PM Netanyahu's remarks at wreath-laying ceremony at Embassy Square and at
the AMIA Building in Buenos Aires
PM Netanyahu: We must not be deterred in any way from the ongoing struggle
against extremist murderers. We must stand firmly, forcefully, determinedly,
against the perpetrators, supporters and distributors of terrorism.
(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Advisor)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's made the following remarks today
(Monday, 11 September 2017) at a wreath-laying ceremony at Embassy Square in
Buenos Aires

First of all, I am grateful for this ceremony. I know that it expresses
President Macri's commitment to fighting terrorism, fighting anti-Semitism,
remembering the lessons of the past and doing everything in his power to
prevent a recurrence of such tragedies.

Twenty-five years ago, we all united as one big family in the face of
destruction and horror. I assume we all remember where we were at that
moment. I remember the terrible impression left by the atrocities, carried
out by savage terrorists. This act broke our hearts, in Argentina and in
Israel, and in other places around the world. It was a moment of profound
shared fate, of mutual solidarity in pain and tears. We will never forget
the 29 lost souls, the 29 victims of the attack: men and women, J ews and
non-Jews, Argentinians and Israelis.

As the son of a bereaved family for 41 years, I say to you, the families
here and those who came with me from Israel: We are family. Your pain is my
pain, and I know that the wound never heals. The scar remains, but we have
the ability to support each other and ease the journey of grief as much as
possible. I wish to express my condolences to every family who lost a loved
one, and I wish a full recovery to the wounded.

Distinguished guests, alongside the memory and the grief, there is also a
lesson. The terrorist attack at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, much
like the attack on the AMIA building two years later, taught us that we must
not be deterred in any way from the ongoing struggle against extremist
murderers. We must stand firmly, forcefully, determinedly, against the
perpetrators, supporters and distributors of terrorism.

Global terrorism has two main foci: The terror of radical Shiite Islam led
by Iran, and the terrorism of radical Sunni Islam, first under the
leadership of al-Qaeda and now under the leadership of Daesh. Iran was
behind the major terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires in the 1990s, all the way
from the Middle East, along with its proxy, Hezbollah. They continue to
extend their tentacles all over of the world, even here to Latin America. We
are determined to fight Iran's terrorism; we are determined to prevent it
from establishing itself along our border. We are also determined to fight
the second group that spreads global terrorism around the world — ISIS. We
are helping all the countries that fight against them. Indeed, many have
joined this war, and there have been some achievements, but there is also a
problem. It turns out that the more successful the campaign against Daesh
is, it creates an equally serious problem: Daesh is defeated — Iran enters.
Daesh surrenders — Iran takes over. It is incumbent on all civilized
countries to fight terrorism in general, and Iran's terrorist attacks in
particular — the same Iran that committed these two horrifying crimes.

On this day, September 11, we stand at attention with our brothers and
sisters in the United States as well. We stand at attention in memory of the
thousands of victims who were murdered in the terrible terrorist attack on
the World Trade Center, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Buenos Aires, New York, Jerusalem, Paris, Barcelona and Brussels — no
country is immune to radical Islamist terrorism, and since this threat is
shared, the solution must be shared as well. We must face it together,
without fear, without hesitation. I believe that if we do this, the victory
of civilized people over the representatives of barbarism will be assured.
Progress will defeat the Middle Ages. Progress will subdue terrorism, which
in essence harms innocent people. But even in the Middle Ages, no one did
what Iran has done. Although in anci ent times innocent people were harmed,
ambassadors were never harmed, and if they were, it was considered an
unusual crime. Even in times of barbarism, they avoided hurting ambassadors,
but Iran did strike the embassy and created a new standard that we cannot
accept.

Whoever hurts us, we hurt them — legally, civilly, humanely — but terrorism
only wins if we do not fight it. Let us fight it, because all of our futures
are at stake. We will forever cherish the memory of the victims of the
attack, and we pledge ourselves in their name to eradicate terrorism, and
bring life and hope for progress and peace for all humankind.
=================================

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the AMIA Building in Buenos
Aires

(Communicated by the Prime Minister’s Media Advisor)

Thank you to the heads of the Jewish community of Buenos Aires and
Argentina.

