Netanyahu To Build David's Fallen Temple?





SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ON THE PRESENTATION OF THE GOVERNMENT TO THE KNESSET (Communicated by PM Netanyahu's Bureau)

Jerusalem, June 18, 1996

I am honored to present the new government today before the Knesset and the citizens of Israel, a government which will lead the State of Israel on a new course.

I was fortunate to be the first among Israel's prime ministers to be born after the establishment of the state.

The founding generation struggled to establish the state and build its foundation. Our generation faces other challenges.

This is a turning point in our history. During more than 2,000 years of exile, generations of Jews fought and struggled to get back the homeland we lost.

Now, after the founding of the state, our main task is to secure, re- establish, and develop the homeland we got back.

The torch has been passed on to us, by the generation born with the founding of the state in 1948 and in the 1950s, the generation which broke the siege of the Six Day War and repulsed the joint assault of the Yom Kippur War.

We have the responsibility to carry the age-old hope of generations into the next century. We have the privilege to turn the dream into reality.

We promised this would be a government of renewal, of a new way.

We are not talking of cosmetic changes, of the same package in different wrapping, but of a fundamental change, deep and substantive, that will march Israel forward to its goals.

Indeed, the new government will be a government of a new way. First in its approach to security and peace.

It is possible to reach a real peace with our neighbors. This is not an easy task, but it is within reach. We need patience, determination and persistence to achieve this goal.

We want a stable and lasting peace, not a temporary, fleeting agreement. We want peace that will last for our children and our grandchildren, not just for tomorrow's newspapers.

Such a peace is based first of all on the security of Israel and its citizens.

The test of peace agreements is security, and on this we shall not compromise. We will not compromise on the security of Israel's citizens, and we will not countenance attacks on our children -- be it in Jerusalem or Hebron, Tel Aviv or Ariel, Kiryat Shmona or Kfar Darom.

The reality we are inheriting is not simple. In the last years, the security situation has deteriorated throughout the country and its borders. To stop this deterioration we will have to wage a continuous battle against terror.

The participants in terror should know that they will encounter a harsh response. I refer not only to the terrorists themselves but to their patrons and those who sent them, to their operators and collaborators.

Security is essential if we are to make progress towards real peace arrangements with our neighbors.

Our interlocutors must know that if they wish to advance to this end, they must diligently fulfill all their obligations. They must also know, that if necessary, the IDF and security forces will have full freedom of action, whenever necessary, to fight against terror.

I want to call today to our neighbors in the Palestinian Authority and say to them: on this basis of ensuring security, we are ready to start a real partnership with you for peace, cooperation and good, neighborly relations.

The government of Israel will negotiate with the Palestinian Authority on the condition that it will fulfill all its obligations. The negotiations will deal with the implementation of the interim agreement and the issues of the permanent arrangement, which will allow both sides to live in peace and security.

I believe that the permanent status arrangement will be lasting if a balance is created between two basic needs: minimal Israeli involvement in the lives of the Palestinians, and maximum security for Israel in the face of terror and threats of war.

We must build a new reality, which will grow from the shared lives of Israelis and Palestinians.

It is the lack of security which causes closures, paralysis and economic stagnation. With security, we will be able to create freedom of movement, an open economy and prosperity for all.

Mr. Speaker, Members of Knesset,

Clearly, we must first reinforce the primary circle of peace.

The government of Israel will act to strengthen its ties with Egypt and Jordan. In my discussions with President Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan, we expressed our mutual desire to work together to deepen, broaden and strengthen the cooperation and mutual ties between our countries.

We will work to raise the level of relations with other Arab states which have ties with Israel: Qatar, Oman, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania.

Mr. Speaker,

Broadening the circle of peace with all our neighbors, while safeguarding the vital interests of our country is a foremost goal of the government.

From this podium I address the leaders of all Arab countries with a call for peace. I call especially on our immediate neighbors, Syrian President Hafez Assad, Lebanese President Elias Hrawi, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, and all other Arab leaders.

Come, let us conduct direct negotiations for peace, negotiations without pre-conditions which will advance the Middle East to an era of stability and prosperity.

This is the key: no pre-conditions. Each side will be able to present its views and position without requiring that the other side agree to these positions in advance.

We will not dictate our views to you and you will not dictate your views to us. We will sit and negotiate seriously, prudently and responsibly to reach an agreement.

I declare here, that we oppose the description of Islam as the enemy of Israel and the West, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Along with political discussions between Israel and the countries in the region, we must add a parley between Judaism and Islam. We extend our hand in peace not only to our Arab neighbors, but to all Muslim countries and Islamic peoples.

We have no conflict with Islam. We have a struggle with militant forces, who use their distorted interpretation of Islam as a tool for violence, hatred and bloodshed.

The new government will work to strengthen our international ties. Our relations with the United States will continue to be the cornerstone of our foreign policy.

We view positively the contribution of Europe to the political process and we look forward to continued, broad cooperation between Israel and Europe in the political, economic and social spheres.

