Israels utrikesminister Tzipi Livni har gjort ett uttalande
avseende de senaste dagarnas attacker mot mål i Gaza vilket
publiceras nedan.
För dig som är vän till Israel läs så mycket om möjligt om
bakgrunden till Israels attacker vilket tyvärr har skördat många liv
i det tättbefolkade Gaza. Israel har att välja mellan pest och
kolera, d.v.s. antingen fortsätta låta sitt territorium och
befolkning utsättas för raketbeskjutning från Gaza eller att
genomföra omfattande operationer i Gaza i ett försök att eliminera
eller reducera raketbeskjutningarna markant med mycket stor risk att
även palestinska civila dödas. Nu genomförs det demonstrationer mot
Israel över hela världen där majoriteten förstås är araber och
vänsteranhängare. Man önskade att de även genomförde vid ett enda
tillfälle demonstrationer för fred och mänskliga rättigheter bland
arabiska länder, Kina, Nordkorea, Kuba etc vars diktaturer skördar
tusentals liv varje månad men det görs förstås inte då det är som
vanligt enklare att mobilisera sina anhängare mot den judiska staten
som man förväntar sig ska acceptera våld och terror som inga andra
länder heller skulle acceptera.
Bland det Israels utrikesminister tar upp i sitt uttalande är att
Israel har under de senaste åtta (!) åren utsatts för
raketbeskjutning från Gaza. Vidare att den verkliga konflikten är
mellan extremister och moderata i regionen och där Hamas är som
bekant en extremistiskt islamistisk organisation som inte
representerar det palestinska folkets aspirationer för fred. Hamas
erkänner inte heller Israels rätt att existera och
terrororganisationen tar föga förvånande emot stöd från Iran och
Syrien.
"Att få leva i fred är en rättighet som varje människa har
på denna jord", säger Israels utrikesminister, och det
är väl något som även ska få gälla Israel och dess befolkning? Med
Hamas är detta EJ möjligt.
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Address to Knesset by FM Livni on Gaza operation
29 Dec 2008
Address by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi
Livni at the Knesset on the IDF operation in the Gaza Strip
Since this past Saturday morning, Israel has been fighting the
terrorist rule of Hamas in the Gaza Strip in order to change the
security situation in Israel - the situation in which the citizens
of the western Negev and the entire State of Israel have been
exposed to incessant bombing out of Gaza. These are days of ordeal,
responsibility and considered judgment, and not days for criticism,
factionalism and politics.
Esteemed Members of Knesset, these days the world is divided between
moderates and extremists, between those who believe in
live-and-let-live and those who try to impose their beliefs upon
others, between people who wish to live in peace and people for whom
hate, incitement, terror and violence are their daily routine, the
basis for educating their children, and the voices emanating from
some of their mosques.
These are the days when every individual in the region and in the
world has to choose a side. And the sides have changed. No longer is
it Israel on one side and the Arab world on the other. No longer is
it a choice between the political process and hope, or a war on
terror. Israel chose its side the day it was established; the Jewish
people chose its side during its thousands of years of existence,
and the prayer for peace is the voice sounded in the synagogues.
There is one thing I am unwilling to accept. Choosing peace does not
mean surrendering to the radical and terrorist elements. And while
fighting terror, it is forbidden to abandon the political process
and hope. Choosing peace and life is part of the war on terror and
extremism. And Israel's side, the right side, is the
side of all those who want to advance the peace process based on the
idea of two states and everyone who understands that we need to
fight against our common enemies.
Let no one make the mistake of thinking that our values, our
aspirations for peace, and our commitment to democracy will prevent
us from doing what we must do in order to protect each and every
Israeli citizen. Israel is making it plain yet again today that its
desire for peace is not a sign of weakness. Israel is proving
that it has the ability, the will and the social and political
cohesiveness to defend itself against those seeking to inflict harm
upon it.
Many voices are making themselves heard throughout the world today
in English, French and Arabic, and, in a clear, strong voice, we are
telling them all the truth that is not broadcast on television in
the Arab world - and this is the truth that needs to be voiced from
this podium to the entire world.
The true conflict is between the extremist elements and the
moderates in the region. Hamas is an extremist Islamic organization
that does not represent any of the Palestinian people's aspirations,
but rather is ruling them for its own ends and
purposes. Hamas does not recognize the existence of Israel or
Israel's right to exist here. It lives off fear and hate. Hamas
receives support from Iran and Syria, in the form of money, weapons,
and training. Hamas is a terrorist organization.