My wife and I have come from Jerusalem, the beating heart of the Jewish
people for 3,000 years. We came to this building, which is the heart of the
Jewish community of Buenos Aires. Therefore, before anything else, this is a
heart-to-heart meeting. The longstanding Argentine Jewish community is a
warm and kind community, which continues to cultivate its Jewish identity,
invest in Jewish education and strengthen its ties to the State of Israel.
We appreciate you, we love you and we thank you for the warm reception.
Thank you, all.

Yet this visit has another dimension, one related to the events that
occurred here 23 years ago. We will never forget what happened here. Two
years after the horrific bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in
1992, where we just came from, terrorism struck again in the capital of
Argentina, this time – even harsher. We all shared the shock and pain, even
if thousands of kilometers separated us. Our hearts were broken. We saw the
terrible sights; we heard about the wounded and the slain, and we wept. We
received the reports and felt a deep sense of shared destiny. I can say this
personally because I am familiar with anguish and bereavement, and I know
what it is like to lose loved ones to the war on terror and in terrorist
attacks.

Recognizing the magnitude of loss, my wife and I, together with the entire
delegation, share in the grief of the families whose loved ones were
murdered in the AMIA Building. I hope that, the scar that you live with has
somewhat healed over the years, and does not stop you from enjoying happy
occasions and discovering new avenues for hope.

Since the tragedy that befell you, befell us all, much has changed in the
world when it comes to understanding terrorism. There is no country in the
whole world today that is immune to terrorism. Not even the countries that
instigate it. Everyone suffers from this scourge, but there are those who
consciously spread it, systematically and with a cruelt y that knows no
bounds. What has not changed is the source of the terrorism that attacked
this place.

Iran still instigates terrorism all over the globe as it did two-and-a half
decades ago. It was Iran that lit the fuse of the bomb that struck Argentina
twice. Iran initiated, planned and carried out these horrible attacks
through its proxy, Hezbollah. I thank President Macri and the authorities in
Argentina for their willingness to exhaust the investigation into the truth.
The time has come to publically place full responsibility on those
responsible and condemn them once and for all. The time has come to deliver
justice to the victims.

My friends, the Iranian threat is an ongoing challenge; it erupts from the
Middle East and sends tentacles in each and every direction, including here,
to Latin America, and it does so all the more forcefully in recent years.

Israel has spearheaded the fight against global terrorism, and we will
continue to act decisively and in various ways to defend ourselves against
Iranian aggression and terrorism, and terrorism at large. We will do so
together with our partners here in South America – Argentina – and of
course, in North America.

With us here today is a representative from the American Embassy, and on
this day we also bow our heads in memory of our brothers and sisters who
lost their lives in the dreadful attack on the Twin Towers and other places
in the US.

Twenty three years ago, brutal murderers were sent to blow up the AMIA
building, rendering it a pile of dust and rubble. Today, it stands again,
taller and stronger, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. This is also
true for the State of Israel. When you visit Israel, you can see the great
development. You see Israel rising as a global power in technology, cyber,
agriculture, water, in every field. Israel is becoming a force to be
reckoned with on the global stage.

My visit here reflects this change. It reflects the fact that we have
friends on all continents, and their number is increasing. The number of our
friends that realize that we share both a future and a threat, and that we
must work hand in hand, is growing. Undoubtedly, one of our great friends is
the President of Argentina, Macri, and for that reason, I decided to begin
my visit to South America here, in Buenos Aires.

On this day, September 11th, we remember the victims of the attacks. We
remember the victims of the attack here, on the AMIA Building in Buenos
Aires, and fulfill their bequest to grow stronger, to flourish, to increase
life and hope.

Long live the Argentine Republic; long live the State of Israel.

Thank you all and Shana Tova.