Concomitantly, we will deepen our ties with the Russian Federation and the other CIS states, as well as the countries in East Asia and Latin America.

Since the Madrid Conference we have found many partners in Asia and Africa; we will act to advance our relations and cooperation with them.

Israel views positively the contribution of many countries to the political process between Israel and its neighbors. Yet, only the partners to the negotiations can determine their substance, because it is they who will have to live with their consequences.

The government I am presenting today to the Knesset will be a government of a new way in the socio-economic sphere, too. No more talk about privatization, free market and fair competition -- but real, meaningful steps in this direction.

Without a free economy, we will not be able to take advantage of the enormous wondrous human potential we possess, enhanced qualitatively and quantitatively by the large immigration of the last years.

Only encouraging private enterprise and utilizing the full abilities of each and every citizen will enable us to continue absorbing immigrants.

Only through a free market economy can we solve Israel's social problems because only a free, healthy, thriving economy will give us the resources to solve the serious social problems, which have worsened in recent years.

The problems are grave: there are development towns which have succeeded in moving forward, but I have visited in development towns where I found severe problems of poverty and unemployment.

I have been to Arab villages in the Galilee where I saw sewage flowing in streets without sidewalks or lighting.

The problems exist not only in the periphery. On a recent visit to an established city in the center of the country, I met an elderly lady who couldn't buy food.

We cannot countenance this situation.

We cannot go back to business as usual after witnessing such phenomena.

Members of the House, there is a solution. We can reduce the hardships; we can give a real future to people without hope.

But first, we must solve the basic problems of the Israeli economy: unbridled spending, national debt at record levels, inflation which has raised its ugly head and threatens to get out of hand.

Just as a family cannot live with an uncontrollably growing debt, so a country can't continue with a steadily growing national debt.

We must tackle these problems. As a prime minister, I see addressing economic problems as a central task. We shall shape a policy which will stabilize the market and bring real growth and prosperity. This requires wide-ranging privatization, dismantling monopolies, encouraging initiative and creating a competitive climate.

The problem is not only how to divide the pie of national resources. The real challenge is to make that pie bigger.

Therefore, our policy will be first of all to prevent further deterioration, staunch the growth of the national debt, and put the economy on a new forward-moving track. We can turn Israel into one of the world's leading economies.

Gentlemen, Members of Knesset,

This will be a government of a new way also in the sphere of education and culture.

In recent years, much has been said about democracy, justifiably so. It is our duty to nurture the values of tolerance and mutual respect; to foster a culture which accepts the decisions of the majority, while respecting the rights of the minority.

The Jewish Bible has given the world the great ideal of human dignity. "In the image of God, He created man." The few who failed to learn this turned to extremism and violence, and finally to the horrible crime of the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, of blessed memory.

We will deepen our dialogue among all sectors of the nation; we will get to know one another and to learn to respect and understand each other. Along with accepting the decision of the majority, we will honor the right of the minority to demonstrate without hesitation and without fear.

But most of all, we must remember that a people unites and coalesces around its culture, its heritage, and national values. The new government will nurture the values of the Jewish heritage in education, culture and the media.

The values of the Jewish heritage must serve a powerful source of inspiration in all facets of our life.

The strengthening of our bond with the eternal values of the people of Israel, while emphasizing the values of democracy, freedom and human decency, will enable us to create a healthy society, able to confront formidable challenges and realize Zionist goals.

Zionism is not dead, even though in some circles it has been relegated to quotation marks. We have a wonderful youth, willing to mobilize for national tasks.

We will encourage this spirit. We will encourage pioneering settlement in the Land of Israel: in the Negev, the Galilee, Judea and Samaria, and the Golan. The settlers are the real pioneers of our day, and they deserve support and appreciation.

But above all, we will guard and strengthen Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people, undivided under the sovereignty of the State of Israel.

Members of Knesset,

During the term of this Knesset, we will mark the 50th Independence Day of the State of Israel and the beginning of the 21st century.

Achieving the national goals which the people of Israel placed before themselves in the last generations -- the ingathering of exiles and their absorption in the homeland, settling the land and building it, establishing economic independence and a healthy society, achieving peace with security -- realizing these goals depends on our faith, our will, and our determination.

We, the generation born after the founding of the state, bear a great responsibility: to continue the Zionist project and bring about its fulfillment. Let us pray that we are worthy of the great responsibility we bear.

We have reached the days generations of Jews have hoped and prayed for. The Jewish dream has been realized, the Jewish people has renewed its independence. In us, the words of the prophet Amos have been fulfilled: "And I shall establish for them David's fallen tabernacle."

And it will, with God's help, stand for ever and ever.



[Amo 9:11,12 = In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.]



As things heat up in the Mid East, it seems as if Bible prophecy is coming true in this generation. Throughout our webpages, Watcher discusses why we feel the Tribulation is going to occur soon, pointing out that 1997 seems to be the most likely date . There is reason to believe that the War of Gog and Magog (Ez. 38) will happen close to the date that the treaty is signed -- directly before the Tribulation, or directly after the Tribulation starts.

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