More Quotes
“We must look directly at this open wound. We have erred. We didn’t look, and we didn’t listen enough … We aren’t strangers to one another, we are brothers, and we must not deteriorate into a place we will all regret.” (Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on the outbreak of protests by Israel’s Ethiopian community, 04/05/2015)
“[My] commitment is to work fervently for peace and a two-state solution – a secure Israel alongside a viable and independent Palestinian state.”
“A Labour Government I lead will defend Israel’s right to uphold the security and safety of its own citizens. No community should have to live in constant fear – whether from rockets, terror tunnels or suicide bombers. But, ultimately, only a return to meaningful negotiations will bring lasting peace.”
“Boycotts of Israel will never be a way of advancing the cause of peace. They are the wrong response and I will never support them. Labour will continue to resolutely oppose the isolation of Israel. The answer has to be greater dialogue and greater engagement rather than disengagement and boycotts.” (Labour leader Ed Miliband writing for the Jewish News, 30/04/2015)
“As PM, putting yourself in the shoes of the Israeli people, who want peace but have to put up with these indiscriminate attacks – that reinforces to me the importance of standing by Israel and Israel’s right to defend itself.”
“I feel very strongly that this equivalence that sometimes people try to draw when these attacks take place is so completely wrong and unfair.”
“Because Israel is trying to defend against indiscriminate attacks, while trying to stop the attackers – and there’s such a difference between that and the nature of the indiscriminate attacks that Israel receives. I feel that very clearly. I’ve seen it very clearly as Prime Minister and I think it’s important to speak out about it.”
“Obviously we regret the loss of life wherever it takes place, but I do think there’s an important difference – as Prime Minister Netanyahu put it: Israel uses its weapons to defend its people and Hamas uses its people to defend its weapons.” (Prime Minister David Cameron in an interview to the Jewish Chronicle, 28/04/2015)
“We are focusing on two efforts. Our first effort is to locate and rescue Israelis who are in distress in Nepal and enable their safe return home. To this end we are continuing operational and diplomatic activity with the Nepalese government and with other elements. At the same time, we are operating a field hospital in Nepal to help the Nepalese people in their hour of distress. We are operating under two principles: All Israel is responsible one for the other, and Israel extending a hand in humanitarian assistance in Nepal as it has done in many other places around the world.” (A statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 28/04/2015)
“I am dismayed that Palestinian militant groups would put United Nations schools at risk by using them to hide their arms … the fact that they were used by those involved in the fighting to store their weaponry and, in two cases, probably to fire from is unacceptable.” (UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon commenting on a UN inquiry into the shelling of various UN facilities in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, 27/04/2015)
“We will be making two main efforts – search and rescue; we will be finding people trapped under the rubble, and twelve hours later we will begin operating a field hospital … This is a large, high-end delegation with a considerable staff, including the 40 doctors and nurses of the field hospital … The delegation will be flying in two aircrafts, and transporting about 90 tons of equipment.” (Colonel Yarom Laredo, Commander of the Search and Rescue Corps, in a statement, 26/04/2015)