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The 'Wailing Wall' in Jerusalem, the most sacred site | ISRAELI AMBASSADOR |
for Judaism with the Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's
holiest shrines, in the background.

viable state, turned the territory into a rocket-launching pad
for its offensives on Israel.

With 2000 more Israeli settlement homes announced in
October alone, and with many in the international com-
munity stating continuous settlement building as being
one of the major barricades to progress, why does the
Netanyahu Government persist with this policy con-
sidering the massive damage it does to Israel’s image
abroad?
Settlements are in no way an obstacle to peace. There
were no settlements prior to 1967 and there was no peace
then. Additional construction is often approved in existing
blocs in order to respond to local housing needs. Most of
these blocs will remain under Israeli jurisdiction in any future
to enter peace talks, his actions indicate the opposite: peace deal. There seems to be ongoing attempts in certain
He seems to prefer to seek symbolic unilateral recogni- media to demonise settlement communities, or liken them
tion on the international stage and admittance to fora such to terrorists, which is deeply wrong.
as UNESCO and INTERPOL, rather than negotiate directly
with us. Unilateral symbolic acts such as recognition of a Israel’s reservations about the UN are well known, and
Palestinian state by certain countries,does nothing to ulti- its territories, and neighbouring territories, have been
mately realise a Palestinian state but merely continues the theatres for many major UN operations over the past
stalemate of the conflict. It discourages the Palestinians half century and more. What is your view on the efficacy
from entering into direct negotiations with Israel. Substan- of these missions (UNDOF/UNIFIL etc.?) and how can
tive dialogue and negotiation between Israelis and Palestin- cooperation be improved?
ians is the only way that the objectives of two states for two There is currently very good cooperation between the UN
peoples can be achieved. missions of UNDOF UNIFIL AND UNTSO and the IDF. A
The Palestinian Authority continues to glorify violence clear example of such cooperation was seen in 2014 when
against Israelis in speeches, on social media, in interviews the Israeli military came to the assistance of Irish troops serv-
and more. Repeatedly, it refuses to recognise the legitimacy ing in UNDOF, who were under sustained attack by militant
of a Jewish State within any borders. This is the core of forces. Indeed, there is much positive engagement between
the conflict and only when this changes can peace can be the Israeli military and the Irish personnel serving in the UN
achieved. The Palestinian Authority transfers salaries in the peacekeeping missions of UNDOF, UNIFIL and UNTSO.
amount of $300 million a year to convicted terrorists jailed Israel welcomes the recent UN Security Council resolu-
in Israeli prisons and to the families of deceased terrorists. tion renewing the UNIFIL mandate. The importance of the
While the Palestinian Authority merely accepts Israel’s resolution lies in its call for UNIFIL to act in a purposeful and
presence, it has yet to recognise Israel as the legitimate meaningful manner in order to prevent Hezbollah’s military
nation-state of the Jewish people. Currently, the rejectionist build-up in southern Lebanon.
narrative perpetuated by the Palestinian Authority denies the The resolution reflects the Security Council’s recognition
history of the Jewish people in their historic homeland, as that change is necessary and that UNIFIL must be given the
well as their right to self-determination in the land of Israel. tools and backing needed to fully implement its mandate.
Just as the Palestinian leadership expects Israel to recog-
nise the right of the Palestinian people to a state, so too The United Nations, and indeed the French (major
must it recognise the right of the Jewish people to a State. UNIFIL contributors), both reiterated their support
Ending the conflict involves painful yet critical conces- for Irish General Michael Beary (Force Commander
sions by both parties, and a commitment to ending all fur- UNIFIL) when he was publicly criticised by both US
ther claims for the sake of peace. Any future solution to the UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and Israeli General Aviv
issue of the Palestinian refugees and their offspring cannot Kochavi for his ‘blindness’ in relation to the Hezbollah
be one that spells out the disintegration of Israel as the one threat in Southern Lebanon. How does the Ambassa-
and only nation-state of the Jewish people. dor consider that this incident was handled?
Given the history of wars and terror campaign launched Israel greatly appreciates the Irish peacekeepers who
against Israel, Israel’s call for Palestinian demilitarisation and contribute to the UNIFIL and UNDOF missions in our region.
a security arrangement that guarantees Israel’s safety from There is close cooperation between the IDF and these mis-
terrorism, guerilla warfare and conventional warfare is criti- sions. Of course, sometimes there can be differences on the
cal. The case of Gaza set a harsh precedent: After Israel perception of various challenges on the ground but these
unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it was taken over are overcome through open dialogue conducted in the spirit
by Hamas, which, instead of building the foundation for a of respect and cooperation.
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