Address by Silvan Shalom Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Israel
United Nations 58th General Assembly
25 September 2003 New York
Mr. Secretary General,
Mr. President,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to congratulate His Excellency, the Foreign Minister of St.
Lucia, upon his assumption of the presidency of the General Assembly, and
wish him much success.
Mr. President,
Until just one month ago, every person in this hall and every member of this
organization joined us in the hope that the Middle East peace process might
finally be back on track, and that a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict might be on the horizon.
The establishment of a new Palestinian government promised an end to terror
and a new beginning.
This glimmer of hope was darkened on August 19th by the extremists who blew
up a bus full of Jewish families on their way home from prayers at the
Western Wall, the holiest site in the Jewish religion. Twenty three people,
young and old, mothers and babies in their cradles, were slaughtered in this
attack. This attack was carried out by Hamas, a terrorist organization,
which under the Roadmap should have been dismantled by the Palestinian
Authority.
Failure to dismantle Hamas has brought our diplomatic efforts to a
standstill. Rather than acting to fulfill its obligation, the Palestinian
Authority has chosen the route of inaction, and complicity in terror.
We cannot allow this to continue. We must bring back the hope that we can
build a better future for our children. The infrastructure of terror must be
dismantled so that we can put our peace efforts back on track. There is no
other time. There is no other way.
Mr. President,
For many years it was thought that terrorism in the Middle East was Israel's
problem, not the world's. Today, the world knows otherwise.
Today, it is not only Israel which mourns the loss of its loved ones, women
and children and babies, at the hands of the terrorists. We have sadly been
joined by peoples from across the globe - from Mombassa to Casablanca,
Moscow to Bali.
Even the United Nations, that for so many is a symbol of peace and goodwill,
is not immune.
Standing here today in New York, just two short years after September 11th,
the community of nations knows - that those who seek to advance their
political agendas through killing innocents, are ready to strike at anyone
or anything that represents the values of freedom and human life.
Terrorism has declared war on us all.
Israel has often stood alone in this battle. A country which has suffered
more than any other from terrorism, we have always understood the danger it
poses to democracy and freedom everywhere, even when others refused to see,
and condemned us for our actions. We have always understood that terrorism -
no matter what cause it claims to serve - seeks only to destroy, not to
build.
There can be no neutrality in the war against terrorism and there can be no
immunity for those who engage in it. Abstaining is not an option.
This is not a war of choice. Terrorism will not be eliminated until the
world unites against it. Our only choice is to win. Every member of the
international community must take concrete and proactive measures to cut off
all channels of financial, moral and political support to this common enemy.
States - members of this institution - that sponsor terrorists and give them
shelter, are accomplices in the acts of terror themselves. They must be held
accountable for their crimes. It is no coincidence that states that sponsor
terrorism like Iran and Syria, are also striving to acquire Weapons of Mass
Destruction. Their hostility to freedom and the rule of law puts the very
future of humanity in jeopardy.
Mr. President,
I know that for many in this place Yasser Arafat is seen as the symbol of
the Palestinian struggle. Tragically - for his people and for ours - he is
one of the world's icons of terror.
In the ten years since Arafat declared his commitment to Israel - and the
world - that he would no longer use terror, 1,126 Israelis have been killed
and thousands wounded in 19,000 separate Palestinian terrorist attacks.
In relative numbers, this would be the same as 11,000 French or 56,000
Americans dying from terrorism in the same period of time.
This carnage must stop. Its impact on both societies is devastating.
Yasser Arafat bears direct responsibility for this terrible suffering. He
has led his people on the path of terror - from hijackings to suicide
bombings - for more than thirty years. Always preferring Israeli pain over
Palestinian gain.
He has been - and he remains - the greatest obstacle to peace between our
peoples. For as long as he controls the levers of power - no moderate
leadership can emerge.
To vote for Arafat - like we saw in this Assembly just last week - is to
vote against the Palestinian people. When Arafat wins - terrorism wins, and
we all lose.
Instead of rallying around Arafat, the international community must rally
around the genuine interests of the Palestinian people.
They must do so now, before he leads them even further down the path of
terror and destruction.
Mr. President,
When a responsible and empowered Palestinian leadership finally emerges - a
leadership ready to join the war on terror - it will find us a willing
partner for peace.
Israel is committed to the vision for Middle East peace laid out by US
President George Bush on June 24th, 2002.
Israel will not compromise on the safety of its citizens. But we will go
the extra mile - as we have proven before - to bring peace and security to
both our peoples.
We are ready to work with the Palestinians and the international community
to make this vision a reality. For this to happen, the Palestinian
leadership must take the moral and strategic decision to abandon terrorism
once and for all, and make peacemaking possible.
They must guide their people to build their own society, rather than seeking
to destroy ours. They, too, must understand that it is not poverty that
breeds terror but terror that breeds poverty.
Dear Colleagues,
We cannot stop only at dismantling the infrastructure of terror. We must
also build an infrastructure of peace. It is up to political and moral
leaders, everywhere, to foster an environment which rejects extremism and
empowers the peacemakers.
