Israel’s president Peres addresses European Parliament on two-state solution, Hezbollah
“The peace process with the Palestinians has an agreed beginning and an agreed solution: two states for two nations,” Shimon Peres, president of the State of Israel, told the European Parliament on March 12 2013. “Peace can be achieved in a relatively short while,” he said, pointing to the experience of European integration, which he called a miracle.
The formation of the new Israeli government “is an occasion to resume peace negotiations,” Peres said, insisting that “there is no other solution” but the two-state one.
He warned against attempts by Iran to undermine the independence and security of Arab countries, referring to the Iranian regime as “the greatest danger to peace in the world.” He called on MEPs to show the Iranian people during the forthcoming elections in Iran “that the world has not turned its back to them.”
Peres said that the end to the Syrian tragedy “might be achieved by empowering the Arab League to intervene” and “form a provisional government in Syria”. The UN should “support an Arab force in blue helmets,” he insisted. He also called on the international community to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation.
Peres, quoted by the European Jewish Press, said that 20 terror attempts by Hezbollah were counted all over the workld in recent times, including in India, Thailand, Georgia, South Africa, the United States, Egypt and Greece.
Peres pointed to the fact that last month Bulgaria, which is a member of the European Union, reported that it had identified that the terror attack against a bus in Bourgas in July 2012 was carried out by Hezbollah.
Five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian citizen died in the attack.
Recently, Cyprus, another EU country, arrested a Hezbollah terrorist planning a terror attack against Israelis.
“Hezbollah, supported by Iran, is a terror organisation, not a political movement,” Peres emphasised, adding that the Lebanese Shiite group led by Hassan Nasrallah “has divided Lebanon politically, religiously and ethnically.”
“Hezbollah is a state in the state. A private army apart from the (Lebanese) national army. It sends soldiers to support the massacre of a bloody dictator in Syria. With no authorisation of the government of which it is a member,” Peres said.
Photo: European Parliament
