"If we want to protect our values," Minister Tzippy Livny said, "it is not enough to believe in them - we must act according to them. There is no greater challenge to our values than that posed by the leaders of Iran. They deny and mock the Holocaust. They speak proudly and openly of their desire to wipe Israel off the map. And now, by their actions, they pursue the weapons to achieve this objective, to imperil the region and to threaten the world."
Saying that the "moment of truth" had arrived, Livny continued, "The international community is faced with no greater responsibility than to stand against this dark and growing danger - not for Israel’s sake, but for its own; for the sake of the values it claims to embrace; for the sake of the world we all wish our children to inherit."
"What more needs to happen for the world to take this threat seriously?" she asked. "What more needs to happen to end the hesitation and the excuses? We know the lessons of the past. We know the consequences of appeasement and indifference. There is no place for such leaders in this forum. There is no place for such a regime in the family of nations."
"For any who still had doubts," the Foreign Minister said, "the Iranian threat was exposed to all in the recent conflict in Lebanon. Armed, financed and directed by Iran, Hezbollah kidnapped Israeli soldiers and targeted Israeli cities, but it was the hopes of an entire region that they aimed to take hostage. Out of the conflict - and because of Israel’s response to it - opportunity has emerged. But much is needed to turn opportunity into reality. Hizbullah can never again be allowed to threaten the future of the region. The world faces a critical test - to ensure the full implementation of resolution 1701, and the immediate and safe release of the Israeli hostages."
U.S. President George Bush, speaking with CNN on Wednesday, said that if he were Israel’s foreign minister, he too would be deeply concerned about Iran's threats to destroy his country.
Asked how the US would react if Iran attacked Israel, Bush said, “You can't just hope for the best. You've got to assume that the leader, when he says that he would like to destroy Israel, means what he says. If you say, 'Well, gosh, maybe he doesn't mean it,' and you turn out to be wrong, you have not done your duty as a world leader."
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said that the U.S. should continue to talk with Iran. Clinton told NBC, "If you think you might have trouble with somebody, and [certainly] if you think it could lead to a military confrontation, then there needs to be the maximum amount of contact beforehand."
Livny's speech addressed both of the above points, noting that Iran threatens the entire world, not just Israel, and speaking of the dangers of "hesitation and excuses."
Iran's Ayatollah Haminai took the opportunity to warn that Iran's armed forces "are sufficiently ready to give a response to any threat such that the enemy would be surprised and defeated."
At least one U.S. Senator takes the Iranian threat very seriously. "I think he's a Hitler type of person," said Sen. George Voinovich (R.-Ohio) about Iranian President Ahmedinejad, adding, "I call him Ahmed-in-a-head."
The Senator said, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, that the Iranian leader "has made it clear that he wants to destroy Israel. He has made it clear he doesn't believe in the Holocaust. He's a, he's a -- we all know what he is."
Saying that the "moment of truth" had arrived, Livny continued, "The international community is faced with no greater responsibility than to stand against this dark and growing danger - not for Israel’s sake, but for its own; for the sake of the values it claims to embrace; for the sake of the world we all wish our children to inherit."
"What more needs to happen for the world to take this threat seriously?" she asked. "What more needs to happen to end the hesitation and the excuses? We know the lessons of the past. We know the consequences of appeasement and indifference. There is no place for such leaders in this forum. There is no place for such a regime in the family of nations."
"For any who still had doubts," the Foreign Minister said, "the Iranian threat was exposed to all in the recent conflict in Lebanon. Armed, financed and directed by Iran, Hezbollah kidnapped Israeli soldiers and targeted Israeli cities, but it was the hopes of an entire region that they aimed to take hostage. Out of the conflict - and because of Israel’s response to it - opportunity has emerged. But much is needed to turn opportunity into reality. Hizbullah can never again be allowed to threaten the future of the region. The world faces a critical test - to ensure the full implementation of resolution 1701, and the immediate and safe release of the Israeli hostages."
U.S. President George Bush, speaking with CNN on Wednesday, said that if he were Israel’s foreign minister, he too would be deeply concerned about Iran's threats to destroy his country.
Asked how the US would react if Iran attacked Israel, Bush said, “You can't just hope for the best. You've got to assume that the leader, when he says that he would like to destroy Israel, means what he says. If you say, 'Well, gosh, maybe he doesn't mean it,' and you turn out to be wrong, you have not done your duty as a world leader."
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said that the U.S. should continue to talk with Iran. Clinton told NBC, "If you think you might have trouble with somebody, and [certainly] if you think it could lead to a military confrontation, then there needs to be the maximum amount of contact beforehand."
Livny's speech addressed both of the above points, noting that Iran threatens the entire world, not just Israel, and speaking of the dangers of "hesitation and excuses."
Iran's Ayatollah Haminai took the opportunity to warn that Iran's armed forces "are sufficiently ready to give a response to any threat such that the enemy would be surprised and defeated."
At least one U.S. Senator takes the Iranian threat very seriously. "I think he's a Hitler type of person," said Sen. George Voinovich (R.-Ohio) about Iranian President Ahmedinejad, adding, "I call him Ahmed-in-a-head."
The Senator said, during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing this week, that the Iranian leader "has made it clear that he wants to destroy Israel. He has made it clear he doesn't believe in the Holocaust. He's a, he's a -- we all know what he is."