President Shimon Peres sent New Year’s greetings to the nation before Rosh
Hashana with best wishes for peace and security, stability and
growth.
Disturbed by recent outbreaks of racial and religious
discrimination, Peres declared that there is no room for racism or violence of
any kind in the country, and condemned all forms of extremism and discrimination
based on race, religion or political affiliation.
Israel is a pluralistic
society of many shades, a society of Jews, Christians, Muslim Arabs, Beduin,
Druse and Circassians who live together in coexistence.
All incidents of
discrimination must be dealt with by the legal authorities, Peres stated, and
greater emphasis must be placed on education towards tolerance and
equality.
On Thursday, the president received a telephone call from
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas who conveyed his good wishes for
the New Year to all Israeli citizens, and emphasized that just as the people of
Israel yearn for peace, so do the Palestinians. He expressed the hope that there
would be progress in the stalled peace process in the year ahead.
In his
own message to the nation, Peres wrote that the State of Israel is in itself a
miracle and proof of the ability to overcome all odds.
With the
realization that Israel lacked natural resources, Peres said, came the
determination to make the most of human resources and a courageous
spirit.
Israel invested its efforts in science and technology, which
impacted all aspects of life. As a result, Israel has one of the best armies in
the world, a flourishing economy, a democratic administration, social security
and academic excellence. Israel combines that rare quality of being both the
People of the Book and the Start-up Nation, Peres stated.