expense of the other. We need to weaken both and prevent the aggression and arming of both. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking during a tour of the Beer Sheva Cyber Park, 02/07/2015)