PM Netanyahu: Israel Is The Nation State Of The Jewish People
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has emphasized that he wants Israel “to be the home of every Jew.”
Netanyahu made the remarks while in conversation with outgoing Jewish Federation of North America’s chairman of the board Richard Sandler, during the body’s General Assembly in Tel Aviv.
He highlighted that “we [as Jews] can control our destiny,” and that “the power is in our hands.”
During the discussion, Netanyahu addressed the relationship between Israel and the US saying that it has improved significantly over the years, and continues to do so.
He also praised US President Donald Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Jerusalem as the country’s capital.
“He did something unbelievable. This is something that we’ve dreamed about since the founding of Israel, and he did it.
“I would say that the state of the American-Israeli relationship – the alliance, has never been stronger.”
Speaking about the continued criticism by the left and anti-Zionists, Netanyahu said that “things are never as good as you think – but they’re also never as bad as you fear,” the Prime Minister continued.
Netanyahu later addressed the issue of a two-state solution saying that he could not allow Judea and Samaria to become like Gaza. “We want the Palestinians to fully govern themselves, but not to have the power to threaten us.
“In Judea and Samaria, we are there to keep the peace – not just for us but for the Palestinian Authority as well. If we weren’t there, they wouldn’t be there. They would be overthrown [by Hamas],” like what happened in Gaza.
He added that Israel had thwarted an assassination attempt against PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
As the conversation turned toward the state of world Jewry, Netanyahu said that he was working towards the vision of Israel being the “home for all Jews.
“Israel is the nation state of the Jewish people, any Jew can migrate here.”
“I want Israel to be the home of every Jew. I don’t care if they’re Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, whether they are secular or non-believing.”
The Prime Minister explained that his government’s policies on contentious issues, including the egalitarian section of the Western Wall and conversions were part of a “long-standing tradition” in Israeli politics.
“It’s a slowly evolving process,” he added, saying that the refurbishment of the egalitarian section of the Western Wall was almost complete. “It will be safe for everyone.”
For Netanyahu, however, the most pressing threat to the Jewish nation is loss of identity.
“Those not concerned with Jewish survival, will not survive as Jews,” he said, quoting an article by Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.
“We have to work and focus on continuity – we have develop Jewish education programs, the study of Hebrew… We are one people, let’s let every Jewish child in the world know how proud they should be about being Jewish.
