We
went through seven wars. We won them. But when peace became possible, we
returned all the land and assets which we won at war to Egypt and
Jordan. We started a peace process with the Palestinians which enabled
to build a Palestinian Authority. Then, we evacuated the Gaza Strip. We
dismantled 22 settlements and brought back home all the settlers. The
Palestinians could have used the Strip to build an independent entity.
Unfortunately, they turned it into a terrorist base instead. It became a
setback to the peace process.
Israel is an island in a stormy ocean. We have to defend our island.
And we are interested in the tranquilization of the sea. Some people
claim it will take generations. Europe has proved that great events can
be achieved in six years. We live in a new era where events are moving
at the speed of a plane and no longer at the speed of a carriage. For
that reason, I believe that peace can be achieved in a short while.
The peace process with the Palestinians already has an agreed
beginning and an agreed solution. Two states for two nations. An Arab
state - Palestine. A Jewish state - Israel - living in peace, security
and economic cooperation. The remaining disputed issues can and should
be negotiated.
Peace for Israel is not just a strategic choice. It is a moral call
which stems from the depth of our heritage. Since the Exodus, our
heritage condemns slavery and rejects mastery, as all persons were born
equal. Our legacy calls upon us to pursue peace.
Together with my partner Yitzhak Rabin, we laid down the foundations
for peace with the Palestinians. Now it is time to continue. To renew
the peace process. We must continue to work with the Palestinian
Authority. Support its economy. Achieve peace. A Palestinian security
force was formed. You and the Americans trained it. And now we work
together to prevent terror and crime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our hand remains stretched out in peace to all the countries in the
Middle East. In a short while, a new Israeli government will be formed.
It is an occasion to resume peace negotiations. To realize the two-state
solution. There is no other solution.
It is not only our preference but the call of the present reality.
Jordan, Israel and Palestine, find themselves in a similar situation.
Terror endangers each of them separately and the three of them
collectively. Collective dangers call for collective security. I have
the highest regard for the King of Jordan. Like his father, he has
proved to be courageously committed to peace. I have known the president
of the Palestinian Authority Mahmud Abbas for many years. He condemns
terror and is a real partner for peace.
Europe has been and continues to be a major partner for peace and
against terror. Next week, we will be hosting President Obama in Israel
as a welcome and esteemed guest. His support for our security is
extraordinary and his devotion to peace is unshakeable. We are glad that
the United States and Europe are now working together, supporting peace
and rejecting terror.
The greatest danger to peace in the world is the present Iranian
regime. It became a dictatorship cloaked in a religious mantle. It
developed an imperial appetite. Nobody threatens Iran. Iran threatens
others. It endangers the independence of Arab countries. It menaces the
mere existence of Israel. It smuggles arms into many countries in order
to undermine their stability. They deny the Holocaust. They call for
another Holocaust. They are aiming to build a nuclear weapon and they
deny it. A nuclear bomb in the hands of an irresponsible regime is an
imminent danger to the world.
The European Union and the United States drew the conclusions and
together created a policy to stop this danger. To this end, you rightly
decided to impose economic sanctions. You made it clear that if the
Iranians will not respond, other options are on the table.
In addition to the nuclear bomb, Iran is constructing long-range
missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. It can reach the far corners of
the world, including Europe. I believe that in addition to controlling
the production of highly enriched uranium - there is a need to control
the means of delivery. To control the production of missiles capable of
carrying nuclear warheads.
Khamenei declared that religion prohibits
the production and use of nuclear arms. Why then does he build missiles
capable of carrying nuclear warheads?
During the Helsinki conference which took place in 1975, the U.S.A.
placed the issue of human rights in the Soviet Union at the top of the
world's agenda. It was surprising and effective. It shows that the moral
voice is no less important than a diplomatic demarche.
Today, this call should apply to Iran. A clear voice must be raised
against the violation of human rights by the Iranian regime. A clear
voice must be raised against a regime that hangs people without bringing
them to court, that throws journalists into prison without trial. That
fires live bullets at civilian demonstrators, without respect for their
lives. A clear voice must be raised against a regime that discriminates
against women. And instead of sharing the oil-generated profits with
their own people, they spend them on terror and arms to endanger people
all over the world. Enriched uranium impoverishes hungry children.
A moral voice will encourage the Iranian people in their fight for freedom, in their struggle against misery.
Very soon, elections will take place in Iran. The Ayatollahs should
not be allowed to falsify the results. To frustrate the right of the
people to make their own free choice. Your voice will show the Iranian
people that the world has not turned its back on them. The present
leaders of Iran are violating the charter of the United Nations which
condemns the violation of human rights and aggression against other
nations. Yet they are given the opportunity in the United Nations to
abuse its platforms.
Iran supports terrorism throughout the world. Its main proxy,
Hezbollah, carries out terror attacks and threatens the stability of the
entire region.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The historic Sykes-Picot agreement between France and England, gave
birth to modern Lebanon to be a multi-cultural country where Muslims,
Christians and Druze live together in peace. Today, Hezbollah, supported
by Iran, is destroying Lebanon.
Hezbollah is a terror organization. Not a political movement. They
collect missiles. They are trigger-happy. They hide missiles in peaceful
towns and villages. By doing so, they turn them into a war target.
Hezbollah divided Lebanon politically, religiously and ethnically. It
turned the land of the cedar tree into a scorched and barren land.
Hezbollah is a state within a state. A private army apart from the
national army. It sends soldiers to support the massacre of a bloody
dictator in Syria. With no authorization of the government of which it
is a member.
