♪♪(music playing)♪♪ (applause) (no audio) Speaker:
(speaking in a foreign language) (no audio) Speaker:
(speaking in a foreign language) ♪♪(music playing)♪♪ (no audio) ♪♪(music playing)♪♪ (no audio) President Shimon Peres:
President Barack Obama, dear
friend, welcome to Israel. We welcome you as a great
President of the United States of America. As a remarkable world leader. As a historic friend of Israel. Your visit here is a crown
demonstration of the profound relationship between
our two nations. The people of Israel welcome
you with open hearts. From the depth of our heart,
from the depths of our history, (speaking in a foreign language) Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, America. Thank you for what you are. Thank you for what you do. Thank you for the hopes
you carry with you. In a few minutes, you will
be on your way to Jerusalem. Our ancient capital. The cradle of all
believers, of all prayers. You will see the hills
and mountains where our prophets preached. Where the soul of the
Jewish People was born. Where the State of
Israel was created. America and Israel
-- what should I do? Are somewhat different in size. In size, but not in destiny. The American dream
stems from the Bible. The Israeli spirit is inspired
by American exceptionalism. We are separated by an ocean
and united by a commitment for freedom, to justice by the
ongoing struggle for peace. We face the same dangers. We share the same hopes. The United States became great
by giving, not by taking. Your generosity enabled freedom
to prevail all over the world. A world without America,
without American leadership, without her moral voice --
your moral voice -- would be a darker world. A world without your friendship
would invite aggression against Israel. Mr. President, your story
reflects the history of the world as it is. Your vision reflects the
future as it should be. You have offered the American
people and the peoples of all the world a
leadership of vision, a leadership of values. A leadership dedicated
to a brighter tomorrow. In times of peace,
in times of war, your support for
Israel is unshakeable. You enabled our security
in an extraordinary way, to project strength. To strive for peace. Strengthening security is the
best way to strengthen peace. We long to see an end to the
conflict with the Palestinians. To see the Palestinians enjoying
freedom and prosperity in their own state. We extend our hand in peace
to all the countries in the Middle East. America stood by our side
in the very beginning. You supported us as we
rebuilt our ancient homeland; as we defended our land. From Holocaust to redemption. From Truman to Obama. Mr. President, wherever
you will go in our land, you will meet the friendship,
the warmth of the people expecting you and thanking you. The people of Israel
want you to feel at home. Welcome home, Mr. President. (applause) (no audio) Prime Minister Netanyahu:
President Obama, this
is an historic moment. You have chosen to come to
Israel as the first foreign visit of your second term. You, the leader of
the United States, the world's greatest democracy,
have chosen to come to our somewhat smaller but no less
vibrant democracy in the heart of the Middle East, the one and
only Jewish state of Israel. On behalf of the government
and the people of Israel, I come here today with a simple
message for you and the American people: Thank you. Thank you for standing by Israel
at this time of historic change in the Middle East. Thank you for unequivocally
affirming Israel's sovereign right to defend itself by
itself against any threat. Thank you for enhancing Israel's
ability to exercise that right through generous
military assistance, revolutionary missile
defense programs, and unprecedented security
and intelligence cooperation. Thank you, Mr. President, for
upholding the Jewish people's right to a Jewish state
in our historic homeland, and for boldly defending that
right at the United Nations. And thank you for strengthening
the unbreakable alliance between our two nations during
your Presidency. In an unstable and
uncertain Middle East, the need for our alliance
is greater than ever. It is the key to thwarting
dangers and advancing peace; it's the key to achieve a stable
and secure peace that the people of Israel yearn for all
our neighbors and with all our hearts. We seek a peace with our
Palestinian neighbors. I look forward to working with
you over the next four years to make the alliance between our
two countries even stronger. Mr. President, on
this historic visit, you will have an opportunity to
see a different side of Israel. You will see past, present, and
future in this tiny land which has left such a huge imprint
on the course of civilization. You will see the ancient
Dead Sea Scrolls, the world's oldest
text of the Bible, written in Hebrew
here 2,000 years ago, scrolls that bear witness to the
