Monday, October 18, 2010

New UN Ambassador Reuven: History has shown that settlements do not stand in the way of making peace

(Ynet).Newly appointed Israeli Ambassador to the UN Meiron Reuven speak before the UN Security Council for the first time.

"I appear before you today and state the profound and enduring wish of my nation to establish peace with the Palestinians. A peace based on security and mutual recognition. A peace that will ensure prosperity for our two peoples," he said.

"Israel has continued to show that it is willing to take bold measures and make difficult decisions in pursuit of peace… Israel has continued to show that it is willing to take bold measures and make difficult decisions in pursuit of peace.

"With a heavy heart, Israel put in place a self-imposed and unprecedented ten-month moratorium on settlement construction… History has shown that (settlements) do not stand in the way of making peace – as seen by peace agreements that were achieved with Egypt and Jordan. Furthermore, when Israel dismantled all of its settlements in the Gaza Strip, it received terrorism and rocket fire on towns and communities in return," he continued.

"A request that Israel recognize a Palestinian state as the nation-state of the Palestinian people must be met with an acknowledgment that Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people. After generations of conflict, mutual recognition will be essential in overcoming a long history of incitement, combating terrorism, and establishing peaceful coexistence between our two peoples."