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Peres and Bibi address Jewish media at opening
Speaking to a room packed with journalists, Peres confirmed an earlier statement that he would be addressing the matter of the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who has languished in an American prison for longer than the 27 years of Madiba’s incarceration in SA. Peres praised PA leader Mahmoud Abbas as a man he could trust.
ANT KATZ IN JERUSALEM
ABOVE: Video clip of beginning of Netanyahu’s speech
STORY AND PICS BY ANT KATZ REPORTING LIVE FROM THE SUMMIT
Security was very tight at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem as both President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were scheduled to speak.
LEFT: President Peres taking questions from Diaspora Jewish editors in Jerusalem.
Peres chose to use a Q&A format moderated by The Times of Israel’s David Horovitz. “Abbas is the best partner Israel has ever had, and has now,” Peres began, in answer to a question from Horowitz.
“I have known him for 20 years. I think he’s a man of his word. I think he’s a man of courage.”
Kicking off the first Jewish Media Summit, attended by over 100 senior journalists from world Jewish media, Peres answered questions with candour. Abbas had done the right thing, “right now, before a totally Arab audience in Saudi Arabia – being clear on peace, being clear on terror, risking his life,” said Peres. Abbas’ situation was “not a simple position”.
RIGHT: Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu at the Ramada Hotel.
But, whereas Peres had taken questions, the prime minister chose to deliver an address. He made an impassioned appeal to the international Jewish journalists to get the good news about Israel out to the world.
He spoke of being appalled at the US Presbyterian Church’s decision (yesterday) to divest from Israel.
Would they prefer to invest in the failed states surrounding Israel, he asked. Netanyahu stressed the positive Israeli parable, the wealth of the country and its intellectual capital.
Every cell phone, every medication in the world relied on some level of Israeli research and development, he said.
In a News Brief on ARUTZ SHEVA headlined: “Netanyahu: Israel’s Foes Not Averse to Any Means” tonight, the website said that Netanyahu used the Jerusalem Media Summit to express his condolences to Fahmi Karakara, an Arab defence contractor from the Lower Galilee who was wounded and lost his 15-year-old son in an explosion on the Golan Heights earlier in the day.
Netanyahu said: “Israel’s enemies are not averse to using any means, they’re not averse to attacking civilians, to kill children, as happened this morning. They don’t discriminate between Israel’s Jewish and non-Jewish civilians.”
Referring to the recent abduction of the three yeshiva students in Judea, the prime minister added: “As a people, our heart is torn with the kidnapping of every youth and the murder of every youth and I’m sure I represent everyone when I send my condolences.”