Transcript [00:00] Israel has been trying to sit down at [00:02] the negotiating table without [00:04] preconditions for years. Prime Minister [00:08] Merritt made an equally generous offer. [00:10] The Palestinian Authority rejected it [00:14] also. Then John Kerry tried to come up [00:17] with a framework and Abbas didn't even [00:20] respond. Not even to the Secretary of [00:23] State of the United States of America. [00:27] They didn't even respond. When I become [00:30] president, the days of treating Israel [00:33] like a secondass citizen will end on day [00:37] one. Back in 2016, when President Trump [00:40] was first running for office, when he [00:43] was first running for president, he gave [00:45] an amazing speech to Apac, the America [00:48] Israel Public Affairs Committee, where [00:49] he laid out his understanding of how to [00:52] bring peace to the Middle East. And it's [00:54] amazing to look back on it after [00:57] everything that has happened. Have a [00:58] look. [01:01] >> When I'm president, believe me, I will [01:03] veto any attempt by the UN to impose its [01:08] will on the Jewish state. It will be [01:11] vetoed 100%. [01:15] [applause] [01:18] You see, I know about dealmaking. That's [01:20] what I do. I wrote the art of the deal. [01:26] one of the bestselling all time and I [01:29] mean seriously I'm saying one of because [01:31] I'll be criticizes when I say the so I'm [01:34] going to be very diplomatic one of [01:38] I'll be criticized I think it is number [01:40] one but why take a chance [01:46] one of the all-time best-selling books [01:49] about deals and deal making to make a [01:52] great deal you need two willing [01:55] participants We know Israel is willing [01:58] to deal. Israel has been trying. [02:01] [applause] [02:02] That's right. [02:06] Israel has been trying to sit down at [02:08] the negotiating table without [02:10] preconditions for years. You had Camp [02:13] David in 2000 where Prime Minister [02:16] Barack made an incredible offer, maybe [02:19] even too generous. Arafat rejected it. [02:23] In 2008, Prime Minister Ommerit made an [02:27] equally generous offer. The Palestinian [02:30] Authority rejected it also. Then John [02:34] Kerry tried to come up with a framework [02:37] and Abbas didn't even respond. Not even [02:40] to the Secretary of State of the United [02:44] States of America. They didn't even [02:46] respond. When I become president, the [02:50] days of treating Israel like a secondass [02:53] citizen will end on day one. [cheering] [03:02] [applause] [03:07] Thank you. [applause] [03:12] And when I say something, I mean it. I [03:15] mean it. [03:17] I will meet with Prime Minister [03:19] Netanyahu immediately. I have known him [03:22] for many years and will be able to work [03:25] closely together to help bring stability [03:28] and peace to Israel and to the entire [03:31] region. Meanwhile, every single day you [03:36] have rampant incitement and children [03:38] being taught to hate Israel and to hate [03:41] the Jews. It has to stop. [03:45] >> [applause] [03:50] >> When you live in a society where the [03:53] firefighters are the heroes, little kids [03:56] want to be firefighters. When you live [03:58] in a society where athletes and movie [04:01] stars are the heroes, little kids want [04:04] to be athletes and movie stars. In [04:07] Palestinian society, the heroes are [04:10] those who murder Jews. We can't let this [04:14] continue. We can't let this happen any [04:17] longer. You [applause] [04:28] You cannot achieve peace if terrorists [04:31] are treated as martyrs. Glorifying [04:34] terrorists is a tremendous barrier to [04:37] peace. It is a horrible, horrible way to [04:41] think. It's a barrier that can't be [04:43] broken. That will end. And it'll end [04:45] soon. Believe me. [applause] [04:53] In Palestinian textbooks and mosques, [04:56] you've got a culture of hatred that has [04:58] been fermenting there for years. And if [05:01] we want to achieve peace, they've got to [05:04] go out and they've got to start this [05:06] educational process. They have to end [05:10] education of hatred. They have to end [05:13] it. And now [applause] [05:19] there is no moral equivalency. [05:23] Israel does not name public squares [05:26] after terrorists. Israel does not pay [05:29] its children to stab random [05:32] Palestinians. [05:33] You see, what President Obama gets wrong [05:37] about dealmaking is that he constantly [05:40] applies pressure to our friends and [05:43] rewards our enemies. [05:46] [applause and cheering] [05:51] President Obama thinks that applying [05:54] pressure to Israel will force the issue, [05:57] but it's precisely the opposite that [05:59] happens. Already half of the population [06:02] of Palestine has been taken over by the [06:06] Palestinian ISIS in Hamas and the other [06:09] half refuses to confront the first half. [06:12] So it's a very difficult situation [06:15] that's never going to get solved unless [06:17] you have great leadership right here in [06:20] the United States. We'll get it solved [06:22] one way or the other. We will get it [06:25] solved. [06:28] >> [applause] [06:31] >> But when the United States stands with [06:33] Israel, the chances of peace really rise [06:37] and rises exponentially. [06:40] That's what will happen when Donald [06:42] Trump is president of the United States. [06:46] [cheering and applause] [06:51] We will move the American embassy to the [06:54] eternal capital of the Jewish people, [06:57] Jerusalem. [cheering] [07:02] [applause] [07:07] >> [applause] [07:14] [applause] [07:16] >> And we will send a clear signal that [07:19] there is no daylight between America and [07:22] our most