YouSaid · the spoken record
Benjamin Netanyahu
We hold 65 passages that may be Benjamin Netanyahu’s. We do not publish them until we can confirm who spoke. See the correction.
On the record 1998–2023
podcast · un-general-debate
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“Let us bring forth the blessings of a new Middle East that will transform lands once ridden with conflict and chaos into fields of prosperity and peace. And may we avoid the perils of Al by combining the forces of human and machine intelligence to usher in a brilliant future for our world, in our time and for all time.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Our goal must be to ensure that Al brings more freedom and not less, prevents wars instead of starting them, and ensures that people live longer. healthier, more productive and peaceful lives. That is in our reach. As we harness the powers of Al. let us always remember the irreplaceable value of human intuition and wisdom. Let us cherish and preserve the human capacity for empathy, which no machine can replace. Thousands of years ago. Moses presented the children of Israel with a timeless and universal choice. “Behold. I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (The Holy Bible, Deuteronomy, 11-26). May we choose wisely between the curse and the blessings that stand before us this day. Let us harness our resolve and our courage to stop the curse of a nuclear Iran and roll back its fanaticism and aggression.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“I know that sounds like a John Lennon song, but it could all happen. Let us imagine that we can achieve the end of scarcity, something that has eluded humankind for all history. It is all within our reach. And here is something else within our reach. With Al. we can explore the heavens as never before and extend humankind beyond our blue planet. For good or bad. the developments of Al will be spearheaded by a handful of nations. And my country. Israel, is already among them. Just as Israel’s technological revolution provided the world with breathtaking innovations. I am confident that Al developed by Israel will once again help all humankind. I call upon world leaders to come together to shape the great changes before us. but to do so in a responsible and ethical way.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Let us imagine the blessings of finally cracking the genetic code, extending human life by decades and dramatically reducing the ravages of old age. Let us imagine health care tailored to each individual’s genetic composition and predictive medicine that prevents diseases long before they occur. Let us imagine robots helping to care for the elderly. Let us imagine the end of traffic jams with self-driving vehicles on the ground, below the ground and in the air. Let us imagine personalized education that cultivates each person’s full potential throughout their lifetime. Let us imagine a world with boundless clean energy and natural resources for all nations. Let us imagine precision agriculture and automated factories that yield food and goods in an abundance that ends hunger and want.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“The perils are great, and they are before us: the disruption of democracy, the manipulation of minds, the decimation of jobs, the proliferation of crime and the hacking of all the systems that facilitate modern life. Yet even more disturbing is the potential eruption of Al-driven wars that could achieve an unimaginable scale. Behind that perhaps looms an even greater threat, once the stuff of science fiction — that self-taught machines could eventually control humans instead of the other way around. The world’s leading nations, however competitive, must address those dangers. We must do so quickly, and we must do so together. We must ensure that the promise of an Al utopia does not turn into an Al dystopia. We have so much to gain.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“As long as I am Prime Minister of Israel. I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. Equally, we should support the brave women and men of Iran who despise the regime and yearn for freedom, who have gone out bravely on the sidewalks of Tehran and Iran’s other cities and faced death. It is the people of Iran, not their oppressors, who are our real partners for a better future. Whether our future will prove to be a blessing or a curse will also depend on how we address perhaps the most consequential development of our time — the rise of artificial intelligence (Al). The Al revolution is progressing at lightning speed. It took centuries for humankind to adapt to the agricultural revolution. It took decades to adapt to the industrial revolution. We may have but a few years to adapt to the Al revolution.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Iran continues to threaten international shipping lanes, hold foreign nationals for ransom and engage in nuclear blackmail. Over the past year, its murderous goons have killed hundreds and arrested thousands of Iran’s brave citizens. Iran’s drones and missile programme threaten Israel and our Arab neighbours. And Iran’s drones have brought and bring death and destruction to innocent people in the Ukraine. Yet the regime’s aggression is largely met by indifference in the international community. Eight years ago. the Western Powers promised that if Iran violated the nuclear deal, the sanctions would be snapped back. Well. Iran is violating the deal but the sanctions have not been snapped back. To stop its nuclear ambitions, that policy must change. Sanctions must be snapped back and. above all. Iran must face a credible military threat.