BIDEN ADDRESS AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
by Hillel Fendel (Arutz Sheva News)
In a widely-touted speech at Tel Aviv University on Thursday, just hours before he is to fly out of Israel for Jordan, U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden said, “US President Barack Obama and myself know that the U.S. has no better friend in the community of nations than Israel.”
Given the known Meretz/left-wing orientation of the Tel Aviv University atmosphere, it was no surprise when Biden was applauded when he repeated his sharp criticism of the approval of construction in Jerusalem’s Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. Biden said, however, that he appreciates Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s “clarification” regarding the timing of the announcement.
Biden said he originally thought the construction was to begin right away, but that after he heard from Netanyahu that it could be a matter of years before it begins, “there is no reason not to resume the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
“The status quo is not sustainable,” Biden said, referring to the stalemate between the sides. He posited that Israel would be unable to remain a Jewish state while the Arab population continues to grow unless a Palestinian state is formed alongside it.
The visiting Vice President praised Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), saying, “President Obama believes in Abu Mazen and in the fact that the Israelis finally have a Palestinian leader who shares with them the idea of the establishment of a Palestinian state. This is an opportunity that must not be wasted.”
Regarding Iran, Biden said that the struggle against Iran’s nuclear program is “at the top of the priorities of the U.S. Administration. The United States is committed to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, period.” He said that the Arab nations that are concerned about Iranian nuclear power “should promote the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.”