Recently, 20 terror attempts by Hezbollah were counted all over the
world, in India, Thailand, Georgia, South Africa, the U.S.A., Egypt and
Greece, among others. Last month, the government of Bulgaria, a member
of this European Union, reported that it had identified that the terror
attack in Burgas, was carried out by Hezbollah. Five Israeli tourists
and one Bulgarian citizen lost their lives. Cyprus recently arrested a
Hezbollah terrorist planning a terror attack.
Distinguished Members of Parliament,
Your voice is highly respected. We appeal to you - call terror -
terror. Save Lebanon from terrorist madness. Save the Syrian people from
Iran's proxies. Save your citizens and ours from Hezbollah. The
international community must designate Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization.
Today, terror's extent reaches far beyond its previous limitations.
Recently, terrorists attempted to take over Mali. Were they to succeed,
it would have halted the impressive endeavor of the African continent to
recover from its past. One of the highest hopes for all of us is to see
the brave attempt of the African people to build a new science-based
economy. The free world cannot stand by as terror imposes its grip onto
any part of the world, far or near.
It cannot stand by when a massacre is carried out by the Syrian
president against his own people and his own children. It breaks all our
hearts. Assad secretly built a nuclear installation and an arsenal of
chemical weapons. While the nuclear installation was destroyed in time,
the chemical arms remain in his hands to this very day. This terrible
danger threatens the Syrian people, the entire region and even Europe.
A solution must be found to prevent the chemical weapons from falling
into the wrong hands. The best solution to put an end to the Syrian
tragedy might be achieved by empowering the Arab League, of which Syria
is a member, to intervene.
The intervention of Western forces would
be perceived as a foreign interference. The Arab League can and should
form a provisional government in Syria to stop the massacre, to prevent
Syria from falling to pieces. The United Nations should support an Arab
force in blue helmets.
Dear Friends,
18 years ago I came to Brussels to sign the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel.
I am happy that reality has surpassed my expectations. Indeed, the
Association Agreement became a partnership. And before long, the
partnership became a friendship.
It is on these steady grounds that I propose to the European Union
and Israel to cooperate for the benefit of stability and prosperity in
the Middle East, and the developing world at large.
Israel is described as a Start-Up Nation. I believe that the whole
Middle East can become a Start-Up region. Hi-tech incubators can be
created all over the region to escape poverty.
Israel is small. So we try to take advantage of our smallness. We
discovered that small countries can become great pilot plans. Today, we
are trying to build a social model that will bridge the gap between the
have and have-nots. The social gap is a major problem for all of us,
rich and poor. We are looking for new ways to overcome this gap by
democratizing health, education, communication and by reducing the cost
of food and housing. This is a burning need for the young generation.
We intend to improve the human condition. To enable each person to
possess the capacity of making a free choice for their way of life, by
entering the secrets of our brains. The brain is the most illustrious
instrument of the world. It has enabled us to build artificial brains.
Yet we are still far from understanding the way it functions. We are
strangers to ourselves. Discovering the mechanism of our brain will
enable us to become friendly with ourselves and our fellow men. I am
glad that this effort gained a new priority and became a major topic for
cooperation between our governments, non-governmental organizations,
and between us as individuals.
Our global world has no global government. It has become almost
ungovernable. We have to look for an alternative.I believe the future
ways of governing shall rely on three pillars: National governments will
continue to be in charge of the husbandry of the national state. Global
companies will invest in research and development. And the individual
will enjoy the capacity to govern themselves by knowing the way their
brain functions.
Science today is more telling than politics. It is universal and
borderless. Armies cannot conquer wisdom. Police cannot arrest science. I
believe that scientific aid to developing countries can enable them to
escape poverty. Science-based global companies can help change the
world. Globalization put an end to racism. It empowers the individual.
Global companies do not impose their will upon people. On the contrary,
they respect the will of their clients. They can provide scientific
know-how for growth. They can assist young people to acquire high
education. To create jobs befitting their skills.
This may be the best help we can offer to the young generation in the
Arab world to answer the challenges of the new age. I proposed a plan
for a joint venture for the European Union between national governments
and global corporations in order to cope with these challenges.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I know it requires your support as the European Parliament. But allow
me to count on your help. Joining Europe's wisdom and Israel's
experience, we can overcome tomorrow's challenges. Facing the lack of
global governance, we can foster close cooperation between governments
and global companies. Facing the dangers which threaten the values for
which we stand, we shall fight terror wherever it is, relentlessly.
President Schulz,
Esteemed Members of Parliament,
Jean Monnet, the father of the European Union, once said: "Everybody
is ambitious. The question is whether he is ambitious to be, or
ambitious to do." The time has come to do. Let us remember that we are
only ever as great as the purpose we serve.
Yes, the challenges ahead of us are daunting But who better to defy
the seemingly impossible than two miracles? Let us join forces, the
European Union and Israel. To fulfill the teachings of our heritage.
In the words of my forefathers, let us fix the world - Tikkun Olam. In the words of Jean Monnet - let us do.
Let us work together for a better Middle East, for a forward-thinking
Europe. Let us fulfill our values of peace, democracy, human rights.
Yielding at no obstacle. Daring the new. We shall be servants of the
future rather than rulers of the past.
As I look upon the future of the friendship which ties Israel to the
European Union, I am filled with hope and determination. Hand in hand,
we shall build a brighter tomorrow for tomorrow's generation.