Friends of Israel Initiative

Israel appeared as a light in a world emerging from deep darkness. Against all odds, that light has not been extinguished. It burns bright, upheld by the universal principles of all civilized nations - freedom democracy, justice.

— Stephen Harper

OPINION ARTICLES

  • The Friends of Israel Initiative mourns the passing of Czech President Vaclav Havel, one of our Founding Members

    Statement on the Passing of Founding Member Vaclav Havel

     We will forever be grateful for his support and leadership, and humbled by his exemplary and steadfast courage in the face of immense odds.

    2011-12-19 by The Friends of Israel Initiative Members

  • Palestine: To Be, or Not to Be, That Is Not the Question

    If Abu Mazen, also known as Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, really wanted to have a state, he didn’t need to go all the way to the United Nations to get it – it’d have been enough to accept Israel’s call to dialogue and sit with the Israeli Administration in order to try to resolve the disputed issues.

    2011-09-28 by Rafael L. Bardají

  • Implications of the Unilateral Declaration of a Palestinian State

    Speech delivered at the House of Commons

    Implications of the Unilateral Declaration of a Palestinian State

    The following is the text of a speech by the FoII Chairman José María Aznar  at the House of Commons delivered on September 5th in London. "The discussion at the UN about recognizing a Palestinian state will have some important consequences, though not as dramatic as some may think".

    2011-09-05 by José María Aznar

  • The Jerusalem Post

    How not to have a Palestinian State

    This piece was co-written by members of the Friends of Israel Initiative: Jose M. Aznar, David Trimble, Alejandro Toledo, G. Weidenfeld, Marcello Pera, Andrew Roberts, F. Nirenstein, G. Weigel, R. Agostinelli, C. Bustelo and William Shawcross.

    2011-07-14 by Members of the Friends of Israel Initiative

  • Article published at the National Review/Digital

    Friends in Need

    Jay Nordlinger, in the National Review’s issue of July 4th 2011, takes a close look at the Friends of Israel Initiative, its fight to defend Israel’s right to exist as a normal country and the principles that moved its founder.

    2011-07-04 by Jay Nordlinger

  • Friends of Israel Initiative in the AIPAC Policy Conference

    Friends of Israel Initiative in the AIPAC Policy Conference

    The following is the speech delivered by the FoII Chairman José María Aznar to the AIPAC Policy Conference, last 24th May in Washington.

    2011-05-24 by José María Aznar

  • The Real Palestinian Catastrophe

    Palestinians mark ‘Nakba Day’ on 15 May; ‘Nakba’, meaning catastrophe, is the day they commemorate the exodus they suffered in 1948 after the first war of the Arabs against Israel. This year, in addition to the protests in Jerusalem, there have been attempts to penetrate Israeli territory from Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.

    2011-05-23 by Rafael L. Bardají

  • What Israel Means To Me

     If one takes a look at the region, from Morocco to Pakistan, there’s only one island of stability and prosperity: Israel; and there are only two democracies: Israel and Iraq.

    2011-04-10 by Rafael Bardají