[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16589-16591]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      ISRAEL AT THE UNITED NATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 3, 2014

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to draw your attention to a 
speech given last week by Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, 
Ron Prosor. Ambassador Prosor spoke passionately before the U.N. 
General Assembly about the U.N.'s persistent anti-Israel agenda, which 
continues to manifest itself in many forms such as special sessions, 
formal inquiries, and one-sided resolutions that single out Israel. I 
am proud of my steadfast support for the State of Israel and will 
continue my work to combat the U.N.'s bias against our greatest ally. I 
found Ambassador Prosor's words enlightening, and applaud him for 
speaking the truth. I would now like to submit Ambassador Prosor's 
speech.

    Ambassador Ron Prosor at the United Nations General Assembly on 
                           November 24, 2014


                         Ambassador Ron Prosor

       ``Mr. President,
       I stand before the world as a proud representative of the 
     State of Israel and the Jewish people. I stand tall before 
     you knowing that truth and morality are on my side. And yet, 
     I stand here knowing that today in this Assembly, truth will 
     be turned on its head and morality cast aside.
       The fact of the matter is that when members of the 
     international community speak about the Israeli-Palestinian 
     conflict, a fog descends to cloud all logic and moral 
     clarity. The result isn't realpolitik, it's surrealpolitik.
       The world's unrelenting focus on the Israeli-Palestinian 
     conflict is an injustice to tens of millions of victims of 
     tyranny and terrorism in the Middle East. As we speak, 
     Yazidis, Bahai, Kurds, Christians and Muslims are being 
     executed and expelled by radical extremists at a rate of 
     1,000 people per month.
       How many resolutions did you pass last week to address this 
     crisis? And how many special sessions did you call for? The 
     answer is zero. What does this say about international 
     concern for human life? Not much, but it speaks volumes about 
     the hypocrisy of the international community.
       I stand before you to speak the truth. Of the 300 million 
     Arabs in the Middle East and North Africa, less than half a 
     percent are truly free--and they are all citizens of Israel.
       Israeli Arabs are some of the most educated Arabs in the 
     world. They are our leading physicians and surgeons, they are 
     elected to our parliament, and they serve as judges on our 
     Supreme Court. Millions of men and women in the Middle East 
     would welcome these opportunities and freedoms.
       Nonetheless, nation after nation, will stand at this podium 
     today and criticize Israel--the small island of democracy in 
     a region plagued by tyranny and oppression.
       Mr. President,
       Our conflict has never been about the establishment of a 
     Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of 
     the Jewish state.
       Sixty seven years ago this week, on November 29, 1947, the 
     United Nations voted to partition the land into a Jewish 
     state and an Arab state. Simple. The Jews said yes. The Arabs 
     said no. But they didn't just say no. Egypt, Jordan, Syria, 
     Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon launched a war of annihilation 
     against our newborn state.
       This is the historical truth that the Arabs are trying to 
     distort. The Arabs' historic mistake continues to be felt--in 
     lives lost in war, lives lost to terrorism, and lives scarred 
     by the Arabs' narrow political interests.
       According to the United Nations, about 700,000 Palestinians 
     were displaced in the war initiated by the Arabs themselves. 
     At the same time, some 850,000 Jews were forced to flee from 
     Arab countries.
       Why is it, that 67 years later, the displacement of the 
     Jews has been completely forgotten by this institution while 
     the displacement of the Palestinians is the subject of an 
     annual debate?
       The difference is that Israel did its utmost to integrate 
     the Jewish refugees into society. The Arabs did just the 
     opposite.
       The worst oppression of the Palestinian people takes place 
     in Arab nations. In most of the Arab world, Palestinians are 
     denied citizenship and are aggressively discriminated 
     against. They are barred from owning land and prevented from 
     entering certain professions.
       And yet none--not one--of these crimes are mentioned in the 
     resolutions before you.
       If you were truly concerned about the plight of the 
     Palestinian people there would be one, just one, resolution 
     to address the thousands of Palestinians killed in Syria. And 
     if you were so truly concerned about the Palestinians there 
     would be at least one resolution to denounce the treatment of 
     Palestinians in Lebanese refugee camps.
       But there isn't. The reason is that today's debate is not 
     about speaking for peace or speaking for the Palestinian 
     people--it is about speaking against Israel. It is nothing 
     but a hate and bashing festival against Israel.
       Mr. President,
       The European nations claim to stand for Liberte, Egalite, 
     Fraternite--freedom, equality, and brotherhood--but nothing 
     could be farther from the truth.
       I often hear European leaders proclaim that Israel has the 
     right to exist in secure borders. That's very nice. But I 
     have to say--it makes about as much sense as me standing here 
     and proclaiming Sweden's right to exist in secure borders.
       When it comes to matters of security, Israel learned the 
     hard way that we cannot rely on others--certainly not Europe.
       In 1973, on Yom Kippur--the holiest day on the Jewish 
     calendar--the surrounding Arab nations launched an attack 
     against Israel. In the hours before the war began, Golda 
     Meir, our Prime Minister then, made the difficult decision 
     not to launch a preemptive strike. The Israeli Government 
     understood that if we launched a preemptive strike, we would 
     lose the support of the international community.
       As the Arab armies advanced on every front, the situation 
     in Israel grew dire. Our casualty count was growing and we 
     were running dangerously low on weapons and ammunition. In 
     this, our hour of need, President Nixon and Secretary of 
     State Henry Kissinger, agreed to send Galaxy planes loaded 
     with tanks and ammunition to resupply our troops. The only 
     problem was that the Galaxy planes needed to refuel on route 
     to Israel.
       The Arab States were closing in and our very existence was 
     threatened--and yet, Europe was not even willing to let the 
     planes refuel. The U.S. stepped in once again and negotiated 
     that the planes be allowed to refuel in the Azores. The 
     government and people of Israel will never forget that when 
     our

