An open letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Israel Hayom | An open letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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Photo credit: GPO
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The following is the text of an open letter to the citizens of Israel from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the proposal to resume the peace talks with the Palestinians, which will be submitted to a cabinet vote on Sunday:
From time to time, prime ministers are called on to make decisions that go against public opinion — when the matter is important for the country’s well-being.
Prime ministers are not needed to make the decisions that the public already supports.
At the present time, I believe it is of the utmost importance for the State of Israel to enter a diplomatic process. This is important both to exhaust the possibilities of ending the conflict with the Palestinians and to establish Israel’s position in the complex international reality around us.
The major changes in our region — in Egypt, Syria and in Iran — not only pose challenges for the State of Israel but they also present significant opportunities for us.
For these reasons, I believe that it is important for the State of Israel to enter a diplomatic process for at least nine months — to see if it is possible to reach an agreement with the Palestinians during this time.
But despite placing a great deal of importance on the diplomatic process, I was not prepared to accept the Palestinians’ demands for withdrawals and [settlement building] freezes as preconditions for entering negotiations.
Neither was I prepared to accept their demand to release Palestinian prisoners before the start of negotiations. I did agree to release 104 Palestinians in stages after the start of the negotiations and in accordance with the circumstances of their progress.
This is an indescribably difficult decision to make, it is painful for the bereaved families, it is painful for the entire nation and it is also very painful for me.
It conflicts with a value of incomparable importance, the value of justice.
It is a clear injustice when depraved people, even if most of them have sat in prison for over 20 years as in this case, are released before they have finished serving their sentences.
The decision is difficult for me seven-fold because my family and I personally know the price of bereavement from terrorism. I know the pain very well. I have lived with it every day for the past 37 years.
The fact that previous Israeli governments have released over 10,000 terrorists does not make it easier for me today, and did not make it easier when I decided to bring back Gilad Schalit.
Gilad Schalit’s return home required me to make an incredibly difficult decision — to release terrorists. But I believed that the value of bringing children back home required me to overcome this difficulty.
People in positions of leadership are forced to make complex choices and sometimes the necessary decision is the most difficult one when the majority of the public opposes it.
Thus I decided to end Operation Pillar of Defense after the elimination of archterrorist Ahmed Jabari and after the severe blows the Israel Defense Forces dealt to Hamas and the other terrorist organizations.
I made the decision to end the operation even though most of the public supported continued action, which would have required entering the Gaza Strip on the ground. As prime minister, I thought that the goal of deterrence had been mostly achieved by the determined actions that we carried out.
Today, almost one year after the end of Operation Pillar of Defense, we are witness to the quietest situation in the south in over a decade. Of course, this quiet can fall apart at any minute but my policy remains clear on all fronts: We will, to the best of our ability, thwart the threats against us in a timely manner. We will react strongly to any attempt to harm our people.
In the next nine months, we will consider whether there is a Palestinian element on other side that, like us, truly wants to end the conflict between us.
Such a conclusion will be possible only under conditions that will ensure the security of Israel’s citizens and our vital national interests.
If we succeed in achieving such a peace agreement, I will submit it to a referendum.
Such a fateful decision cannot be made by a close vote in the Knesset.
Every citizen must be allowed to directly influence our future and our fate on such a crucial issue.
The best answer we can give to those murderers that sought to defeat us through terrorism is during the decades that they sat in prison, we built a glorious country and turned it into one of the most prosperous, advanced and strongest countries in the world.
I promise that we will continue as such.
Yours,
Benjamin Netanyahu
WarSclerotic 
July 28, 2013 at 2:22 PM
Usually, open letters from the bosses are – on their best – a bunch of demagogical blah-blah and in most of the cases they don’t deserve even a quick look over someone else shoulder. However, this time a certain line attracted our attention: ”The major changes in our region — in Egypt, Syria and in Iran — not only pose challenges for the State of Israel but they also present significant opportunities for us.” I should apologize for my French, but what the fu@k is this
sh!t ?! Changes in Egypt, in Syria, yes sir. Opportunities for us? You bet. But changes in Iran? Any opportunity for us on this one? Or is Netanyahu determined to open negotiations for peace with the Iranians?; better now, after all those changes …
To put on the same plate – from the point of view of the ”changes” – Egypt and Syria with Iran is, in the best case, a gaffe; even that may be disinformation, we still don’t buy it.
