Thursday, September 2, 2010

Prime Minister Netanyahu's 1 September 2010 Speech At The White House

from Middle East Affairs Information Center:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Historical Speech at the White House Sept 01, 2010


On 09.03.10, In Egypt, Israel, Israeli–Palestinian Conflict, Jordan, The Palestinian Authority, The Peace Process, United States of America, Posted By Crethi Plethi.
Wed, Sept 01, 2010





Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his historical speech in Washington last wednesday (sept 01): "I didn't come here today to make an argument. I came here today to make a peace."



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Speech at White House Sept 01, 2010

President Obama, President Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel, and Palestinian Authority President Abbas speak about achieving peace in the Middle East following bilateral meetings and a working dinner at the White House, September 1, 2010.



Middle East Peace Talks









Transcript of Netanyahu’s speech: (starts at 18:00 minute of the video)



“Mr. President… Excellencies… Shalom Aleichem… Shalom Aleinu… Peace unto you… Peace unto us all…”



“I am very pleased to be here today to begin our common effort to achieve lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”



“I want to thank you President Obama for your tireless efforts to renew this quest for peace. I want to thank Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Mitchell, the many members of the Obama administration and Tony Blair, who have all worked so hard to bring Israelis and Palestinians together here today.”



“I also want to thank President Mubarak and King Abdullah for their dedicated and meaningful support to promote peace, security and stability throughout our region. I deeply appreciate your presence here today.”



“I began with the hebrew word for peace, shalom, our goal is shalom, our goal is to forge a secure and durable peace between Israelis and Palestinians.”



“We don’t seek a brief interlude between two wars. We don’t seek a temporary respite between outbursts of terror. We seek a peace that will end the conflict between us once and for all. We seek a peace that will last for generations, our generation, our children’s generation and the next. This is the peace my people fervently want. This is the peace all our people’s fervently aspire to. This is the peace they deserve.”



“Now a lasting peace is a peace between people’s, between Israelis and Palestinians. We must learn to live together, to live next to one another and with one another. But every peace begins with leaders. President Abbas, you are my partner in peace. And it is up to us with the help of our friends to conclude the agonizing conflict between our people’s and to afford them a new beginning.”



“The Jewish people are not strangers in our ancestral homeland, the land of our forefathers. But we recognize that another people shares this land with us. I came here today to find a historic compromise that will enable both our people’s to live in peace, security and dignity. I’ve been making the case virtually all of my life. But I didn’t come here today to make an argument. I came here today to make a peace. I didn’t come here today to make a blame game, where even the winners lose. Everybody loses if there’s no peace. I came here to achieve a peace that will bring a lasting benefit to us all. I didn’t come here to find excuses or to make them. I came here to find solutions. I know the history of our conflict and the sacrifices that have been made. I know the grief that is inflicted so many families who lost their dearest loved ones.”



“Only yesterday, four Israelis including a pregnant woman and another woman, a mother of six children were brutally murdered by savage terrorists. And two hours ago there was another terror attack. And thank God no one died. I will not let the terrorist block our path to peace, but as these events underscore once again, that peace must be anchored in security. I am prepared to walk down the path of peace, because I know what peace would mean for our children and for our grandchildren.”



“I know it would herald a new beginning that could unleash unprecedented opportunities for Israelis, for Palestinians and for the people’s, all the people’s of our region and well beyond of it, I think it would effect the world. I see what a period of calm has created in the Palestinian cities of Ramallah, of Jenin and throughout the West Bank, a great economic boom. And real peace can turn this boom into a permanent era of progress and hope.”



“If we work together we could take advantage of the great benefits afforded by our unique place under the sun. We are at the crossroads of three continents, at the crossroads of history, and the crossroads of the future. Our geography, our history, our culture, our climate, the talents of our people can be unleashed to create extraordinary opportunities in tourism, in trade, in industry, in energy, in water and so many areas.”



“But peace must also be defended against its enemies. We want the skyline of the West Bank to be dominated by apartment towers, not missiles. We want the roads of the West Bank to flow with commerce, not terrorists. And this is not a theoretic request for our people.”



“We left Lebanon, and we got terror. We left Gaza, we got terror once again. We want to ensure that territory we concede will not be turned into a third Iranian-sponsored terror enclave armed at the heart of Israel and may I add also aimed at everyone of us sitting on this stage.”



“This is why a defensible peace requires security arrangements that can withstand the test of time and the many challenges that are sure to confront us. And there will be many challenges, both great and small. Let us not get bogged down by every difference between us. Let us direct our courage, our thinking and our decisions at those historic decisions that lay ahead.”



“Now there are many skeptics. One thing there is no shortage of, Mr. president, are skeptics. This is something that you’re so familiar with, that all of us, in position of leadership are familiar with. There are many skeptics, I suppose there are many reasons for skepticism, but I have no doubt that peace is possible.”



“President Abbas, we can not erase the past. But it is within our power to change the future. Thousands of years ago on these very hills where Israelis and Palestinians live today, the Jewish prophet Isaiah and the other prophets of my people envisioned a future of lasting peace for all mankind. Let today be an auspicious step in our joint effort to realize that ancient vision for a better future.”

No comments:

Post a Comment