PM Netanyahu's Speech at the Knesset Session in Honor of the PM of Italy
Translation
03/02/2010
www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/PMSpeaks/speechberlukneset030210.htm

The entire Israeli Knesset warmly welcomes you, with generosity and deep
appreciation, as a true friend and faithful supporter of the Jewish people.

When I say the entire Knesset, I mean exactly that. Today, the entire
political spectrum represented in this house comes together in unity, even
rare unity, to say to you: "welcome". Welcome to the gates of this hall and
welcome to the gates of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Welcome,
courageous leader who stands by Israel.

As you know, sir, the historic connection between Rome and Jerusalem is very
deep and ancient. Rome was the heart of the empire whose legacy was marked
by unprecedented development for mankind - in science, engineering,
architecture, art, historiography, literature and law, while Jerusalem, our
capital, served in ancient times as an ideological center from which a new
concept regarding divinity and ethics spread to all ends of the universe: it
is of course the belief in one G-d, and the no less revolutionary notion
that all humans were created in the image of G-d - the origin of the concept
of universal human rights, which is the very essence of freedom.

The prophets of Israel also introduced to humanity the vision of universal
peace - "the beating of the swords into plowshares" - and this aspiration
has been beating in the hearts of our people ever since. It finds expression
in the historic peace treaties we signed with Egypt and Jordan and in our
aspiration, in these very days, to renew the peace process with our
neighbors. I know, sir, how much you and the people of Italy share this
aspiration. We talked about it.

If I mention history, it must be said that peace did not always prevail
between us.

The two great conflicts between Rome and Jerusalem - the Great Rebellion of
67 A.D. which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple, and the
Bar-Kochva Mutiny some 60 years later - were deep traumas in the history of
our people.

However, one must understand that what happened before and what happened
after was a deep historic and cultural meeting between Rome and Judea, and
that it was that meeting that forged Western civilization, the
Judeo-Christian tradition, which is the infrastructure of Western
civilization.

Both nations left an indelible mark on history, and their impact continues
to reverberate even in these very days.

However, not only during ancient times were Rome and Jerusalem intertwined.
In modern times as well there was a great affinity, which also affected our
history.

The revival of united Italy, the ideas of Mazzini and the outstanding
character and heroism of Giuseppe Garibaldi were like a fountain of fresh
water for the forefathers of Zionism.

The first book which began the Zionist movement and the Jewish national
revival was entitled - and by no accident - "Rome and Jerusalem". It was
written by Moshe Hess, a Jewish-German philosopher, and published in 1862, a
year after modern Italy became a nation-state. Hess was deeply affected by
the doctrine of Mazzini, the prophet of Italian liberal nationalism, and by
Italy's liberation and unification. In his book, he expressed the hope that
the Jewish people in Jerusalem, like the Italian people in Rome, would also
renew its independence in its historic homeland.

A straight line can be drawn between Hess' admiration for the Italian
national revival and the admiration of another national leader, Ze'ev
Jabotinsky, another forefather of Zionism and leader of the movement on
which I was educated. Jabotinsky studied law, philosophy and history in
Italy, he had a strong command of the Italian language and many of his
writings were in Italian, under the pseudonym "Altalena". "If I have a
spiritual homeland", he wrote, "it is Italy".

When, during the early years of the last century, he was tried and
incarcerated by the British mandatory government for organizing and leading
the Jewish Hagana in Jerusalem against rioters, Jabotinsky was crowned by
the press as "the Jewish Garibaldi".

Therefore, anyone who is familiar with the history of our people - the
history of ancient times and even more so, the history of modern times -
should not be surprised by the deep and natural connection between us.

Mr. Prime Minister,

This is not your first visit to the State of Israel, nor is it our first
meeting. However, every such meeting is a pleasant opportunity to express
our appreciation for your principled, firm and consistent stand regarding
Israel's right to live in peace with security, and Israel's right to an
active and decisive self-defense.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, you are a courageous leader who stands by
Israel at all times. And it is important that the citizens of Israel will
know just how consistent your support for us is.

