June 20, 2010 / 8 Tammuz 5770
Natan Sharansky,
Distinguished guests,
Israel was born three years after we lost a third of our people in the Shoah.
In her sixty two years of existence, she was seven times attacked with the intention of destroying her. Outnumbered, out-gunned and alone militarily, she prevailed.
She won but threats still remain.
There is at least one state and state-supported terrorist group that seeks to destroy her physically.
And now, there is a further attempt to de-legitimize her existence. Starting with the ugly cry to go back to Poland and Germany.
Israel, politically, was created before Poland and Germany. And religiously was born one thousand five hundred years before Christianity and two thousand eight hundred years before Islam.
It is true that our Temple was destroyed and our people exiled. Does this mean that we lost our right to return to our Land?
In exile, as in war, Israel's priority was peace. Ben-Gurion accepted the U.N. resolution about two states – A Jewish and an Arab state. The lion share of the land was offered to the Arabs. The Jewish share contained more borders than land and yet we agreed.
The U.N. resolution referred to an Arab state. There was no Palestinian state. The West Bank was part of Jordan and Gaza was under Egyptian rule.
When the London Agreement, to my great regret, was rejected by the Israeli government and indicated that we would agree to a two-state solution: a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.
We felt then, as we feel today that it better and right that the two of us live side by side in peace instead of living one inside the other in an incurable conflict.
The Oslo negotiations led to the creation of the Palestinian Authority. A state in being.
Once we concluded peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan, we returned all the land and the water to the two of them.
Israel announced, as weak as we are, in favour of the two state solution. We withdrew from Gaza entirely and no Israeli was left in the Gaza Strip.
We did not understand then, nor do we understand now, why after evacuating Gaza, the rulers of Gaza started to fire thousands of missiles against civilian life in Israel. For what reason? For what purpose?
The question remains unanswered today. Would Gaza agree to peace, to negotiations instead? Would Gaza leaders denounce terror, stop the building of tunnels and shooting missiles, stop attempting to kidnap Israeli soldiers and release Gilad Schalit who was abducted on Israeli territory, there would be no need for any sort of closure or blockade.
If Gaza would turn to peace, she would have peace and there would be no need for flotillas but a simple message: Go for peace.
Now there is an attempt to de-legitimize Israel. De-legitimizing Israel means to legitimize, directly or indirectly, the lawless organization like Al-Qaeda, Hamas and Hezbollah and their overt and covert supporters, dictatorial regimes who kill and arrest their own people without count, without human respect.
May be some of us feel lonely, more than ever. But we are not alone. Yet our efforts for peace will not and should not diminish. They emanate neither from pressure nor submission. It is biblically born and strategically right.
But the truth is that we are not alone. I believe that President Obama says and means that Israel's security is America's top priority.
I believe that Europe with its own experience and in its wisdom will turn to the people of Gaza and the West Bank and tell them that peace depends on them negotiating is better than shooting.
I can feel friendly winds coming from the great Asian nations, from Canada, from Australia. I feel strong, because I feel right.
My dear friends, in a demanding situation, we have to stand together. Today more than ever before. We have one Lord in heaven. We have one land on the globe. We have the same historic heritage and we shall continue to respect the vision of our prophets and look towards the new horizons of a new age.
The new age is not anti-Semitic. Science and Jewishness are old friends. True the Jewish life has changed geographically. Half of our people are in Israel. Almost an other half are in the U.S.A. And the other communities are spread across the world.
Modern communication shortens distances, erase borders. It does not destroy wisdom and enables to keep in touch in real time.
A significant part of Jewish life is engaged in science and technology. Israel lives on hi-tech. Our common denominator today is, as in the past, to learn, to innovate, and act on a moral call.
In the past we could not be Jewish without being Zionist. Today it is impossible to be a Zionist without being Jewish. Zionism and Israel must become attractive. Our challenge today is not just to confront rejection, but to win a world wide competition.
To win peace, to win intellectually, Israel is becoming an appealing land and it will be more so.
Our land is beautiful. Our economy is in good shape. The level of our science is high. Our artistic creativity is enjoying a renaissance. Our army is dependable by a wonderful generation.
Our history is long and vibrant.
I don't know of any country that is less boring than Israel. Always animated, engaged, debating.
Now it is time for Aliyah in its true meaning – La'alot – to ascend and to share, first of all in Jewish education. It is our common responsibility.
Herzl wanted Israel to be the territorial center of Jewish life. Ahad Ha'am wanted Israel to be the spiritual center of Jewishness.
Now it is time that Israel becomes the scientific center of Jewish knowledge.
A better world is better for the Jewish people. A better Israel is better for all people.
We are a people with faith. It is time to pray. We are a people with a record.
Our voyage in history was costly but it is worthwhile and we shall be a contributing nation to our heritage, to our mission.