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Working together with the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, we can shape a future of great blessings for all our peoples. Now we all know that there is a fly in that ointment, because we may rest assured that the fanatics ruling Iran will do everything they can to thwart this historic peace. Iran continues to spend billions to arm its terror proxies. It continues to extend its terror tentacles in the Middle East. Europe. Asia. South America and even North America. It even tried to assassinate the Secretary of State of the United States of America. It even tried to assassinate the National Security Advisor of the United States of America. That tells us all we need to know about Iran’s murderous intentions and Iran’s murderous nature.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Those who have personally suffered the curse of war can best appreciate the blessings of peace. There are many hurdles on the path of peace. There are many hurdles on the extraordinary path to peace that I have just described. But I am committed to doing everything I can to overcome those hurdles, to forge a better future for Israel and all the peoples in our region. Two days ago. I discussed that vision of peace with President Biden. We share the same optimism for what can be achieved, and I deeply appreciate his commitment to seizing this historic opportunity. The United States of America is indispensable in that effort. Just as we achieved the Abraham Accords with the leadership of President Trump. I believe we can achieve peace with Saudi Arabia with the leadership of President Biden.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“For peace to prevail, the Palestinians must stop spewing Jew-hatred and finally reconcile themselves to the Jewish State. By that I mean not only to the existence of the Jewish State but to the right of the Jewish people to have a State of their own in their historic homeland, the land of Israel. And let me say. the people of Israel yearn for such a peace. I yearn for such a peace. As a young soldier over half a century ago. my comrades and I in Israel’s Special Forces faced mortal danger on many fronts and on many battlefields. From the warm waters of the Suez Canal to the frozen slopes of Mount Hermon, from the banks of the Jordan river to the tarmac of Beirut airport. Those experiences and other experiences taught me the cost of war. A fellow soldier was killed next to me. Another died in my arms. I buried my older brother.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“But there is a caveat. It has to be said here forcefully. Peace can be achieved only if it is based on truth. It cannot be based on lies. It cannot be based on the endless vilification of the Jewish people. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas must stop spreading the horrible antisemitic conspiracies against the Jewish people and the Jewish State. He recently said that Hitler was not an antisemite. You cannot make this up. But he did. He said that. The Palestinian Authority must stop glorifying terrorists. It must stop its ghoulish pay-to- slay policy of giving money to Palestinian terrorists for the murder of Jews. That is all outrageous. It must stop for peace to prevail. Antisemitism must be rejected wherever it appears, whether on the left or on the right, whether in the halls of universities or in the halls of the United Nations.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“The whole Middle East changes. We tear down the walls of enmity. We bring the possibility of peace to the entire region. But we do something else. A few years ago. I stood here with a red marker to show the curse — a great curse, the curse of a nuclear Iran. But today. I bring this marker to show a great blessing — the blessing of a new Middle East between Israel. Saudi Arabia and our other neighbours. We will not only bring down barriers between Israel and our neighbours; we will build a new corridor of peace and prosperity that connects Asia through the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia. Jordan and Israel to Europe. That is an extraordinary change, a monumental change, another pivot of history. As the circle of peace expands. I believe that a real path towards a genuine peace with our Palestinian neighbours can finally be achieved.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Asia and Europe, and for centuries my country was repeatedly invaded by empires passing through it on their campaigns of plunder and conquest elsewhere. But today, as we tear down walls of enmity. Israel can become a bridge of peace and prosperity between those continents. Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East. So everyone should understand the magnitude of the transformation that we seek to advance. Here I display a map of the Middle East in 1948. the year Israel was established. Here is Israel in 1948. It is a tiny country, isolated and surrounded by a hostile Arab world. In our first 70 years, we made peace with Egypt and Jordan. And then in 2020. we made the Abraham Accords, peace with another four Arab States. Now let us look at what happens when we make peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“It will encourage a broader reconciliation between Judaism and Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael. All those are tremendous blessings. Two weeks ago. we saw another blessing already in sight. At the Group of 20 Summit. President Biden. Prime Minister Modi and European and Arab leaders announced plans for a visionary corridor that will stretch across the Arabian peninsula and Israel. It will connect India to Europe with maritime links, rail links, energy pipelines and fibre-optic cables. That corridor will bypass maritime chokepoints and dramatically lower the costs of goods, communication and energy for over 2 billion people. That is an historic change for my country. The land of Israel is situated on the crossroads between Africa.