[[Page 16590]]

     very existence was at stake, only one country came to our 
     aid--the United States of America.
       Israel is tired of hollow promises from European leaders. 
     The Jewish people have a long memory. We will never ever 
     forget that you failed us in the 1940s. You failed us in 
     1973. And you are failing us again today.
       Every European parliament that voted to prematurely and 
     unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state is giving the 
     Palestinians exactly what they want--statehood without peace. 
     By handing them a state on a silver platter, you are 
     rewarding unilateral actions and taking away any incentive 
     for the Palestinians to negotiate or compromise or renounce 
     violence. You are sending the message that the Palestinian 
     Authority can sit in a government with terrorists and incite 
     violence against Israel without paying any price.
       The first E.U. member to officially recognize a Palestinian 
     state was Sweden. One has to wonder why the Swedish 
     Government was so anxious to take this step. When it comes to 
     other conflicts in our region, the Swedish Government calls 
     for direct negotiations between the parties--but for the 
     Palestinians, surprise, surprise, they roll out the red 
     carpet.
       State Secretary Soder may think she is here to celebrate 
     her government's so-called historic recognition, when in 
     reality it's nothing more than a historic mistake.
       The Swedish Government may host the Nobel Prize ceremony, 
     but there is nothing noble about their cynical political 
     campaign to appease the Arabs in order to get a seat on the 
     Security Council. Nations on the Security Council should have 
     sense, sensitivity, and sensibility. Well, the Swedish 
     Government has shown no sense, no sensitivity and no 
     sensibility. Just nonsense.
       Israel learned the hard way that listening to the 
     international community can bring about devastating 
     consequences. In 2005, we unilaterally dismantled every 
     settlement and removed every citizen from the Gaza Strip. Did 
     this bring us any closer to peace? Not at all. It paved the 
     way for Iran to send its terrorist proxies to establish a 
     terror stronghold on our doorstep.
       I can assure you that we won't make the same mistake again. 
     When it comes to our security, we cannot and will not rely on 
     others--Israel must be able to defend itself by itself.
       Mr. President,
       The State of Israel is the land of our forefathers--
     Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is the land where Moses led the 
     Jewish people, where David built his palace, where Solomon 
     built the Jewish Temple, and where Isaiah saw a vision of 
     eternal peace.
       For thousands of years, Jews have lived continuously in the 
     land of Israel. We endured through the rise and fall of the 
     Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek and Roman Empires. And we endured 
     through thousands of years of persecution, expulsions and 
     crusades. The bond between the Jewish people and the Jewish 
     land is unbreakable.
       Nothing can change one simple truth--Israel is our home and 
     Jerusalem is our eternal capital.
       At the same time, we recognize that Jerusalem has special 
     meaning for other faiths. Under Israeli sovereignty, all 
     people--and I will repeat that, all people--regardless of 
     religion and nationality can visit the city's holy sites. And 
     we intend to keep it this way. The only ones trying to change 
     the status quo on the Temple Mount are Palestinian leaders. 
     President Abbas is telling his people that Jews are 
     contaminating the Temple Mount. He has called for days of 
     rage and urged Palestinians to prevent Jews from visiting the 
     Temple Mount using (quote) ``all means'' necessary. These 
     words are as irresponsible as they are unacceptable.
       You don't have to be Catholic to visit the Vatican, you 
     don't have to be Jewish to visit the Western Wall, but some 
     Palestinians would like to see the day when only Muslims can 
     visit the Temple Mount.
       You, the international community, are lending a hand to 
     extremists and fanatics. You, who preach tolerance and 
     religious freedom, should be ashamed. Israel will never let 
     this happen. We will make sure that the holy places remain 
     open to all people of all faiths for all time.
       Mr. President,
       No one wants peace more than Israel. No one needs to 
     explain the importance of peace to parents who have sent 
     their child to defend our homeland. No one knows the stakes 
     of success or failure better than we Israelis do. The people 
     of Israel have shed too many tears and buried too many sons 
     and daughters.
       We are ready for peace, but we are not naive. Israel's 
     security is paramount. Only a strong and secure Israel can 
     achieve a comprehensive peace.
       The past month should make it clear to anyone that Israel 
     has immediate and pressing security needs. In recent weeks, 
     Palestinian terrorists have shot and stabbed our citizens and 
     twice driven their cars into crowds of pedestrians. Just a 
     few days ago, terrorists armed with axes and a gun savagely 
