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Thursday, Dec. 29 '16, כ"ט בכסלו תשע"ז
HEADLINES:
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
1. BENNETT ON BBC: ''UN VOTE GIVES TAILWIND TO TERROR ATTACKS'
by Yoel Domb
[youtube:2022604]
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) says that Secretary of State Kerry's speech is "profoundly disconnected from reality," since the Administration's policy has thrown the Middle East into turmoil yet Israel, the only democracy in the region, has been abandoned by America.
Bennett said that there are already two states in the region:Israel and a Palestinian state in Gaza which has turned into as terrorist state. "Kerry want's to create yet another terrorist state in the heart of Israel".
Moreover Kerry described Jerusalem as 'occupied territory'. Bennett said that "one cannot occupy one's own land. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel for 3,000 years and no UN resolution will change that."
Bennett added that trying to 'inject' a Palestinian state into the heart of Israel, dividing Jerusalem, has failed time after time and "it's time to try a fresh approach and apply Israeli sovereignty to largely Jewish areas in Judea and Samaria and provide autonomy for Palestinians in other areas of Judea and Samaria."
Bennett also said that the "UN vote gives tailwind to terror attacks in Berlin, Brussels or Orlando."
2. PM: KERRY'S SPEECH BIASED LIKE THE UN
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized Secretary of State John Kerry's speech on the peace process scathingly Wednesday, calling the speech "skewed" and "obsessive."
"Like the Security Council resolution that Secretary Kerry advanced in the UN, his speech tonight was skewed against Israel," a statement from Netanyahu's office said.
"For over an hour, Kerry obsessively dealt with settlements and barely touched upon the root of the conflict -- Palestinian opposition to a Jewish state in any boundaries." the statement continued.
Other government ministers also criticized Kerry's speech. Tourism Minister Yariv Levin stated that the speech included "a lot of words and very little understanding of reality."
"Kerry is trying to force on us, in his last days on the job, a worldview that is a prize for Palestinian terror and that completely ignores our rights to the country," Levin said, adding that "A true friend of Israel should have shown support for the elected government and not tried to force on the Jewish people resolutions through the supporters of Iran at the UN."
Education Minister Naftali Bennett said: "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:" Bennett said.
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way." Bennett concluded.
MK Moti Yogev said: "The speech and the frustration of Secretary of State John Kerry [for the sake of creating] a Palestinian terrorist state in the land of Israel, didn't surprise anyone."
Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog praised Kerry's speech, however. "John Kerry has always been a great friend of Israel and will always be. His speech expresses true concerns about Israel's well-being & future." he tweeted.
[youtube:2022593]
3. WATCH: SECRETARY KERRY SAYS 'SETTLEMENTS' PREVENTING PEACE
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022586]
Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking on his vision of "peace between Israel and the PA" blamed 'settlements' for putting the two-state solution in jeopardy.
Kerry claimed that the Obama Administration did not betray Israel when it allowed the passage of an anti-Israel resolution at the UN Security Council last week. "Throughout his administration, President Obama has been deeply committed to Israel and its security. And that commitment has guided his pursuit of peace in the Middle East."
"This administration has been Israel's greatest friend and supporter." he claimed. "No American administration has done more for Israel's security than Barack Obama's."
He said that "The vote in the United Nations was about preserving the two-state-solution," because "the two-state solution is the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians."
He warned that Israel was in danger of losing its character as a Jewish and democratic state if it does not separate from the Palestinian Arabs. "If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish, or it can be democratic. But it cannot be both."
Kerry called out the Fatah organization for inciting terrorism. "The murderers of innocents are still glorified on Fatah websites, including showing attackers next to Palestinian leaders after terrorist attacks." He also accused PA leaders of "naming public squares, streets, and schools, after terrorists."
Kerry criticized Hamas for seeking Israel's destruction and diverting aid to help the residents of Gaza to its war machine.
He then began to criticize the Jewish communities over the 1949 armistice lines, saying that they make it "that much harder to separate."
"Settlement expansion has nothing to do with Israeli security." he said.
"This is not to say that the settlements are the whole, or even the primary cause of the conflict. he clarified. "We understand that in a final status agreement, certain settlements would become part of Israel to account for the changes that have taken place over the last 49 years."
4. BENNETT TELLS KERRY: PICK UP YOUR BIBLE AND READ IT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
Education Minister and Jewish Home Party head Naftali Bennett responded Wednesday to Secretary of State Kerry's call for a "viable two state solution." Bennett said that "Kerry quoted me three times anonymously in his speech in order to demonstrate that we oppose a Palestinian state."
"So let me state it explicitly:"
"Yes. If it depends on me, we will not establish another terror state in the heart of our country. The citizens of Israel have paid with thousands of victims, tens of thousands of rockets and innumerable condemnations for the utopian idea of a Palestinian state. It's time for a new policy and we will lead the way."
Earlier, Bennett sent a sharp message to Secretary of State Kerry on the eve of his policy speech regarding the Arab-israeli conflict.
"A few days ago the UN Security Council voted for a shameful resolution stating that Jerusalem is occupied territory," the minister said.
"Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital for 3,000 years. That is in the Bible, open it and read. We, the Jews, have been lighting the menorah for 2170 years in Jerusalem. We say 'Next year in Jerusalem' every Passover. We lit the menorah 1,000 years ago in Russia and Morocco and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.' We lit the menorah 72 years ago near the Auschwitz crematoria and said 'Next year in Jerusalem.'"
"Mr. Secretary: No UN decision or speech will change the fact that Jerusalem was and will always be the Israeli capital."
[youtube:2022593]
5. TRUMP SENDS A MESSAGE TO ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff
President-elect Donald Trump urged Israel to "stay strong" until he takes office, saying that it cannot be "treated with disdain."
