Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), rejected Arab territorial claims in Israel, along with "the term 'occupation'."
"There is no occupation because the Arabs have been given 40% of Judea and Samaria already... where 99% of the Arabs live" under the 1993 Oslo Accords, he asserted. Pointing to numerous offers of statehood throughout the last two decades - each of which was rejected by the Palestinian Authority - he observed that "the Arabs do not even want a Palestinian state if it means accepting Israel."
"The problem will not be solved until there is a reformation of Islam," he continued, citing passages in the Koran which discourage friendly relations with non-Muslims and the infamous Hadith (Islamic tradition) which calls "for the murder of every Jew."
That tradition - which appears several times throughout the Hadith - also forms part of Hamas's official charter.
"Until there is a reformation, and major imams condemn suicide bombings and murders of Jews, peace is impossible," Klein emphasized.
Klein was speaking at the 21st annual Israel Day Concert at New York City's Central Park. Approximately 10,000 people were in attendance on Sunday to hear musical performances and addresses by leading policy-makers including Republican Senator Ted Cruz.