Under your leadership, Italy is spearheading Europe's battle against
anti-Semitism and the battle to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. Italy
was one of the leading nations to demonstrate moral clarity and boycott the
Second Durban Conference. It did not take long for you to decide. It
happened right away. Recently, you once again took a firm stand against
another attempt to besmirch Israel - the distorted Goldstone Report, which
undermines Israel's right to defend itself and encourages terrorism
worldwide, thereby sabotaging the prospects of peace.

However, even before this, you led a welcome, just and courageous initiative
to include Hamas on the European Union's list of terror organizations.

You not only stand by us against our enemies and slanderers. You also bring
Israel closer to Europe. You championed the idea that we join the European
Union, and you also reiterated it during your current visit. Moreover, you
supported Israel's inclusion in the NATO alliance because you said, and I
quote: "it is important that they know that an attack against Israel by Iran
would be considered as an attack against Europe as a whole".

Under your leadership, the relations between our peoples and countries have
further developed and deepened. Italy has become one of Israel's closest
friends in Europe and the world.

For all of these reasons, Israel knows that it has a great friend in Europe,
in the shape of Silvio Berlusconi.

Our people were heartwarmed by your statements at an interview on the eve of
your visit to Israel regarding your experiences during your visit to
Auschwitz, the perseverance and heroism shown by the Jewish people in
building its state following the calamity, and our adherence to establishing
a glorious democracy in the difficult Middle-Eastern reality.
But above all, Mr. Prime Minister, I want to commend you on your statements
regarding the battle against the threat of a nuclear Iran. I want to repeat
your statements exactly as they were made because I believe it is important
that the words of a leader who is not only a friend of Israel's, but who is
also concerned for world peace, will be registered in the Knesset protocols.
I quote:

"The entire international community must decide and unanimously declare -
clearly and unequivocally - that it will not tolerate, as a matter of
principle, the acquisition of nuclear weapons by a country whose leaders
have openly declared their desire to destroy Israel and who have denied both
the Holocaust and the legitimacy of the existence of a Jewish national
home.the tragedy of World War II and the extermination of the Jews of Europe
did not begin on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland. It began
with the capitulation of the democratic regimes in Munich; it began with the
spirit of Munich which promised 'peace in our time' and in fact paved the
way for one of the greatest calamities in the history of mankind.".

Mr. Prime Minister, I myself fully support these clear and resolute
statements, and I assure you that the overwhelming majority, if not all, of
the members of this house, and the citizens of Israel, join me in doing so.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, our trusted friend.

This visit to Israel, the joint discussions we held with our government
ministers on a variety of important issues, the signing of nine important
agreements, and of course the personal, serious and in-depth talks we held -
I know that all of these will provide new momentum to the excellent
relations between Italy and Israel. However, in conclusion, I wish to add
another element.

I wish to share with you and the members of the Knesset a special story that
touched my heart. It is a story about an Italian woman during World War II.
On the train, on her way to work, this woman observed a German policeman
arresting a Jewish girl. The Italian woman, who was then eight months
pregnant, came between the German officer and the Jewish woman. Without an
ounce of fear she confronted the German officer and told him: "you can kill
me, but look at the faces of the passengers on the train. I assure you, they
will not let you out of here alive". With these decisive words, that
Italian woman saved the life of the Jewish girl. She lit, if only for a
second, a beacon of human light and courage in the great darkness that
covered the entire land of Europe at the time. That brave woman was named
Rosa, and one of her children is Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Prime Minister.

Your brave mother, Silvio, bequeathed to you the courage to stand strong in
favor of truth, freedom and justice. And you, my friend, have become the
courageous leader who stands by us. Not only in Italy do you enjoy the
people's support and admiration. Here in Israel, in the Jewish state, you
have won our people's hearts.

My friend,

In the name of all the people of Israel, I want to say to you: we respect
you, we embrace you, and we love you.

Welcome to Jerusalem.