reliable ally, the state of [07:26] Israel. [07:28] [cheering and applause] [07:32] The Palestinians must come to the table [07:35] knowing that the bond between the United [07:37] States and Israel is absolutely totally [07:41] unbreakable. [07:44] [applause] [07:47] They must come to the table willing and [07:49] able to stop the terror being committed [07:52] on a daily basis against Israel. They [07:55] must do that. [08:00] And they must come to the table willing [08:02] to accept that Israel is a Jewish state [08:06] and it will forever exist as a Jewish [08:10] state. [08:13] [cheering] [08:17] [applause] [08:23] [applause] [08:25] I love the people in this room. [08:28] I love Israel. I love Israel. I've been [08:31] with Israel so long in terms of I've [08:34] received some of my greatest honors from [08:36] Israel. My father before me, incredible. [08:40] My daughter Ivanka is about to have a [08:43] beautiful Jewish baby. [08:49] >> [applause] [08:54] >> In fact, it could be happening right [08:56] now, which would be very nice as far as [08:58] I'm concerned. [08:59] >> So, I want to thank you very much. This [09:01] has been a truly great honor. Thank you, [09:03] everybody. [09:04] >> Wow. So, that might be the most [09:07] pro-Israel speech ever given by a [09:09] presidential candidate. It certainly was [09:10] amazing. But what's really amazing about [09:12] that speech is looking back on it now. [09:14] President Trump referred to his still [09:17] refers to his policies in the Middle [09:19] East as peace through strength. And this [09:22] was a great illustration of why it [09:24] works. Especially that part where he [09:26] talked about what Obama gets wrong that [09:28] he tries to get your his the friends of [09:31] America, Israel, to make concessions and [09:35] uh punishes Israel basically for not [09:37] making concessions and rewards the [09:40] enemy. And President Trump flipped that [09:42] on its head with his policies. One of [09:44] the things that he did when he came into [09:45] office was that he cut off all the [09:47] funding to the Palestinian Authority so [09:50] long as they would continue to pay the [09:54] families of terrorists because the [09:55] Palestinian Authority has this policy of [09:58] paying anyone who murders Israelis. [10:01] President Trump referred to that in the [10:03] speech and he cut off that funding. He [10:05] basically said you can get all the [10:06] funding as soon as you stop paying the [10:08] terrorists. and they didn't do that and [10:10] he signed a bill called the Taylor Force [10:12] Act that made that into an American law. [10:15] Now, a lot of people don't realize that [10:17] during Trump's administration was the [10:20] period, the four-year period with the [10:22] fewest terrorist attacks, the fewest [10:26] casualties from terrorism of any period [10:29] in Israel's history. In fact, the three [10:32] years from when Israel was born in 1948 [10:34] till today, the three years in Israel's [10:37] history that had the lowest number of [10:39] deaths from terrorism in Israel were [10:42] 2020 was the lowest, 2019 was second [10:45] lowest, and 2018 was third lowest in [10:49] history. And these had everything to do [10:51] with Trump's peace through strength [10:53] policies. Peace through strength also [10:54] applied to the move of the embassy. [10:56] Remember before the embassy was moved, [10:58] everyone was screaming about, "Oh, oh my [11:00] gosh, if America moves the embassy, the [11:02] Arab world is going to erupt and there's [11:03] going to be wars and there's going to be [11:05] a diplomatic crisis." And of course, [11:07] nothing happened. It's the biggest dog [11:09] that didn't bark story in the history of [11:11] geopolitics that the embassy was moved [11:14] and it was a show of strength. In fact, [11:16] the Abraham Accords, these unprecedented [11:18] deals with Arab countries and Israel, [11:21] happened after the embassy moved. Not [11:23] only did the Arab world not erupt in [11:26] anger at the embassy move, in fact, they [11:28] were drawn closer to making peace with [11:30] Israel. It was also so important that [11:32] President Trump pointed out the lack of [11:34] moral equivalency. Yes, there are bad [11:36] actors on the Israeli side as well. [11:38] There are thugs on in every society, but [11:41] Israel does not reward terrorists. [11:43] Israel does not name public squares and [11:46] parks and schools after terrorists. The [11:48] Palestinian Authority does. And most [11:51] importantly, he talked about the fact [11:53] that the Palestinians don't actually [11:54] want to make a deal with Israel. They [11:56] incite their children to hatred. And [11:58] everything about this speech really [12:00] speaks to President Trump's cleareyed [12:03] understanding of incentives of leverage [12:07] and what is actually happening in in the [12:09] Middle East. And we're seeing the [12:10] results of it again today where the bad [12:13] actors are being punished and the good [12:16] guys are being rewarded. And that's [12:18] actually how you bring peace. There was [12:19] more peace in the Middle East during [12:21] Trump's first term than ever before. [12:24] Now, of course, he came into office in [12:25] the second term. There was already an [12:26] ongoing war, but he's in the process of [12:30] solving that, too. So, it's just amazing [12:32] to look back at this speech from, you [12:34] know, from 10 years ago and see the [12:37] clear policy of peace through strength [12:40] being laid out right there at the [12:41] beginning by President Trump. And he [12:43] actually did fulfill the commitments [12:46] that he made there. Pretty amazing [12:47] speech.