'We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect. They used to have a great friend in the U.S., but not anymore. The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this [the U.N., ed.]! Stay strong Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!" Trump tweeted
Netanyahu is hoping for better relations with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office Jan. 20. Trump has pledged to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and his choice of ambassador to Israel, attorney David Friedman, is a strong supporter of the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. On Tuesday, Trump appointed Thomas Bossert, a campaign adviser on Israeli issues, to be his assistant for homeland security and counter terrorism.
Secretary of State John Kerry intends to offer a "comprehensive vision" for how Middle East peace can be achieved at the coming French Conference on Peace, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a discussion of new construction in Jerusalem in an effort to reduce tensions with Washington.
Along with the Kerry speech, France is gathering dozens of foreign ministers in Paris on Jan. 15 to discuss the conflict. Israel objects to the conference, insisting on direct talks with the PA as the only way to make progress. Israeli officials say that may result in a proposal they view as unfavorable, which could then be taken to the U.N. for a seal of approval.
6. SENATOR RUBIO: KERRY UNDERMINES AMERICA'S MORAL STANDING
by Gary Willig
US Senator and former presidential primaries candidate Marco Rubio accused Secretary of State John Kerry of undermining America's moral standing in the world following Kerry's speech in which he blasted Israel's construction in Jewish neighborhoods in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem.
Rubio released a statement saying: "Secretary Kerry today once again decided to cater to the demands of freedom's enemies and devote an entire speech to disparaging a country that is one of our closest allies. This administration's shameful undermining of our moral standing in the world should be a warning to administrations for decades to come about the consequences of America abandoning our values. When we fail to take a stand against those that seek to deny Israel's right to exist or try to question the Jewish history of Jerusalem, we hurt not just Israel but our own credibility."
The statement continued: "The greatest immediate threat to the future of Israel is not a stalled peace process, or settlements, but the abandonment of the Jewish state by the current U.S. administration at a time when it needs America's support more than ever."
Rubio expressed the hope that President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach to America's relationship with Israel than President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. "I look forward to working with President-elect Trump and his incoming team to restore our relationship with Israel to its proper place. I intend to continue to work with my colleagues to fight alarming efforts by those in the United States and internationally to promote modern day anti-Semitism through the boycott and divestment movement. I will also work to ensure that if the United Nations wants to continue to promote anti-Semitism and anti-Israel views, it will do so without U.S. taxpayer funding."
"This shameful episode in American foreign policy cannot end soon enough." Rubio condluded.
[youtube:2022593]
7. 'I TOOK OFF MY HELMET AND COCKED MY GUN WITH MY LEFT HAND'
by Arutz Sheva Staff
"Bravery, determination and dedication is the true valor of our time. You acted without hesitation and out of a sense of mission. This is the way the police and soldiers act in the Jerusalem district," said the Jerusalem District Commander, Major General Yoram Halevi.
Halevi visited the home of Sergeant-Major S, of the Police Reconnaissance Unit, who was injured in his hand and leg in the October shootout with a terrorist who killed a civilian and Yossi Kirma HYD, a member of the unit.
S was moderately injured and after a series of operations was released from hospital and is now undergoing extensive rehabilitation.
During the course of the visit S reconstructed the events from the day of the shootout. "There was shooting going on but at first I didn't understand that he was shooting and had hit Yossi. I saw we were driving towards the pavement and when we fell into shooting positions I saw that I had been hit in the hand. When I turned round towards Yossi I was shot in the leg. I tried to pick up my weapon but felt no sensation in my hand. I took off my helmet and cocked my gun with my left hand in an effort to neutralize the terrorist. Despite my wounds I saw all the forces at the scene and understood that the terrorist had been neutralized. Later I found out that Yossi had died. This was one of the hardest moments in my life.
S thanked his commander for all the help he had received from the moment he was wounded and during his rehabilitation. "People didn't stop calling and asking about me and my family. I needed this and really appreciate it."
8. DORE GOLD: KERRY'S 'ONE-STATE SOLUTION' IS AN EMPTY THREAT
by Arutz Sheva Staff
[youtube:2022614]
The former director-general of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Dore Gold, referred Thursday on Galei Tzahal to the suggested guidelines presented by Secretary of State John Kerry in his speech yesterday.
Gold stated that this was not the first time there were tensions between the Israeli government and the Obama administration and there had been difficult moments between the countries on many previous occasions.
"I remember Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and George Bush Sr., I remember the period after Menachem Begin ordered the bombing of the Osirak reactor in Iraq," said Gold. "There are times of tension but things work out in the end because we have joint values and strategic interests."
Gold disclosed that from his contacts with Palestinian officials he understood that Kerry's threat of a "one-state solution" is an empty threat. "I can say that for a period of years when I was serving in the Foreign Affairs ministry, I used to meet with officials close to the Palestinian leadership in a European city to hear their opinions without CNN and cameras around us, and they said 'Dore, the talk of one state is not realistic. You can decide what borders you want.' I think this is correct. We do not want one state with all the Palestinians but on the other hand we need to define defensible borders."
"Mr. Kerry did not explain how Israel ought to defend itself while chaos is raging in Syria and could spill over to other Middle Eastern countries. Israel must stay strong - this is the policy of Prime Minister Netanyahu," said Gold.
Gold explained that Kerry's "obsession" with what is happening in Israel, as Netanyahu termed it, stems from the Obama administration's ideology. "Foreign policy comprises both a correct reading of the Middle East and the right ideology and concepts. Obama thought until now that the Iranian agreement would lead to a more moderate Iran and this is how he explained the agreement to journalists in Washington. What happened? We now have Iranian forces in Syria and Iraq and Iranian activity in the Red Sea. This is no moderate state, this is a very activist state."
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