Israel is on the right side. We made a strategic decision to advance
the peace process with those who have chosen the same side as us and
wish to promote the idea of two states. We immediately made it clear
that we can only succeed if at the same time we all take a stand
against the terror and hate that Hamas represents.
When we made the decision to leave Gaza in order to disengage
ourselves from responsibility for what was happening there and to
create an opportunity for peace, we clarified at the time that
Israel is not leaving the key to its life and security in the hands
of whoever will be in charge there.
Hamas, which is ruling Gaza, refuses to accept the three conditions
of recognizing Israel, renouncing terror, and accepting previous
agreements. We will not accept the use of any similar language when
it comes to Hamas and Israel. We are responsible for our security.
Israel's approach to security cannot be put off to later. We
retained the capability to respond, and that is exactly what we are
doing today.
Israel has been under attack from Gaza for the past eight years. We
did everything we could to prevent a deterioration of the situation.
We agreed to the calm that was immediately violated by Hamas when it
refused to advance the release of Gilad Shalit, continued to arm
itself, and continued firing. The calm was violated by Hamas. Hamas
is the party responsible for violating the calm; and whoever has
given Hamas support, assistance and refuge is today paying the price.
Israel is entitled to defend itself against any attempt to harm its
sovereignty, the well-being of its residents and the security of its
citizens. Israel's actions fulfill its basic right to self defense.
Hamas is a terrorist organization - and we are treating it
as such.
Israel is acting against Hamas and not against the Palestinian
population. Israel would like to reiterate to anyone with complaints
about the population, to redirect them to the party directly
responsible for the population's situation - Hamas, which
is holding the population hostage.
Israel has done everything possible to avoid the moment at which it
would be forced to take action, but that moment finally came. We
will make the most of it, in order to change the equation. Israel is
waging a struggle, but this struggle is not Israel's
alone. Israel is standing on the frontlines of the Western world's
war against terror, and we expect support for doing the right thing
and fighting the war of the entire free world.
It is true: the pictures broadcast on television all over the world
are provoking harsh public opinion against Israel. Unfortunately,
some of the world's decision makers are swayed by public opinion and
the media, even though they know what is true and what is not, and
how they would act in a similar situation.
From this podium, I call upon the world's leaders, and particularly
those from the Arab world - those who understand that the threat
does not come from Israel but from the radical elements in the
world, headed by Iran; those who know what Hamas really is; those
who know that Hamas is a problem for the entire Palestinian people
and not just Israel's problem. They know that as long as Hamas rules
in Gaza, Gaza cannot be part of a Palestinian state. They know that
the road to peace passes through the war on terror, extremism, hate
and incitement, which means a war against Hamas and those like
Hamas.
It is the leader's responsibility to make choices. Leadership has
the power and the responsibility to do what is right, even if runs
ounter to public opinion, and this is the test of what is right.
This is also a test of the leadership of the Arab public in Israel.
You are leading the Arab population here on a thin rope. The thin
line between what is allowed and what is forbidden must not be
crossed - between legitimate and illegitimate, between right and
wrong. Each of you must choose a side, and the choice is not
between Arab and Jew. The right side is the State of Israel along
with all the moderate elements in the region, including the lion's
share of the Palestinian public and the Arab world. Then there is
the side of terror and extremism. There is no middle ground.
Yesterday I was in Sderot with the foreign ambassadors, and the
mayor told them a story that I would like to share with you as well.
Schoolchildren who wanted to prove their rabbi wrong held a
butterfly in their hands and asked him if it was alive or dead. If
we said alive, they would crush it; if he said dead, they would
open their hands and set it free. Upon being asked, the rabbi
responded, "It is in your hands. If you wish, it will live. If you
wish, it will die."
Israel knows how to rally together when it is fighting for its own.
A country must protect all its citizens. On the way here, I heard
that Hamas has announced that the man killed by the rocket strike in
Ashkelon was a Zionist, although he was actually an Israeli Arab.
They don't make that distinction.
We have conducted ourselves with unsurpassed restraint. We grinded
our teeth, bit our lips, unturned every stone, to prevent the need
for widespread action. However, our responsibility is to the safety
of our children, their right to walk to school and
kindergarten. Living quietly is the right of every person on this
earth. This parliament, like this entire nation, needs to be united
and to send out our thanks to the IDF, to the members of Israel
Security Agency, and to all those fighting and protecting the home
ront. The home front that has become the front line in recent
years, and to which we must restore peace of mind.
Länk till Israels UD:
http://www.mfa.gov.il
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