Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on July 3, gave the
following remarks at the US Embassy Fourth of July celebration. He notes: "
* * *
I came here directly from security consultations in the
Government Compound in Tel Aviv. Over the past several weeks, we have been
determinedly fighting Hamas terrorism, and Hamas has already paid a heavy price
– in Judea and Samaria we have arrested hundreds of Hamas activists, we shut
down nearly all of its institutions and we did many other things. In Gaza over
the past several days, we hit dozens of Hamas activists and destroyed outposts
and facilities that served Hamas terrorists.
Now we are preparing for two possibilities in the south: The
first is that the firing at our communities will stop and then our operations
will stop as well and the quiet that prevailed in the south after Operation
Pillar of Defense will continue. The
second possibility is that the firing at our communities in the south will
continue and then the reinforcement forces that are located in the field will
act forcefully. The security of our citizens comes first.
On behalf of the citizens of Israel, I would like to praise
the residents of the south. The strength you are demonstrating allows us to act
determinedly and responsibly towards one goal – your security, all our
security.
Over the past several weeks, we have endured the kidnapping
and horrifying murder of the three boys who won over our hearts and whose
families have captured our hearts – what wonderful families. We will pursue all
those who had a part in the murders of Gilad, Eyal and Naftali and we will catch
them. We will continue to fight terrorism as we have fought it since the
establishment of the country.
Our security forces continue to investigate the background
to the shocking murder of the boy whose body was found in the Jerusalem Forest.
Whatever the motive may be – this murder must be strongly condemned and we will
bring those responsible for this crime to justice.
I appeal to all the citizens of Israel and ask you: Please
exercise restraint in your actions and words. Our hearts ache, our blood boils,
but we must remember that we are, first and foremost, human beings and we are
citizens of a law-abiding country. We are making decisions in a responsible,
cool-headed and considered manner. The American people, who experienced
terrible terrorist attacks on its own soil, empathizes with our fight and we
empathize with their fight."
July 4th has always been a great celebration for all those
who cherish America's historic commitment to liberty. For me it resonates in a
special way because I lost my brother at the rescue mission at Entebbe on July
4th, 1976, and since that date, July 4th has always been a special mixture of
pain and pride – pride because this is a day in which the celebration of
freedom and the fight against terrorism are intertwined. Today our two nations,
America and Israel, stand together in celebrating freedom and stand together in
confronting terrorism.
What is the secret of the special relationship between the
United States and Israel? The answer can be summarized in four words: Shared
values, common interests. Shared values because the United States and Israel
were both founded on the principles of liberty, democracy and freedom. In both
our lands, the rights of the individual are sacred and the foremost right,
without which the others cannot exist, is the right to live.
And that is why we pursued the murderers of Gilad, Eyal and
Naftali. They denied them that basic right in such a cruel way. And that is why
I unequivocally condemn the murder of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem a few
days ago. The police investigation is ongoing. We don't know yet the motives or
the identities of the perpetrators but we will. We will bring to justice the
criminals responsible for this despicable crime, whoever they may be. Murder,
riots, incitement, vigilantism – they have no place in our democracy.
And it is these democratic values that differentiate us from
our neighbors and unite us with the United States. These are shared values but
in today's Middle East, we are united also by common interests because we face
common threats of terror and upheaval from those who despise our values. The US
and Israel are working together to roll back the tide of terror and defeat its
evil forces.
I want to thank President Obama for his words of deep
sympathy and support following the brutal murders of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali.
Naftali was also an American citizen.
My friends, the United States has other partners in the
region and these partnerships, these relationships are important, both for the
United States and for Israel. But those partnerships are based on interests. In
the huge land mass from Gibraltar to the Khyber Pass, the United States shares
values only with Israel. And this is what makes the bond we share so unique and
so unbreakable. When America celebrates its independence, Israel celebrates
with America. The people of Israel are unabashedly pro-American and the
American people are unabashedly pro-Israel. And by the way, that support keeps
going up and up and up each year, tremendous support for Israel in America and
I can tell you – Ambassador, you can relay this in a cable – tremendous support
for America in Israel.
That's not obvious in our region because we share the
values. We understand what America is about. And that friendship is essential
as we move forward to face the great challenges before us: Denying Iran nuclear
capability, stemming the tide of radicalism in Syria and Iraq and elsewhere and
building peace and stability with our neighbors.
So on behalf of the Government and people of Israel, I thank
President Obama and his Administration. I thank the US Congress and the great
American people. And I thank you, Ambassador Shapiro. I thank you all for your
great friendship and your unfaltering support.
Happy Independence Day, America. God bless Israel and God
bless America.
* * *
PM Netanyahu's Remarks, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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