Mark Regev
Mark Regev
Mark Regevis an Israeli diplomat and civil servant, and the Ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom since April 2016. Prior to that, he was the chief spokesman for the Prime Minister of Israel, a position he held from 2007 to 2015. Originally from Australia, he moved to Israel in 1982...
cosmetic course hope israelis minds move question whether
The question that many Israelis have on their minds is whether this is cosmetic or is this a substantial move in the right direction. Of course we very much hope it is the latter.
balance both challenge faced found gaza maximum movement providing security sides solutions successful threats
We found solutions both sides can live with. The challenge was to find a successful balance between the very real security threats faced by Israel, while providing maximum movement in and out of Gaza for the Palestinians. I think it's a win-win agreement.
approach attitude continue europe forward hopeful issue move return seen
We're hopeful that Europe will continue to move forward in its attitude to the Israel-Palestinian issue and not return to the more one-sided approach that we've seen in the past.
ability armed attacks based business clear entire expect follow forward gangs message move promises send
We want to send a very clear and unequivocal message that after attacks like this it's not business as usual. We expect them to follow through on their promises -- that these armed gangs be disarmed. Our entire ability to move forward is based on that promise.
close crossing decision maximum movement next opened security suicide threats wave weighed
We want to see maximum movement at the crossings, but that decision has to be weighed next to the very real security threats that there are, ... If we opened every crossing and there were a wave of suicide bombings, then we'd just have to close everything down again.
ahead allow balancing desire issue maximum move movement people possible security threats
We have to move ahead on the crossings issue by balancing the very real security threats with the desire to allow for maximum possible movement of people and goods.
foreign headed israeli left move possible work
I know the Israeli negotiating team, headed by our foreign minister, Shlomo Ben-Ami, left here with a feeling, with a sense that we do have something to work with and it is possible to move forward.
agreement balanced borders bring concerns desire elements extremists fear gaza goods helping instead maximum movement porous possible pour provides reached security strip time today weaponry
The fear was that extremists would use porous borders to pour into Gaza to bring in explosives, weaponry cash, and that would energize the most extremist elements in the Gaza Strip instead of helping the moderates. I think this agreement that we have reached today has the right balance. It provides the maximum possible movement for Palestinians to move in and out of Gaza, as they desire and for goods to come in and out of Gaza, and at the same time for that to be balanced with the very real security concerns that everyone has.
cautious optimism word
I think we should use the word cautious optimism.
assessment jury
Our assessment is that the jury is still out.
appears extremists followed problem violent
It appears the problem with these extremists is that they followed through on their violent declarations with violent actions.
attacks business clear leadership message prevent send
When you have these attacks you can't go on with business as usual. We want to send a clear message to the Palestinian leadership that they have to do more to prevent violence.
anyone wrong
We were not more wrong than anyone else.
borders open security understand
We understand there are real needs, and we'll do what we can, but we can't just open up the borders immediately, because of security concerns. We'll do things incrementally.