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Source: US State of Department
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you. Prime Minister, thank you. Thank you very, very much. Thank you for hosting us today. Thank you for the very good and lengthy conversation. I’m looking forward also to spending some more time with some of our colleagues, with Foreign Minister Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Gantz, as well later with President Abbas and other Palestinian leaders.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
President Biden asked me to come here today, really, for four reasons: First, to demonstrate the commitment of the United States to Israel’s security, to start to work toward greater stability and reduce tensions in the West Bank and Jerusalem, to support urgent humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for Gaza, to benefit the Palestinian people, and to continue to rebuild our relationship with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority. Intense behind-the-scenes diplomacy led by President Biden, working very closely with the prime minister, helped produce last week’s ceasefire. Now, we believe we must build on it.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That starts with the recognition that losses on both sides were profound. Casualties are often reduced to numbers but behind every number is an individual human being – a daughter, a son, a father, a mother, a grandparent, a best friend. And as the Talmud teaches, to lose a life is to lose the whole world, whether that life is Palestinian or Israeli. I underscored to the prime minister something that President Biden made crystal-clear throughout the violence: The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks such as the thousands of rockets fired by Hamas indiscriminately against Israeli civilians.
For the President, I think as many of you know, this commitment is personal. It runs deep. He has been one of Israel’s most steadfast supporters for the last 50 years, having worked closely with every prime minister starting with Golda Meir and now with Prime Minister Netanyahu.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the prime minister mentioned, we had a detailed discussion about Israel’s security needs, including replenishing Iron Dome. We’ll continue to strengthen all aspects of our longstanding partnership. And that includes consulting closely with Israel, as we did today, on the ongoing negotiations in Vienna around a potential return to the Iran nuclear agreement, at the same time as we continue to work together to counter Iran’s destabilizing actions in the region.-------------------------------------
We know that to prevent a return to violence, we have to use the space created to address a larger set of underlying issues and challenges, and that begins with tackling the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and starting to rebuild. The United States will work to rally international support around that effort while also making our own significant contributions, including some that I’ll announce later today. We’ll work with our partners, closely with all to ensure that Hamas does not benefit from the reconstruction assistance.
At the same time, we need to work to expand opportunity for Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank, including by strengthening the private sector, expanding trade and investment, and other means. Assistance and investment like these will help foster a more stable environment that benefits Palestinians and also benefits Israelis.
Prime Minister and I had a chance to discuss other steps that need to be taken by leaders on both sides to set a better course for their shared future. As President Biden has said, we believe that Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely; to enjoy equal measures of freedom, opportunity, and democracy; to be treated with dignity. We also discussed some of the intercommunal violence that erupted in Israel during the conflict, and healing these wounds will take leadership at every level of society, from elected officials to community leaders to neighbors. And we very much welcome the statements the prime minister made and members of his government made condemning the attacks regardless of whom they targeted.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In our own country, in the United States, we’ve witnessed a shocking eruption of anti-Semitic attacks. As President Biden said just yesterday, they are despicable and they must stop. There’s a lot of hard work ahead to restore hope, respect, and some trust across communities. But we’ve seen the alternative, and I think that should cause all of us to redouble our efforts to preserve the peace and improve the lives of Israelis and Palestinians alike. But Prime Minister, again, thank you so much for all the time, thank you for the very, very good conversation, and we look forward to doing a lot of work together. Thank you.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU: And thank you and the President for your strong statements against anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism, but it’s anti-Semitism, and you took a bold position, clear position, and we appreciate it. I think all decent people, decent people everywhere appreciate that stance. Thank you.
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Thank you." Source: US state of Department
