The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for making clear to the U.S. Congress and the world, in his address today before the U.S. Congress, to Hamas’ call for the world-wide murder of every Jew and his reiteration that Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian Authority (PA)/Hamas unity government nor return to the perilous 1949 armistice lines. Mr. Netanyahu also spoke of the PA’s continuing promotion of terrorism and glorification of terrorists, of retaining Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital, the need for Palestinian refugees and their million descendants to be resettled outside Israel and the vital importance of maintaining an Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley.  Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel must retain control over the Jewish holy places in Judea and Samaria. He also spoke of the need to retain all options to prevent Iran’s acquiring nuclear weapons – implying the military option must be left on the table.

In his speech, Mr. Netanyahu said of Hamas, “Hamas remains committed to Israel’s destruction and to terrorism.  They have a charter.  That charter not only calls for the obliteration of Israel, but says ‘kill the Jews wherever you find them’” (In Article 7 of its Charter, Hamas says, “the Islamic Resistance Movement aspires to the realisation of Allah’s promise, no matter how long that should take. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said: ‘The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Muslims, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.’ (related by al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Hamas has also made several calls supporting Al Qaeda terrorism and called for the destruction of the U.S. and mass-murder of Americans:

·         Hamas’ Ahmed Bahar, Acting Speaker of the PA legislature: “Allah, take hold of the Americans and their allies… Allah, count them and kill them to the last one and don’t leave even one.” (‘PA Leader calls for killing all Jews and Americans,’ Palestinian Media Watch, April 20, 2007).

·         Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal: “Were the entire umma (Muslim peoples) to fight as well as the Palestinians and Iraqis “in Rafah, Jenin and Falluja, then by God we will defeat both the United States and Israel” (Reuters, April 19, 2004).

·         Hamas statement on death of Al-Qaeda’s Abbas Musab al Zarqawi: a “brother fighter… who was martyred at the hands of the savage crusade campaign which targets the Arab homeland, starting in Iraq.” (‘Who’s sad about Zarqawi?,’ Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2006); Hamas ‘Foreign Minister’ Mahmoud Zahar: “We are dead sure that assassination of any of the people (like al-Zarqawi) who are resisting will not … end the resistance.” (‘Zahar: Zarqawi’s death will not end resistance,’ Jerusalem Post, June 8, 2006).

Mr. Netanyahu repudiated the idea of negotiating with the P.A./Fatah/Hamas regime, saying, “Hamas is not a partner for peace … Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda.” He also said that “Israel will not return to the indefensible lines of 1967.”

Importantly, Mr. Netanyahu also said, “it is vital that Israel maintain a long-term military presence along the Jordan River. Solid security arrangements on the ground are necessary not only to protect the peace, they are necessary to protect Israel in case the peace unravels.  For in our unstable region, no one can guarantee that our peace partners today will be there tomorrow. And when I say tomorrow, I don’t mean some distant time in the future.  I mean – tomorrow”

Also, Mr. Netanyahu said of the Palestinian leadership, “They continue to educate their children to hate. They continue to name public squares after terrorists.  And worst of all, they continue to perpetuate the fantasy that Israel will one day be flooded by the descendants of Palestinian refugees” (‘Speech by PM Netanyahu to U.S. Congress,’ May 24, 2011).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “We strongly praise Prime Minister Netanyahu for performing a public service by emphasizing that, not only does the terrorist organization Hamas call for the destruction of Israel, it also calls for the worldwide murder of Jews. Israel must not negotiate with terrorist-sponsoring regimes like Abbas’ PA; and it certainly must not negotiate with any Palestinian regime that includes Hamas or any other genocidal, Islamist organization. It also behooves us to remember that Hamas not only supports Al Qaeda and other jihadists but it also calls for the destruction of America and the murder of Americans. A PA/Hamas regime is no peace partner and must not receive a cent of U.S. taxpayers’ money. Giving U.S. aid to the PA now is illegal, immoral and counter-productive.

“Also importantly, Mr. Netanyahu pointed to the much-ignored fact that several Arab regimes are unstable and could be gone tomorrow, taking with them any agreements they have signed. This includes regimes like Egypt. It could also include the PA. Agreements on paper are worthless if the regime signing them are themselves sponsors of terror and violence or are replaced by still more extreme and violent regimes. Equally importantly, Mr. Netanyahu pointed to the continuing glorification of terrorists and terrorism by the PA, under which circumstances no peace can be possible. Too often, the PA’s promotion of hatred and murder has been ignored, completely distorting perceptions of the realities facing Israel. Today, Prime Minister Netanyahu rightly reminded his audience of the true state of affairs. In this context, it is also right that Prime Minister Netanyahu posed and answered a key question, ‘So why has peace not been achieved?  Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.’

“Sitting in the packed audience when Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed Congress, I witnessed first-hand repeated standing ovations and thunderous applause, showing clearly the enormous bipartisan support that Israel enjoys in both Houses of Congress.”