     attacked Jewish worshipers during morning prayers. We have 
     reached the point when Israelis can't even find sanctuary 
     from terrorism in the sanctuary of a synagogue.
       These attacks didn't emerge out of a vacuum. They are the 
     results of years of indoctrination and incitement. A Jewish 
     proverb teaches: ``The instruments of both death and life are 
     in the power of the tongue.''
       As a Jew and as an Israeli, I know with utter certainty 
     that when our enemies say they want to attack us, they mean 
     it.
       Hamas's genocidal charter calls for the destruction of 
     Israel and the murder of Jews worldwide. For years, Hamas and 
     other terrorist groups have sent suicide bombers into our 
     cities, launched rockets into our towns, and sent terrorists 
     to kidnap and murder our citizens.
       And what about the Palestinian Authority? It is leading a 
     systemic campaign of incitement. In schools, children are 
     being taught that `Palestine' will stretch from the Jordan 
     River to the Mediterranean Sea. In mosques, religious leaders 
     are spreading vicious libels accusing Jews of destroying 
     Muslim holy sites. In sports stadiums, teams are named after 
     terrorists. And in newspapers, cartoons urge Palestinians to 
     commit terror attacks against Israelis.
       Children in most of the world grow up watching cartoons of 
     Mickey Mouse singing and dancing. Palestinian children also 
     grow up watching Mickey Mouse, but on Palestinians national 
     television, a twisted figure dressed as Mickey Mouse dances 
     in an explosive belt and chants ``Death to America and death 
     to the Jews.''
       I challenge you to stand up here today and do something 
     constructive for a change. Publically denounce the violence, 
     denounce the incitement, and denounce the culture of hate.
       Most people believe that at its core, the conflict is a 
     battle between Jews and Arabs or Israelis and Palestinians. 
     They are wrong. The battle that we are witnessing is a battle 
     between those who sanctify life and those who celebrate 
     death.
       Following the savage attack in a Jerusalem synagogue, 
     celebrations erupted in Palestinian towns and villages. 
     People were dancing in the street and distributing candy. 
     Young men posed with axes, loudspeakers at mosques called out 
     congratulations, and the terrorists were hailed as 
     ``martyrs'' and ``heroes.''
       This isn't the first time that we saw the Palestinians 
     celebrate the murder of innocent civilians. We saw them 
     rejoice after every terrorist attack on Israeli civilians and 
     they even took to the streets to celebrate the September 11 
     attack on the World Trade Center right here in New York City.
       Imagine the type of state this society would produce. Does 
     the Middle East really need another terror-ocracy? Some 
     members of the international community are aiding and 
     abetting its creation.
       Mr. President,
       As we came into the United Nations, we passed the flags of 
     all 193 member States. If you take the time to count, you 
     will discover that there are 15 flags with a crescent and 25 
     flags with a cross. And then there is one flag with a Jewish 
     Star of David. Amidst all the nations of the world there is 
     one state--just one small nation state for the Jewish people. 
     And for some people, that is one too many.
       As I stand before you today I am reminded of all the years 
     when Jewish people paid for the world's ignorance and 
     indifference in blood. Those days are no more.
       We will never apologize for being a free and independent 
     people in our sovereign state. And we will never apologize 
     for defending ourselves.
       To the nations that continue to allow prejudice to prevail 
     over truth, I say ``J'accuse.''
       I accuse you of hypocrisy. I accuse you of duplicity.
       I accuse you of lending legitimacy to those who seek to 
     destroy our State.
       I accuse you of speaking about Israel's right of self-
     defense in theory, but denying it in practice.
       And I accuse you of demanding concessions from Israel, but 
     asking nothing of the Palestinians.
       In the face of these offenses, the verdict is clear. You 
     are not for peace and you are not for the Palestinian people. 
     You are simply against Israel.
       Members of the international community have a choice to 
     make.
       You can recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish 
     people, or permit the Palestinian leadership to deny our 
     history without consequence.
       You can publically proclaim that the so-called ``claim of 
     return'' is a non-starter, or you can allow this claim to 
     remain the major obstacle to any peace agreement.
       You can work to end Palestinian incitement, or stand by as 
     hatred and extremism take root for generations to come.
       You can prematurely recognize a Palestinian state, or you 
     can encourage the Palestinian Authority to break its pact 
     with Hamas and return to direct negotiations.
       The choice is yours. You can continue to steer the 
     Palestinians off course or pave the way to real and lasting 
     peace.
       Thank you, Mr. President.''

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