News and Events
March 9, 2010
Address by PM Netanyahu to the Christians United For Israel Jerusalem Summit
The greatest threat facing mankind is the specter of a militant Islamic regime acquiring nuclear weapons.
Excerpts:
… No security challenge is more important to our common future than preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. I have said before and I'll say again, that the greatest threat facing mankind is the specter of a militant Islamic regime acquiring nuclear weapons, or the specter of nuclear weapons acquiring a militant Islamic regime. The first is dangerously close to happening in Iran, and the second may or may not happen in Pakistan. I believe that with the right policies both can be averted.
If Iran develops atomic weapons, the world would never be the same. We would witness a cascade of terrorism across the globe as terrorists would operate under an Iranian nuclear umbrella. Look at how much havoc, how much terror they sow now, when there is no such umbrella, and understand what can happen if Iran, their patron, sponsor, supplier and supporter, if that Iran had nuclear weapons. Equally, the region's vital oil supplies could be severely threatened and efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would collapse as one regime after another would rush to acquire nuclear weapons of their own. Worst of all, if nuclear weapons would be given to terrorists, or to terrorist states, a 65 year-old era of nuclear peace would be endangered for the first time.
Remember that for the tyrants in Tehran, Israel is only the little Satan. In their eyes, America is the Great Satan. America is their ultimate target. Yet for Israel, the threat from Iran could not be clearer. Iran's leaders openly call for Israel's destruction. They brazenly deny the Holocaust and they hope, and they say so just about every other day, they hope to wipe Israel off the map of the Middle East.
We must not allow such a regime to threaten the peace of the world, the peace and security of all humanity. All responsible members of the international community must do everything in their power to stop Iran from developing atomic weapons.
As we speak the United States is leading an international effort to impose sanctions on Iran. We believe those sanctions must have teeth. And to have teeth, they must bite deep into Iran's energy sector. Simply put, they should prevent Iran from importing gasoline and from exporting oil. I believe that such measures might convince the regime to choose between continuing the weapons program and between assuring the regime's future. But there must be tough, biting sanctions.
I said that we face great challenges to our security, but we also face unprecedented challenges to our legitimacy. Now this assault on our legitimacy comes in many forms - it comes from the so-called human rights bodies in the UN which would deny Israel its legitimate right of self-defense, it comes by falsely charging Israel's political and military leaders with imaginary war crimes, and it comes by the outrageous waging campaigns to boycott, divest and sanction Israel. You are all familiar with that.
But I think that there is an even greater assault on our legitimacy. I think it is the attempt to perpetrate one of the greatest lies of history - to deny the connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel; to cast the Jewish people as foreigners in the land of our forefathers. Make no mistake about it. The attempt to deny our history in this land is an attempt to deny our future in this land. That is why to defend our past is to defend our future...
Israel faces great challenges. We must prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. We must repel the assault on our legitimacy. We must find a way to achieve peace with our neighbors...
(Courtesy of the MFA Newsletter)
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Israel assumes chairmanship of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research
The International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) currently consists of 27 member states, including many European states, the US, Canada, Argentina and Israel.
Israel assumed chairmanship of the International Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF) at a handover ceremony, which was held at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin on March 4th 2010. At the ceremony, the chairmanship was transferred from Norway to Israel. The new chairman of the ITF for this year is former Knesset Speaker Dan Tichon, who has taken over from his Norwegian predecessor, Ambassador Tom Vraalsen. The Israeli delegation is comprised of members from the Foreign Ministry and Yad Vashem.
The International Task Force currently consists of 27 member states, including many European states, the US, Canada, Argentina and Israel. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration in which the ITF was established. The ITF Secretariat is situated in Berlin. In addition to the organization's work in Holocaust education, commemoration and research, the ITF has now established a committee which will deal with combating modern anti-Semitism.
During the Israeli Chairmanship, four conferences will be held by the ITF in Israel to integrate new initiatives such as distance learning, working with decision makers and expanding the circle of member states. For the first time since its inception, the ITF will grant scholarships in the field of Holocaust research.
(Communicated by the MFA Spokesman)
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March 8, 2010
Hebrew U. 'Science Train' traverses Israel to mark
National Science Day, Einstein's birthday
Part of the 'Scientists on the Trains' series on Israel Railways
Jerusalem, March 8, 2010 - What were Einstein's breakthroughs? Who developed cherry tomatoes? Physics experiments on the train!
To mark National Science Day (and Einstein's Birthday) on March 14, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel Railways are organizing a 'Science Train' traversing Israel from Beer Sheva to Haifa, as part of the monthly 'Scientists on the Trains' lecture series.
Commuters on the train will be treated to lectures on the contribution of Albert Einstein to humanity; will meet one of the scientists who developed cherry tomatoes and learn how a scientist develops an invention; and will witness physics experiments during their train journey.
Prof. Hanoch Gutfreund, physicist and former president of the Hebrew University, will talk about Albert Einstein's contribution to science, whose birthday on March 14 is marked by National Science Day. "In Einstein's life, there were two years during which he made scientific breakthroughs that changed our outlook on the world forever and influenced not only modern physics but also our daily lives," says Prof. Gutfreund. "Thanks to his understanding of the essence of light and its interaction with matter, many technologies have been developed – from the elevator door to ballistic missiles."
Prof. Haim Rabinowitch, former rector of the Hebrew University, will talk about the development process of cherry tomatoes, which he developed with Prof. Nachum Kedar. "We were looking for a way to slow down the quick ripening of regular tomatoes, a phenomenon that is typical for large tomatoes in hot countries. After a great deal of work over many months, in 1973 we succeeded in identifying the appropriate genetic combination to slow down maturation, and developed a way to exploit the genes to enhance the tomatoes," explains Prof. Rabinowitch.
Cherry tomatoes will be distributed to passengers on the train during the lecture.
Yehonadav Bekenstein, physicist and instructor in the Hebrew University's youth science courses, will be demonstrating experiments to passengers that deal with the questions: What do mountain trains, nuclear submarines and riding bikes have in common? Why doesn't a car turn over when it takes a sharp turn? And how is this related to planetary orbits around the sun? Can a spinning top rotate in the air? Newton's law, angular momentum, centripetal force, centripetal acceleration, coriolis affect, inertia principal and movement without friction.
The first lecture by Prof. Gutfreund will take place on the train departing from Beer Sheva Central at 10:27 a.m., and the physics experiments will take place on the same line at 11:15 a.m. The lecture by Prof. Rabinowitch will take place when the train departs from Tel Aviv University towards Haifa at 12:20 p.m. At 1:28 p.m., Prof. Rabinowitch will give another lecture on the train leaving Haifa Hof HaCarmel to Tel Aviv.
(Courtesy of the Hebrew University spokesperson)
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