U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton warned on Friday that without progress toward peace, Israel
will be forced to choose between "preserving democracy and the Jewish
identity of the state."
Speaking at the Saban Forum
2012 at the Willard InterContinental in Washington D.C., Clinton rejected
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's pessimism concerning the Palestinian
Authority's capability of governing its territory and bring about a lasting
peace.
"With very little money,
and no natural resources, they have accomplished quite a bit, building a
security force that works every single day with the IDF (Israel Defense
Forces). They have entrepreneurial successes. They are nationalistic - but
largely secular. Israel should support them."
"Some Israelis claim
[Palestinian President Mahmoud] Abbas is not a partner for peace," Clinton
continued, "Well, I think that should be tested."
Turning to the situation in
the Gaza Strip, the secretary of state said, "That fragile cease-fire is
holding, the skies above Israel are clear... but the world knows - and always
will know - that whenever Israel is threatened, the U.S. will be there. What
threatens Israel threatens America, what strengthens Israel, strengthens
America."
Clinton warned the Hamas,
which controls the Gaza Strip, that "If more rockets are smuggled into
Gaza, it will lead to more violence. We will never work with terrorists. Hamas
knows what it needs to reunite Palestinians and rejoin the international
community."
Clinton said she wasn't naïve
about the prospects for achieving a lasting peace. She explained that she
thought "that even if you cannot reach complete agreement, it's in
Israel's interest to try. It gives Israel a moral high ground that I want
Israel to occupy. That's what I want Israel to occupy."
"Rockets launched from
Gaza at Tel Aviv only stress what we already know - the international community
must prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons," Clinton segued.
"The Iranian regime already exports terrorism around the world. Nuclear
Iran is a threat not only to Israel; it's a threat to all nations. The U.S.
will not have a policy of containment, but prevention, built on a dual track of
sanctions and dialogue."
Clinton said the United States
tried to engage the Iranians in bilateral negotiations but that they refused.
"Protecting Israel's
future is not simply a matter of policy for me, it's personal," Clinton
said, turning to a more personal tone as she recalled her visit to Israel
shortly after her daughter Chelsea was born. The secretary of state, who will
soon be ending her service, added, "I know with all my heart how important
it is that our relation goes from strength to strength. I am looking forward to
returning to Israel as a private citizen on a commercial plane. It's not a
great secret I hope to become a grandmother one day - and I hope one day to
take my grandchildren to… Israel."
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