The Center, affiliated with Bar-Ilan University, conducted the ceremony at the King David Hotel at which my wife and I were privileged to attend. It was established at Bar-Ilan University in 1995 by US Jewish community leaders Ingeborg Hanna and Ira Leon Rennert as an expression of their commitment to the preservation and advancement of Jerusalem's unique heritage. Integrating studies on the history, archaeology, geography, demography, economy and sociology of Jerusalem, the Rennert Center has become the foremost academic center in the international academic community studying aspects of Jerusalem's past and present.
The guests were great, including Caroline Glick among many. Caroline has a post on his 2005 speech at ZOA. The food was excellent. And the atmosphere, as Bolton spoke, became more electric.
I had heard him a few years ago in New York at an event of American Likud.
To understand that, here are some selections from his full remarks:
"I don't believe there is a future for the two-state solution. We have been pursuing it for 70 years without success. I don’t think year 71 of pursuing it will make any change...[we should] advocate[d] for a three-state solution which would merge Gaza with Egypt, and parts of the West Bank with Jordan"
"I don't think there is a viable Palestinian state. I don't think there are institutions on the Palestinian side that can live up to the commitments of a treaty with Israel, that could give Israel or the US or anyone confidence that such a state could provide for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people or could resist takeover by terrorist elements. That's why to me the best solution for the Palestinians is to tie them in to existing economies and societies where the potential for a better life for them and their families is real, rather than pursuing a political objective that ultimately won't work and certainly won't benefit the daily lives of average Palestinians"
"Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. That isn't going to change. And putting the American embassy on a piece of ground well within the existing green line isn't going to offend anybody who is serious themselves about wanting peace. And I have a further objection. I don't think anybody should tell the US where it puts its embassy, anywhere."
"I think people need to pay more attention to the connection and collaboration between Iran and North Korea. We know that they've collaborated for nearly 30 years on ballistic missiles, and there's every reason to think that they've collaborated on the nuclear side. The day that North Korea gets a deliverable nuclear weapons capability, Iran can have it the next day by writing a check in the right amount of money. I have a zero risk tolerance for nuclear weapons in the hands of rogue states like Iran and North Korea because the threat to innocent civilians around the world, not just in America but in Israel and across the world, is very real."
A video of another of his speeches.
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1 comment:
Thanks a lot for this blog on Bolton and with the links!
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