NETANYAHU MEET UN SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this evening with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said the following:
“Welcome to Jerusalem.
Your visit comes at a troubling time. In recent weeks Israelis have been deliberately run over, shot, stabbed and hacked to death, and in large part this is because President Abbas has joined ISIS and Hamas in claiming that Israel threatens the al-Aqsa mosque.
This, Mr. Secretary, is a total lie.
Israel vigorously protects the holy sites of all faiths. We keep the status quo.
The Palestinians, by contrast, are the ones who violate the status quo. Palestinians have brought explosives into al-Aqsa mosque. That’s a violation of the status quo.
They try violently to prevent Jews and Christians from visiting the Mount. That’s another violation of the status quo.
And, Mr. Secretary, they work to convince UNESCO to deny the Jewish people’s historic connection to the Western Wall.
These are the real threats to the status quo.
I believe it’s time to tell the truth about the causes of Palestinian terrorism.
It’s not the settlements.
It’s not the peace process.
It’s the desire to destroy the State of Israel, pure and simple.
President Abbas unfortunately has been fanning the flames.
He said on September 16th, just a few days ago, that he welcomes “every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem….” That’s a quote.
President Abbas has not condemned a single one of the 30 terrorist attacks on Israelis over the last month.
And he continues to glorify terrorists as heroes.
In the face of this terrorism Israel is acting as any democracy would to defend its citizens.
We are not, I repeat, we are not using excessive force.
Now, if the international community truly wants to help end the bloodshed and the violence, I believe it must affirm Israel’s proven commitment to the status quo on the Temple Mount, it must support Israel’s right to self-defense, and it must hold President Abbas accountable for his dangerous words.
Mr. Secretary, these are pressing subjects. I look forward to discussing them with you, how we can restore calm and reconciliation and security. That is important and that is the order of the day.
I welcome you here in Jerusalem. I look forward to our discussions.”
Photo: Kobi Gideon, GPO
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