July 28, 2013 at 2:32 PM
I smell asthon and obama .
July 28, 2013 at 2:36 PM
What the heck
During a meeting with Palestinian journalists in Ramallah, Abbas was quoted as saying that Palestinians should expect “good news” on Sunday regarding the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Abbas refused to elaborate, but told the journalists: “Follow the Israeli media on Sunday and you will hear good news on the prisoners.”
https://warsclerotic.wordpress.com/page/2/
July 28, 2013 at 2:37 PM
If the chosen fails , Zion falls
July 28, 2013 at 2:41 PM
As i ask before .
How will Israel survive in a political landscape what is heading to a new world order?
July 28, 2013 at 3:04 PM
get real jjoop there is no oreder nor will there evr be any full stop 322
July 28, 2013 at 3:30 PM
the Hegelian dialectic
July 28, 2013 at 4:32 PM
I wish you were right Joop any order would be better than this
July 28, 2013 at 2:46 PM
As i see it BIBI is just trying to let Israel survive the coming years, in this years a lot can change, and his policy will be adjusted as the landscape change.
Just surviving.
July 28, 2013 at 3:24 PM
The reality around us is changing and it is explosive, and we must prepare accordingly,” the PM told the combat soldiers.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4397253,00.html
July 28, 2013 at 3:50 PM
He is so right i think Israel is going about to fight a war that air land sea based on multiple fronts,your almost certainly going to face the Russians and Syrians and Iranians in one go,this will very likely be a war for survival
July 28, 2013 at 3:56 PM
adding to that it will draw Nato in in the first few hours,europe will be next,or in other words ww111,i wouldn’t want to be Bibi he wont be very popular afterwards,all of this is a direct consequence of Bibis inaction and constant wingeing to the usa and nato instead of acting we see this scenario as inevitable now,and truthfully the sooner israel strikes iran the better as our enemy’s Russia and china are already prepared to back iran with there outdated capability’s it will still be a mess
July 28, 2013 at 4:09 PM
Israel as useful tool, and BIBI is trying to avoid that.and in the same time trying to survive.
Shifting panels.
Be smart walk on eggs and carry a big stick.
July 28, 2013 at 4:15 PM
Can only mean a shit storm of epic proportions is on its way
July 28, 2013 at 4:18 PM
Im sure most understand this although many will not want to believe that its only a matter of time
July 28, 2013 at 4:31 PM
your wasting your breath you just cant get it though to them,Putin has publicly announced that is Israel attacks iran he will back iran with force on top of that he announced that he is preparing for full on global war,And Russia recent actions prove this without any doubt,this is not about Israel any more,it is time for this to sink in it should be sobering and not jubilant
July 28, 2013 at 5:01 PM
Open your eyes boys. Obama says make peace, I’ll take care of Iran!. By doing so Obama can kill two birds with the same stone. Nothing will motivate Bibi more than having Israels arch enemy eliminates by the US. Obama also corrals atomic proliferation!!!!
July 28, 2013 at 5:56 PM
Translation of Netanyahu’s speech : Hi guys, Iran is our only real concern and I will do anything to stop it getting nuclear, even enter into these absurd negotiations with the Palestinians . I do not have much of a choice. Obama is breathing down my neck and I need some room to plan our pre-emptive attack on the Iranian nuclear sites. It is really beyond my control that 63 percent of American Jews voted for a President who supports the Muslim Brotherhood, a virulently ant-Semitic and anti-American organization whose motto is “Allah is our objective; the Quran is our law, the Prophet is our leader; Jihad is our way; and death for the sake of Allah is the highest of our aspirations ” . Most Americans, including their President, have no clue that the doctrine of mutually assured destruction MAD will not work with Iran but I have heard directly from Bernard Lewis his “for people with this mindset, M.A.D. is not a constraint; it is an inducement…” and I trust his expertise . So you have to believe that we in the Israeli government know what we are doing. We are fighting for our very survival and we will prevail .
July 28, 2013 at 9:41 PM
Here is the blog version:
What Netanyahu really meant to say in his open letter
http://www.madisdead.blogspot.co.il/2013/07/what-netanyahu-really-meant-to-say-in.html