More Quotes
“The Israel Defence Force employed a series of precautionary measures to reduce civilian casualties. Each of our own armies is of course committed to protecting civilian life during combat. But none of us is aware of any army that takes such extensive measures as did the IDF last summer to protect the lives of the civilian population in such circumstances.” (From the report of the High Level International Military Group into the 2014 Gaza Conflict)
“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your invitation. It’s an honor to meet with you this morning and it gives me also an opportunity to clear up the confusion that was created after those statements. I regret deeply this controversy and I want to make totally clear that Orange as a company has never supported and will never support any kind of boycott against Israel. We are doing business, we are doing communication, we are here to connect people, certainly not to participate in any kind of boycott. Israel is a fantastic place to be in the digital industry and of course our will is to strengthen and to keep on investing here.” (Orange CEO Stephane Richard, speaking during a visit to Israel, 12/04/2015)
“As Pride Week continues, I want to send my blessing to the LGBT community.
I am proud that Israel is among the most open countries in the world. The struggle for every person to be recognized as equal before the law is a long struggle, and there is still a long way to go.” (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, via Facebook, 10/06/2015).
“All the noise around BDS has no impact on UK policy. Britain is a friend of Israel. We are committed to promoting the UK’s trade and business ties with Israel. We oppose attempts to delegitimize Israel. We oppose boycotts of Israel, and we reject calls for BDS loudly and unequivocally … Prime Minister David Cameron could not be clearer in his opposition to boycotting Israel. As he said to the Knesset last year: “Delegitimizing the State of Israel is wrong, it is abhorrent and together we will defeat it.” (An article by British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould in Ynet, which can be read in full here, 10/06/2015)
“It is essential that, as part of the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency can verify all Iran’s nuclear-related commitments, including through access to all relevant locations. We are not going to do a bad deal with Iran. Proper access is central to the deal we agreed in Lausanne and has to be delivered.”
“We have got to get this agreement right and we have got to carry the Gulf states and Israel with us, and the meeting at Camp David that the US President hosted with the Gulf Co-operation Council countries was part of a process to reassure allies in the Gulf of our commitment to their security.” (Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond in response to MP’s questions in parliament, 9/6/2015).
“The boycott of Israel is unacceptable. I’m not saying there was a desire by the company (Orange) to boycott, but I will say that it is not this way that we will make peace.” (Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking at the Herzliya Conference, 08/06/2015)