timeless bond between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. You will meet the young men and
women of Israel who make it one of the most creative and
dynamic societies on earth. And you will see Israeli
technology and innovation which are fundamentally
transforming the way we live. Mr. President, Barack
-- on a lighter side, I had an opportunity to see your
interview on Israeli television the other day. I took note of your desire to
go incognito around Israel, so if you have a
few free minutes, and you can arrange to slip
away from your security -- a daunting task -- well, we
picked out a few cafes and bars in Tel Aviv, and we
even prepared a fake mustache for you. Mr. President, the people of
Israel are honored to have you visit our country. We warmly welcome you
as our cherished guest. We deeply appreciate
your friendship. And we share your hope that the
Middle East will enjoy a future of freedom,
prosperity and peace. Mr. President, Baruch HaBa
L'Yisrael: Welcome to Israel. (applause) President Obama:
Shalom. (applause) President Peres, Prime Minister
Netanyahu, and most of all, to the people of Israel,
thank you for this incredibly warm welcome. This is my third visit
to Israel so let me just say tov lihiyot shuv ba'aretz. (applause) I'm so honored to be here as
you prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of a free and
independent State of Israel. Yet I know that in
stepping foot on this land, I walk with you on the historic
homeland of the Jewish people. More than 3,000 years ago,
the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here,
prayed to God here. And after centuries of
exile and persecution, unparalleled in
the history of man, the founding of the Jewish
State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike
any in history. Today, the sons of Abraham
and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the
dream of the ages -- to be "masters of their
own fate" in "their own sovereign state." And just as we have for
these past 65 years, the United States is proud to
stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend. As I begin my second
term as President, Israel is the first stop
on my first foreign trip. This is no accident. Across this region the
winds of change bring both promise and peril. So I see this visit as an
opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds
between our nations, to restate America's unwavering
commitment to Israel's security, and to speak directly
to the people of Israel and to your neighbors. I want to begin right now,
by answering a question that is sometimes asked about
our relationship -- why? Why does the United
States stand so strongly, so firmly with the
State of Israel? And the answer is simple. We stand together because
we share a common story -- patriots determined "to be
a free people in our land," pioneers who forged a nation,
heroes who sacrificed to preserve our freedom, and
immigrants from every corner of the world who renew constantly
our diverse societies. We stand together because
we are democracies. For as noisy and
messy as it may be, we know that democracy
is the greatest form of government ever devised by man. We stand together because
it makes us more prosperous. Our trade and investment create
jobs for both our peoples. Our partnerships in science
and medicine and health bring us closer to new cures,
harness new energy and have helped transform
us into high-tech hubs of our global economy. We stand together because we
share a commitment to helping our fellow human beings
around the world. When the earth shakes
and the floods come, our doctors and rescuers
reach out to help. When people are suffering,
from Africa to Asia, we partner to fight disease
and overcome hunger. And we stand together
because peace must come to the Holy Land. For even as we are clear-eyed
about the difficulty, we will never lose sight of
the vision of an Israel at peace with its neighbors. So as I begin this visit, let
me say as clearly as I can --the United States of America stands
with the State of Israel because it is in our fundamental
national security interest to stand with Israel. It makes us both stronger. It makes us both
more prosperous. And it makes the
world a better place. (applause) That's why the United States
was the very first nation to recognize the State of
Israel 65 years ago. That's why the Star of David
and the Stars and Stripes fly together today. And that is why I'm confident
in declaring that our alliance is eternal, it is
forever - lanetzach. Thank you very much. (applause) Speaker:
(speaking a foreign language) (no audio) ♪♪(music playing)♪♪ (no audio) Speaker:
(speaking a foreign language) (no audio) Speaker:
(speaking a foreign language) ♪♪(music playing)♪♪ Speaker:
(speaking a foreign language) (no audio)
At first I was like, "Wait, Obama made aliyah?"