Amb Prosor addressses the UN Security Council (10.07.2014)
As I speak, there is a storm of rockets being fired by the Hamas
terrorist organization in Gaza. Hamas is intentionally and
indiscriminately threatening the lives of three and a half million
innocent men, women, and children in Israel from north to south - from
Beersheba to Tel Aviv to Haifa. In the last three days, 442 rockets have
been fired into Israel - that's one every 10 minutes.
Fifteen
seconds [play sound of siren]. That's how much time you have to run for
your life. Imagine having only 15 seconds to find a bomb shelter. Now
imagine doing it with small children or elderly parents or an ailing
friend.
A generation of Israeli children is growing up under the shadow of this
threat. This abnormal way of life has become the ‘normal' way of life
for many Israelis - and it is absolutely unacceptable. No nation, no
people, and no government could tolerate this...
... No country would accept the threats that Israel faces. We are determined
to give Israelis the safety and security they deserve. This week,
Israel launched an operation of self-defense, "Protective Edge", to
counter these attacks, to defend our citizens, and secure for them a
life without constant threat.
The goal of our operation is to
remove the threat posed by Hamas by dismantling its military
infrastructure and restore quiet in Israel. We aren't looking for a band
aid solution that will allow Hamas to rest and regroup. We aren't going
to give them a ‘time out' so that they can replenish their rocket
supplies and hit us again in a few weeks.
Israel is taking great
measures to avoid harming innocent civilians. The Israeli Defense Forces
warns Palestinians in Gaza of imminent strikes. At the same time, Hamas
instructs these civilians to stand on the roof of buildings and act as
human shields. Hamas is exploiting our concern for human life by hiding
in Palestinian homes, schools, and mosques and using the basement of a
hospital in Gaza as its headquarters. They are committing a double war
crime: targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian
civilians.
Hamas is targeting the supply lines of its own people. It is firing
rockets at the electrical plant in Ashkelon which is keeping the lights
on for the citizens of Gaza. Earlier this week, Hamas blew up a tunnel
near the Kerem Shalom crossing and it is firing rockets and missiles at
this critical entry point. Let me be clear - Hamas is targeting the only
crossing through which food, medicine and other essentials enters Gaza.
This is how much they care for their own people. Despite the attacks,
Israel is keeping the crossing open and on Tuesday and Wednesday, 242
truckloads of goods were delivered into the Gaza Strip...
... Israel is on the forefront of the free world fighting radical Islamic
terrorism. The threat posed by terrorism is a global threat - ISIS,
al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hezbollah, and Hamas. From Abuja to Fallujah,
terrorists are attacking our schools and skyscrapers, our homes and
hospitals, our malls and embassies. No nation is immune.
If you
want the nations of the world to stand with you in your battle against
terrorism tomorrow, stand with Israel today. The call from your capitals
must be loud and clear - opposing terrorism in one place means opposing
terrorism in every place.
It is our cities, our homes, and our
families that are under fire. I ask each and every person in this
Chamber - what would you do if it was your family under attack? What
would you expect your own government to do?
There is only one
responsible course of action for this Council - condemn Hamas. Condemn
terrorism. Condemn the rocket fire. Call on President Abbas to dissolve
the unity government and support Israel's right to defend itself. It is
the only way to achieve peace in our region.
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