President Katsav Addresses 34th Zionist Congress
Jerusalem, June 17, 2002
(Communicated by the President's Spokeswoman)
President Moshe Katsav spoke tonight (Monday), June 17, 2002, at the
opening of the 34th Zionist Congress. Following are excerpts from his
speech:
I am pleased and honored to open the 34th Zionist Congress. I welcome
the thousands of delegates from Israel and around the world.
The past year has been difficult for the citizens of Israel and world
Jewry. It is the duty of every state to act under all conditions to
defend its citizens. To our chagrin, our actions against terrorism
have been received with criticism by the free world. We are acting to
foil and prevent terror. There are countries, also in the western
world, who have a double standard, and do not differentiate between
Palestinian perpetrators of terrorism and our effort to foil the
terrorism.
Unfortunately suicide attacks find legitimacy in the Arab world, and
Arab regimes show indulgence for anti-Semitic and anti-Israel
expressions. Not a single Muslim religious leader has arisen and
declared in a clear and firm voice that the acts of suicide
terrorists stand in contradiction to the Koran and Islam.
Our strength to face our enemies is based on our recognition that we
are fighting for values worthy of being defended. Even in the midst
of bloodshed we take care to maintain morals, law and order and
humanitarian feelings. The IDF is a moral army and many soldiers were
injured in the battle against terror - in order to avoid hurting
Palestinian civilians.
Organizations that do not attach any value to the sanctity of life,
institutions and leaders that encourage suicide terror and bloodshed,
a leader who calls for a million martyrs - these cannot be a party to
dialogue or a partner.
Israel has three great and mighty fortresses, among the most
developed in the democratic world: the Knesset, the justice system,
and the press. The structure of government and society in Israel
guarantees the maintenance, without deviation, of the highest norms
and values.
Life in the diaspora is a legitimate right, however the historical
and national duty obliges all Jews around the world to put the issue
of aliya on his personal agenda. No person in the Jewish world is
exempt from this.
Despite the wars and terrorism that have been forced upon us, and
despite the blood and tears that have been our legacy since the
creation of the state, the State of Israel has achieved great
scientific and technological accomplishments. We have built a
developed, advanced, modern and democratic state.
We have multiplied the population of Israel by 10 since the creation
of the state. We have absorbed millions of immigrants, including
Jewish refugees from Europe, one million immigrants from Muslim
countries who left all their property behind and arrived here as
refugees in the first decade of the state's existence, and in the
last decade, a million immigrants from the Communist bloc, immigrants
from Ethiopia and from 70 other countries - and all were absorbed
into Israeli society.
We and the Palestinians share common national interests, and I
therefore believe that peace will come. We continue to believe that
there will be found among the Palestinians a wise, responsible and
determined leadership to serve the Palestinian interest, and lead to
peace with Israel.
The Palestinian Authority bears responsibility for the suffering of
the Palestinians and for the bloodshed, and endangers the region's
stability.
I say from here to the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority: Uf you
love Palestinian children, do not educate them to hate Jews. If you
are sensitive to the suffering of the Palestinians, act to stop the
terror. If you want peace, stop the bloodshed and the incitement.
However, even in these difficult times we must continue the Zionist
enterprise together, the development and prosperity of the State of
Israel as a Jewish, democratic state.