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Thank You, America

(Prime Minister's Office) Independence Day Greetings from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - I wanted to express my appreciation to President Obama and to the American people as you celebrate Independence Day. As Israel's Prime Minister, I appreciate deeply all that America has done for Israel. America's revolution was founded on two very powerful ideas. First, that people should have the right to elect their own leaders and be sovereign over their own destiny. And second, that the power of those leaders, the power of governments, must be checked so that individual rights will be protected. These two powerful ideas made America a beacon of liberty for all humanity. To be a real democracy, it is not enough to have a government that represents the majority of the people. Real democracy also means having a government that respects the rights of each and every individual in it. Real democracy is not merely about holding popular elections. It is about what happens between elections. It means ensuring that no one is above the law. It means protecting free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion. It means upholding the rights of women, minorities, gays, children, everyone. By ensuring both popular sovereignty and individual rights, the nations of the region can join America and Israel in being genuine democracies. Now, will this happen in the Middle East? In the near term, I think we'll all agree, there's ample reason for skepticism. But in the long term I believe there's reason for hope. Ultimately, the power of freedom is bound to prevail. Ultimately, people throughout the region will enjoy the rights that we in free societies too often take for granted. July 4th is a time to not take freedom for granted. It's a time to be thankful that history granted America the power to match its ideals with action. It's a time for free people everywhere to send their best wishes to the United States of America, to the country that has done so much to make the world a safer, freer and more peaceful place.
2012-07-04 00:00:00
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