 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||
|
NETANYAHU: "ARAFAT CONSIDERS HIMSELF COMMITTED TO DESTRUCTION OF STATE OF ISRAEL"
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that Arafat and the Palestinian Authority view themselves as committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and have decided to target Israeli civilians, contrary to International law. Netanyahu addressed the 30th Jewish Agency General Assembly in Jerusalem. In his address, Netanyahu said that terror can be overcome and that the Jewish people's Public Relations and Information efforts must be based on the fact that Israel belongs to the Jewish people. He said that we must differentiate between the question of whether there is a solution to terrorism and whether the actual Arab-Israel conflict can be resolved. The relevant response to wiping out terror is to act forcefully, bringing the PA to the understanding that the price it will pay is greater than the benefits it will derive. "If we make it clear to Arafat that the use of terror will cause his regime to collapse, he may understand that he must stop". Netanyahu said that there is no immediate solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, since the goal of the Palestinians is to destroy the State of Israel. There will only be a solution to the conflict when the Palestinians realize that Israel is stronger then they are, and that they cannot overcome Israel with military might, or if the Palestinians undergo a process of democratization, which will take a long time. "Today there is no possibility of achieving a military victory without a political victory, and in order to achieve this we must have public support. We must influence public opinion and persuade it that our path is right". According to Netanyahu, the Palestinians are making political capital of the term "settlements" and presenting them as the source of the conflict. "The settlements are not the problem, but the agreement of the Palestinians to recognize the State of Israel". Education Minister Limor Livnat said in her speech that post Zionist or anti-Zionist elements are inventing lies and distorting history, "Freedom of speech allows them to have their say, but we will not let this become part of our textbooks. Moreover, only those who support Zionism will have a part in the education system". Livnat added that we must act to encourage aliyah, while at the same time, as long as Jews remain in the Diaspora, we must strengthen their Jewish-Zionist identity". |
