​(Communicated by DFM Hotovely’s Communications Advisor)

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said today (Wednesday, 23 November 2016), at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference: "There is a need for a paradigm shift in the new era sweeping the Middle East, in which entire states are disintegrating, with radical terror organizations filling the vacuum and chaos left in their wake."
 
In reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Deputy Foreign Minister said "We need to refute the myth of occupation. The term is both legally and historically incorrect. The Prime Minister was right in referring to the uprooting of Jews as ethnic cleansing. Gone are the days when transfer of Jews was possible."
 
"Whoever wants to see a future in which peace emerges between the sides, needs to invest in education today. This is an investment in the future and the effort will be well worth it in the long run. It is possible. Japan and Germany serve as examples. After the Second World War, great efforts were mounted to foster democratic values through educational reform. These efforts bore fruit and we can learn much from that experience."
 
"I call on the international community to work together once again and invest in the Palestinian educational system and in the future of Palestinian children. Israeli children are raised on values of tolerance, innovation and entrepreneurship. Palestinian children are raised to hate and murder Jews. The situation is very tragic and it is high time we change it."
 
"More than 22 billion dollars were spent by the international community in the Palestinian Authority in the last two decades. It is time to monitor what is being done with these vast sums of money and to invest resources effectively in the young generation, by fostering values which will enable them to lead better lives."