{"id":243,"date":"2011-05-24T18:06:56","date_gmt":"2011-05-24T22:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=243"},"modified":"2011-05-24T18:06:56","modified_gmt":"2011-05-24T22:06:56","slug":"israels-netanyahu-the-courage-to-speak-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/israels-netanyahu-the-courage-to-speak-the-truth.html","title":{"rendered":"Israel&#8217;s Netanyahu: The Courage to Speak the Truth"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Israel is not what is wrong in the Middle East. Israel is the only thing that is right in the Middle East.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>That today from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; in a speech before members of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>He presented a realistic and sound plan for peace with the Palestinians, while underscoring what most Americans understand and believe &#8211; that a true and lasting peace for Israel must be grounded in security.<\/p>\n<p>In a speech that was punctuated with 29 standing ovations, Netanyahu correctly proclaimed that Israel always reserves the right to defend itself.\u00a0 And, while he restated his commitment to work for a lasting peace, he was very clear that there can be no negotiations with a Palestinian government that includes terrorists.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Netanyahu speaks to US Congress Pt 4 of 4\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JP_reb0ZUAk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>President Obama should take note. In what was billed as a major policy speech just days ago, President Obama continued to press Israel to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority and, subsequently, with the &#8220;unity government&#8221; the PA has formed with the terrorist group, Hamas.<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu today: &#8220;Hamas is not a partner for peace. Hamas remains committed to Israel&#8217;s destruction and terrorism. Their charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, it says kill the Jews everywhere you find them. Israel is prepared to sit-down today to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority, but will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of al-Qaeda.&#8221;\u00a0 In an appeal to the Palestinian leader, Netanyahu urged: &#8220;I say to President Abbas:\u00a0 Tear up your pact with Hamas, sit down and negotiate. Make peace with the Jewish state.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Just days ago, President Obama called Israel&#8217;s legitimate West Bank settlements an &#8220;occupation.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu responding today: &#8220;The Jewish people are not foreign occupiers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And, in his vision of a Middle East peace, President Obama called for a return to the 1967 borders, which would create a divided Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Netanyahu today: &#8220;Israel will not return to the indefensible boundaries of 1967. Jerusalem must never again be divided.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a must read: the transcript of Netanyahu&#8217;s remarks to Congress is posted <a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/israeli-prime-minister-binyamin-netanyahus-address-to-congress\/2011\/05\/24\/AFWY5bAH_story.html\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2011\/05\/24\/palestinian-officials-calls-netanyahus-peace-outline-declaration-war\/\" target=\"_blank\">Reaction<\/a> to his remarks from the Palestinian government was swift and predictable. Nabil Shaath, an aide to Palestinian President\u00a0Abbas, said Netanyahu&#8217;s remarks &#8220;put more obstacles in the path of peace.&#8221; The speech was called &#8220;a declaration of war&#8221; against the Palestinians.<\/p>\n<p>Israel is in the crosshairs &#8211; especially now, at a time when Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and others\u00a0continue to call for the destruction, the annihilation of the Jews &#8211; those who want Israel wiped off the\u00a0map.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;An epic battle is now under way in the Middle East between tyranny and freedom,&#8221; Netanyahu noted.<\/p>\n<p>We must stand with our greatest ally in the Middle East. We must stand and support Israel &#8211; now more than ever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Israel is not what is wrong in the Middle East. Israel is the only thing that is right in the Middle East.&#8221; That today from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; in a speech before members of Congress. He presented a realistic and sound plan for peace with the Palestinians, while underscoring what most Americans&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,59,64],"tags":[743,41,62,759,81,761,768],"class_list":["post-243","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hamas","category-israel","category-middle-east","tag-aclj","tag-al-qaida","tag-benjamin-netanyahu","tag-israel","tag-middle-east-peace","tag-palestinian-authority","tag-president-obama"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Israel&#039;s Netanyahu: The Courage to Speak the Truth - Faith &amp; Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/05\/israels-netanyahu-the-courage-to-speak-the-truth.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Israel&#039;s Netanyahu: The Courage to Speak the Truth - Faith &amp; Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&#8220;Israel is not what is wrong in the Middle East. Israel is the only thing that is right in the Middle East.&#8221; That today from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; in a speech before members of Congress. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243\/revisions\/257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}