This is particularly so in the Arab and Muslim world, where incitement
against Israel closes hearts and minds to the possibility of peace.
Leaders must guide their people away from the culture of hate, and replace
it with a culture of tolerance. Concrete expressions of cooperation and
exchange must be built - in media and government, education, science and
business - to reinforce the message of tolerance and acceptance.
For the sake of our collective future, voices of moderation must be heard.
Mr. President,
This culture of peace must permeate not only the borders of the Middle East.
It must permeate the walls of the United Nations as well.
In the past, the United Nations has shown that it can play a positive role.
This Assembly was key in the founding of the State of Israel, fifty-five
years ago. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 are our guideposts,
to negotiations and peace.
To play such a constructive role in the future, the UN must reform. It must
move away from the partisan hostility that has taken over its Middle East
agenda.
For more than three decades, this Assembly has passed every year a litany of
resolutions designed to discredit Israel, challenge its interests, and
promote the will of its greatest enemies.
In my hand, I am holding a collection of the decisions of the 57th General
Assembly on the Middle East. One hundred and seventy five pages filled not
with hope, but with the negative agendas of the past.
No other country has suffered such unjustified attack and consistent
discrimination within the UN system. The time has come to end this campaign
of diplomatic incitement.
For the sake of Israelis and Palestinians - for the sake of the UN and peace
itself - I call on this body to rise above the tired politics of yesterday,
and adopt a new, courageous agenda for tomorrow.
I call on the General Assembly to abandon the automatic adoption of
anti-Israel resolutions, and to find ways of making itself relevant once
again, to the interests of the people it claims to serve. I call on this
Assembly to fulfill its historic mission and help promote what unites us,
not what divides us.
Mr. President,
On the morning of February 1st of this year, Israel lost its first astronaut
in the Columbia-space-shuttle disaster - a skilled and courageous pilot whom
I knew personally, a child of Holocaust survivors, a national hero.
Colonel Ilan Ramon embodied the spirit of our nation. A man of courage and
action, dedicated to the well-being of his people, just as he sought to
contribute to the advancement of his fellow man.
He met his death together with colleagues from the United States and India,
on a scientific mission in the name of humanity as a whole.
Israel's place in such endeavors of international cooperation and
accomplishment is no coincidence. In the fifty-five years since the State of
Israel was established, recognized, and welcomed into the family of
nations - our achievements in the fields of science and technology, the arts
and literature, agriculture and medicine, have come to rank with the best in
the world.
Our international cooperation program is celebrated in over a hundred
countries around the globe - sharing skills, experience and knowledge to the
benefit of millions of people.
We extend this hand of friendship to all the nations of the world. We
welcome our improving relations with Europe, just as we remain committed to
promoting closer ties with the nations of Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Mr. President,
The Zionist vision of Israel's founders was to bring into the world a state
in our ancient homeland to serve as a haven for our people from persecution.
A place where the Jewish people could fulfill its right to
self-determination in the modern era. A bastion of democracy and opportunity
for all its citizens.
Our founders also made a promise not just to the people of Israel, but to
the people of the Middle East as a whole - to pursue peace and to work for
the common advancement of our region.
I know personally the profound meaning of this historic undertaking. I came
to Israel as a young refugee from Tunisia. I serve as one of hundreds of
thousands of immigrants to whom Israel has granted promise and protection,
freedom and opportunity, through the values and institutions of democracy.
I stand here today to reaffirm, before the nations of the world, the
commitment of my country to peace.
Peace for the people of Israel is both a moral and historic imperative.
"Shalom" - the word for peace in Hebrew - is central to our language and our
heritage. It is how we say Hallo and it is how we say Goodbye. It is a name
we give to our children. It is my own family name.
It was our prophet Isaiah, who brought this message of peace to the world
already centuries ago, when he said: "And they shall beat their swords into
ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more".
Israel's historic record is clear. Whenever a true partner for peace
emerged, he was met with Israel's extended hand.
This was true when President Anwar Sadat of Egypt came to Jerusalem in 1977
and it was true when King Hussein of Jordan signed the Peace Treaty with us
in 1994. The same is true today.
Israel stands ready to complete the circle of peace with all its neighbors.
Real peace. Not just peace for the headlines, but peace which brings an end
to violence and hostility, and positive change for the citizens of our
region.
From this great podium - a podium shared by all humanity - I call on the
leaders of Syria and Lebanon, of Iran and of the Palestinian people - to
abandon once and for all their hostility towards us, and join us in building
a better future for our children.
Mr. President,
This evening I shall return to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish
people, to join with them in celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
According to our tradition, this is a time when G-d determines the fate of
each and every individual for the coming year.
These are days of reflection and prayer.
May all our prayers for peace and for life be answered.
And may the actions and deeds of all the states and peoples represented here
in this hall, bring to mankind - peace and security, and all the blessings
that life can offer.
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il