Sallai Meridor, Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, is holding a conference call sponsored by The Israel Project. Here are a few of his remarks,
“One in every ten Israelis is under direct attack” from the Hamas missiles. “In only six months the number of Israelis under attack tripled.”
“The [Israeli] effort is focused on terrorists, trying to minimize damage to innocent people”.
Sixty-three trucks yesterday and ninety trucks today go into Gaza for humanitarian aid.
“Gaza is an arm of the octupus centered in Iran…Gaza is in many ways a Taliban state on the border of Israel”.
How does killing 300 Palestinians promote the cause of peace in the region? “Does killing terrorists advance the cause of peace in the region? Absolutely yes. When we are successful the chances for peace in the region will be higher, and people in the region will have more hope.”
As he spoke he was told that Hamas rockets had reached Beersheba.
“Only if we stand together, supporting each other, determined to prevail over this”, we can win.
Obama administration: “I don’t have an answer on the position of the incoming administration, I can only tell you what I heard when I accompanied Pres. elect Obama on his visit to Israel, he made his position very clear, stating that Hamas needs to accept the 3 principles: recognize Israel, stop terrorism and abide by previous commitments.” The Ambassador also quoted Obama’s reply on if his family was under attack he’d do anything to stop it.
“We want to live in peace and security and dignity next to a Palestinian neighbor who also wants to live in peace and security and dignity.”
Iran’s involvement, & Iranian nuclear threat: “What you see in Gaza is Iranian made: funded, led by Iran, training either in Iran or by Hizbollah, missiles are Iranian made & supplied. Iran is a terrible octupus with proxies in the region. The largest exporter of terror in the region and beyond the region, and moving ahead with a nuclear bomb. If there’s a nightmare, is the day when there’s this unsacred marriage between terror and nuclear. They’re fast-forwarding to that.”
2:34
“If world leadership is resourceful and doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the thirties, it has to act today. There is a chance because the Iranian regime, if it sees its nuclear program as a liability, it might change its mind, since oil at $40/bb is not the same as at $140, but it will take an immediate world action.”
“Terror is a threat that is global, crosses international borders, and if it goes global, the worst threat.”
“The challenge to us is to be together, be determined, promote our values, and not be deterred by terrori
Military action is necessary but not enough: “we need prevention, deterrence, and defense.”
“Education for peace is something we went over after Oslo in all the textbooks. We dealt with the challenge and continue so that this light of hope won’t ever die. And as much as we do, there’s always more to do. THe more you’re attacked, the more you have to invest in your children so that they continue to believe in the values you believe.” “Dealing with terror today is very painful but killing hope in the future by teaching children to hate Americans, and moderates, and Jews and Israelis, kills the hope for better days.”
Reaction to Ban Ki Moon’s statement on overreaction: The ambassador doesn’t react directly to anyone’s statement, but asks “everyone to put yourself in the same position. Think about your daughter, your parents, think about that happening to you day after day, year after year. Ask what would I do if it were my children.”
I’ll post a link to the transcript later today.
UPDATE
What YouTube Doesn’t Want You to See, plus link to the IDF YouTube channel.
MP3 audio of the call.
UPDATE
Welcome, EU Referendum readers. Please visit often.
