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Source: http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.asp?id=E24D7D80-378F-4C71-9EC0-56C022F23500
Netanyahu: Stopping Terror Must Come First
(National Post-Canada) - Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Finance Minister, told a Canadian delegation Wednesday that Israel's security is his country's first priority. Only after it has been established, he said, can there be peace and greater economic prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians. Netanyahu told the Canadian delegation, which included former premiers Mike Harris of Ontario and Brian Tobin of Newfoundland, that Western nations such as Canada must realize they are as much at risk from terrorists as Israel is. "If they eradicate Israel, it would just move the danger one step closer to you," Netanyahu said. "They hate us because we are you. Hatred of Israel is hatred of a society where women are free and where there is democracy like you have in Europe and the U.S. We are all in this together." Tobin was especially enthusiastic about the two-hour helicopter ride he shared with Harris. He compared the size and shape of Israel with his old federal riding [district] in Newfoundland. "But here we could see five countries attached to Israel [Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon]. It makes one realize why security is such an issue for every Israeli government," he said.