Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely addressed recent developments in Syria, such as yesterday's chemical weapons attack on civilians, at the traditional Passover toast at the Foreign Ministry
Over a hundred people were killed and hundreds were injured in the attack in the northern Syrian city of Idlib.
“Israel was right these past six years in not getting militarily involved in the Syrian conflict. Nevertheless, the situation in Syria requires action in the diplomatic arena. Israel can engage with its friends in the world to work towards putting a stop to these atrocities. Israel doesn’t turn its back on the wounded in Syria. We have treated and continue to treat wounded Syrian children in Israeli hospitals,” Hotovely said.
She cited cited the traditional Jewish phrase from the Pesach seder: “In every generation, a person must see him or herself as if they themselves were liberated from Egypt, meaning that each generation must struggle against forces of tyranny which deprive people of their freedom.”
Hotovely also addressed the implementation of UN-monitored agreements in Syria: “The history of the Middle East teaches us the importance of political will and international unity in ensuring the enforcement of agreements.”
She also praised the achievements of the Foreign Ministry under the direction of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Director General Yuval Rotem in recent years, including the renewal of diplomatic relations with Nicaragua and the recent Innovation Conference with China. “Winds of change are blowing in the world showing increasing understanding for the fact that in our dangerous region, in which the bad compete with the worse, it is of paramount importance to support Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.”