"Let me begin by reminding this Council that the name of today's debate is the "Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question" - and not vice versa. This morning I'd like to take the unusual step of actually focusing on the situation in the Middle East.
Let me assure you that I will give proper attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, first, let's look at the facts: the Middle East is in turmoil. Thousands of innocents have been gunned down in the streets. People are calling for their freedom and demanding their rights. Yet, month after month, this Council focuses disproportionately on one and only one conflict in our region.
I don't claim that this Council does not deal with the situations of specific countries in the Middle East. It does. However, I think it is time to start connecting the dots so that we can face the bigger picture.
For generations, the Arab world has failed miserably to address the needs of its own people. The United Nations Development Program has sponsored five "Arab Human Development Reports" since 2002. Year after year, the Arab researchers who write these reports offer a glimpse into the real world of the Middle East. Young people struggle without access to jobs and education. Women are denied basic rights. Free expression is repressed. Minorities are persecuted. Elections are a sham.
And with their world in flames, Arab leaders continue to blame Israel and the West for all their problems. For years, it's the only explanation that they have been able to offer to their own people. From time to time, they spice up the story. When a shark attacked a tourist in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, the local Egyptian governor suggested that the Mossad was using sharks to harm Egyptian tourism. Everything wrong in the Middle East, according to many Arab leaders, is simply Israel's fault. If it's not the Mossad, it's the CIA, or MI6, or some other "foreign force.
...Make no mistake: it is important for Israel and the Palestinians to resolve our longstanding conflict. It is important on its own merits, so that Israelis and Palestinians alike can lead peaceful, secure and prosperous lives. But it will not produce a sudden outbreak of stability, harmony and democratization from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. And seriously addressing the underlying problems of the Middle East will be essential for advancing Israeli-Palestinian peace.
The ancient Jewish bond to the land of Israel is unbreakable. This is our homeland. The UN recognized Israel as a Jewish state 64 years ago. It is time for the Palestinians and the more than 20 Muslim countries around the globe to do the same.
Let there be no doubt: Israel wants peace with a future Palestinian state. Let me repeat that: Israel wants peace with a future Palestinian state. In word and in deed, my government has demonstrated time and again that we seek two states for two peoples, living side-by-side in peace...
...A month ago, President Abbas stood in this building and said the following:
"I come before you today from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the birthplace of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him)."
He denied 4,000 years of Jewish history. It was not a small omission. It was not an oversight. The Palestinian leadership attempts to erase the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel.
Palestinierna antyder att bosättningarna är kärnan, orsak till den israelisk-palestinska konflikten. Det är ett intressant påstående med tanke på att vår konflikt härjade under nästan ett halvt sekel innan en enda bosättning fanns på Västbanken. Från 1948 till 1967 var Västbanken en del av Jordanien, och Gaza var en del av Egypten. Arabvärlden har inte lyft ett finger för att skapa en palestinsk stat. Och det sökte Israels utplåning när inte en enda bosättning låg någonstans på Västbanken eller Gaza.
Frågan om bosättningarna kommer att utarbetas under loppet av förhandlingarna, men det främsta hindret för fred är inte bosättningar. Det är bara en förevändning för palestinierna att undvika förhandlingar. Det främsta hindret för fred är arabvärldens vägran att erkänna judiska folkets urgamla koppling till landet Israel - och den palestinska insisterande på den sk rätten att återvända.
...The many issues that remain outstanding can only - and will only - be resolved in direct negotiations between the parties. Israel's peace with Egypt was negotiated, not imposed. Our peace with Jordan was negotiated, not imposed. Israeli-Palestinian peace must be negotiated. It cannot be imposed.
The Palestinians' unilateral action at the United Nations is no path to real statehood. It is a march of folly."...
Läs hela talet här.
Peter, Stockholm
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar