(Washington Times) Amb. Danny Danon - In 1974, PLO leader Yasser Arafat addressed the UN General Assembly in military uniform with a pistol strapped to his belt. This past February, PA President Mahmoud Abbas told the UN Security Council of his "absolute readiness to reach a historic peace agreement," but he has chosen to avoid direct negotiations for peace. Abbas knows that he can circumvent the hard act of direct negotiations with Israel and seek refuge in the UN's warm embrace, which only serves to enable Palestinian rejectionism. When the Security Council votes 14-1 in favor of condemning the sovereign U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as our capital, and when the UN continues to provide a platform for anti-Israel incitement, this only emboldens the Palestinians' rejectionism and moves us further from peace. Israel has always sought peace with our neighbors and we welcome any effort to achieve that noble objective. But we will not be fooled into believing that the Palestinians are committed to the same goal. Through our accords with Egypt and Jordan, Israel knows the difficult choices peace demands. We eagerly await the day when the Palestinians finally let the gun fall from their hands and join us on that path. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the UN.
2018-08-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive