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The Palestinians walked away
I saw the Palestinians walk away from an opportunity to have the land, to have a state in the Westbank and Gaza, with no settlements, with a capital in Jerusalem. To end the occupation, right. It was going to be an independent state, and they walked away.
Destroying Zionism is the top priority for the Palestinians
To the Palestinians’ credit, for a hundred years, they told us what they wanted. (…) They told us: From the river to the sea. No Jewish state with any border. Zionism is illegitimate. That is their top priority.
The Israel-Palestine conflict is not complicated
British Minister of Foreign Affairs Ernest Bevin said for the Jews the top priority is to establish a state. He says for the Arabs, the top priority is for the Jews not to have a state. (…) By definition these are mutually exclusive goals. And that is the conflict. So it is not complicated.
Abraham accords are amazing
The psychological impact of seeing Emirates land in Ben Gurion Airport, the sense of the lifting of the siege, is amazing.
It is all in the name: Abraham
The central story here, is that you now have leaders in the Gulf, that want to create an Islam and an Arab identity that is about success, that is about the future, and part of that is about tolerance and embracing Israel. And it is all in one word: Abraham.
Abraham Accords were brilliantly named
The dominant narrative in the Arab and Islamic world remains that Israel is a foreign, colonial, white, European, crusader implant, they stole a land to which they have no connection. That is still the dominant narrative. But if you look for one word that flips this, you can find no better that Abraham. But when Arabs and Muslims look at Israel and say “Abraham” they are basically saying “you are kin”. We recognise you as a people that belong here. That have a history here. You are not some foreigners. You are not settlers, European, white colonists, who came to a foreign land. You belong here. You are Abraham’s descendants. So this is brilliantly named.
The conflict was only Arab denial of Jewish right to self-determination
They know what the conflict is about. They know that it was never about the settlements, it was never about the occupation, and it was never about Netanyahu. They know that the conflict was only ever about the Arab denial of the Jewish right to self-determination in any part of the land.
Antizionism is a tragedy, also for the Antizionists themselves
Every country, region, organisation, party, that decided to make antizionism a central idea, even when they said «we have no problem with Jews», within a short time became incurable hostile to Jewish life, within some time later they had no Jews, and ultimately, what good did it for it? (…) I cannot think of a single example where antizionism somehow turned out good for the Jews, and turned out good for the antizionists. So the fact that there are some in the West now that seems determined to go in that path is a tragedy.
Only the Arab world can bring the Palestinians to their senses
Only the Arab world can finally get the Palestinians to give up on their top priority of no Jewish state. They can tell the Palestinians that they do not have the Arab and Islamic support to continue to say no.
Zionist movement was always ready to compromise
There is no amount of immigration and no amount of procreation, that will ever get us out of this fundamental truth, that we are a small, and destined to remain a small minority in the Arab and Islamic Middle East. That is why the Zionist movement, Left or Right, the leaders were always willing to compromise.
The purpose of Zionism is self-governance
When we were forced to choose, we always choose sovereignty over a smaller part of the land, over the historical connection to every part of the land. This will always be the case. And the numbers are the reality that you can’t escape from. In the end of the day, the purpose of Zionism is self- governance.
The Iranians could be our best friends
There is a scenario in which Iran transitions to democracy, and actually, if that happens – again, we are talking about miracles, but it might happen – the Iranians will be our best friends.
State for the Jews more important than borders
The reason I am confident that Israel will always say yes to any possible agreement for true peace, is two things. One, the numbers. We are minority. We understand that. (…) And the second thing is that the top priority of Zionism has always been a state for the Jews, rather than control of every square kilometer that is mentioned in the Bible.
The brilliance of Zionism
I believe it has been the brilliance of the Zionism to be laser focused on governance for the Jewish people, in their ancestral homeland, yes, that was necessary, it could not have happened anywhere else, but not in every place. And I think this is what allowed us to actually achieve our goals.
Direct flights to Dubai better than annexation
So when the choice was annexation or direct flights to Dubai, the Israelis were clear that direct flights to Dubai was so much more better. And we don’t get enough credit for that. People say: How can you be so certain that Israel will make choices for peace. Because they have done these choices every single time. (…) Again and again, people point at Israel for being the obstructionist side, when there is actually zero empirical proof for that.
Gulf-leaders have Islamic State in the back of their head
Everything that is happening right now in the Gulf, is because the leaders have Islamic State (ISIS) in the back of their mind. They understand that they need to create an Arab and Islamic identity that is attractive to young people, that is more attractive than the radical dreams of ISIS.
What European leaders should tell the Palestinians
The war of 1948 is over. Is so far as you the Palestinians were hoping to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state in that war, you lost. You were defeated. Accept it and move on. You are not refugees from that war. Refugees existed throughout the 20th century, none of them had the right of return, neither do you. You are not special. You need to stop having the destructive idea of «from the river to the sea». As long as your dream is no Jewish state in any borders, we are not your friends. The day that your vision is a constructive vision of establishing an independent state next to Israel, rather than instead of Israel, we will be your friends. We are only to give money to people who say clearly those things.
Be specific in your demands on the Palestinians
Norway and other Western states have no problem being specific about Israel. 1967. Palestinian state. No East-Jerusalem. No settlements. They are very specific with us. But when it comes to the Palestinians, on the key issues – recognition of a Jewish state, no refugees, no right of return – these are final status issues, to be negotiated. No, tell them, tell them the war of 1948 is over, they are not refugees, no one is doing return, this is not going to happen, and they have to move on.
Palestinians who should be given money
If Norway wants to help the Palestinians, I told them today, go find, they basically don’t exist, but go find a Palestinian who will say: «Enough is enough, it is time to recognize the equal right of self-determination in this land. They have a right, we have a right. That is why none of us can have it all. We are done with the century long war against the Zionism.» Give money to people who say that.