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“We see it in the frequent Jewish weddings in Dubai, in the dedication of a Torah scroll in a synagogue in Bahrain, in the visitors flocking to the Museum of Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca. We see it in lessons that are given to Arab students about the Holocaust in the United Arab Emirates. There is no question, the Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace. But I believe that we are at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough — an historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a peace will go a long way to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. It will encourage other Arab States to normalize relations with Israel. It will enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Israel forged four peace agreements in four months with four Arab countries: the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain, the Sudan and Morocco. The Abraham Accords were a pivot of history. And today, we all see the blessings of those accords. Trade and investment with our new peace partners are booming. Our nations cooperate in commerce, energy, water, agriculture, medicine, climate and many, many other fields. Close to a million Israelis have visited the United Arab Emirates in the past three years. Every day. Israelis save time and money by doing something they could not do for 70 years. They fly over the Arabian peninsula to destinations in the Gulf. India, the Far East and Australia. The Abraham Accords ushered in another dramatic change. They brought Arabs and Jews closer together.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“As long as they believe that the other 98 per cent will remain in a warlike State with Israel, that larger mass, that larger Arab world, could eventually choke, dissolve and destroy the Jewish State. So when the Palestinians see that most of the Arab world has reconciled itself to the Jewish State, they too will be more likely to abandon the fantasy of destroying Israel and finally embrace a path of genuine peace with it. For years, my approach to peace was rejected by the so-called experts. Well, they were wrong. Under their approach, we did not forge a single peace treaty for a quarter-century. Yet in 2020. under the approach that I advocated, we tried something different, and in no time we achieved a remarkable breakthrough. We achieved four peace treaties, working with the United States.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Their pessimism was based on a quarter-century of good intentions and failed peacemaking. Why were those good intentions? Why did they always meet failure? Because they were based on one false idea — that unless we first concluded a peace agreement with the Palestinians, no other Arab State would normalize its relations with Israel. I have long sought to make peace with the Palestinians, but I also believe that we must not give the Palestinians a veto over new peace treaties with Arab States. The Palestinians could greatly benefit from a broader peace. They should be part of the process, but they should not have a veto over the process. And I also believe that making peace with more Arab States would actually increase the prospects of making peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians are only 2 per cent of the Arab world.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“They have been nothing but a curse — a curse to their own people, to our region and to the entire world. But at that time. I also spoke about a great blessing that I could see on the horizon. I said that the common threat of Iran had “brought Israel and many Arab States closer than ever before, in [a] .. friendship that I have not seen in my lifetime” (A/73/PV.10. p.39). I said that the day would “soon arrive when Israel [would] be able to expand peace ... beyond Egypt and Jordan to other Arab neighbours” (ibid.). Now. in countless meetings with world leaders. I made the case that Israel and the Arab States shared many common interests and that I believed that those many common interests could facilitate a breakthrough for a broader peace in our region. Some may applaud now. but at the time many dismissed my optimism as wishful thinking.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Over three millenniums ago. our great leader Moses addressed the people of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land. He said that they would find there two mountains facing one another: Mount Gerizim. the site on which a great blessing would be proclaimed, and Mount Ebal. the site of a great curse. Moses said that the people’s fate would be determined by the choice they made between the blessing and the curse. That same choice has echoed down the ages not just for the people of Israel but for all humankind. We face such a choice today. It will determine whether we enjoy the blessings of a historic peace of boundless prosperity and hope or suffer the curse of a horrific war. terrorism and despair. When I last spoke at this rostrum five years ago (see A/73/PV.10). I warned about the tyrants of Tehran.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2023Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Who's not? I mean, if your conscience, if you're a being with conscience, I mean, one of the unhappy things about the human brain is it can contemplate its own demise. And so we all make our compromises with this. But I think the question is what lives on? Lives on beyond us, and I think that you have to define how much of posterity do you want to influence. I cannot influence the course of humanity. We are specs, you know, little specks. So that's not the issue. But in my case, I've devoted my life to a very defined purpose, and that is to assure the future and security.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“Not who's that, but what's that? Dan Rather came to see me with his grandson a few years ago. And he asked me. The grandson asked me, he was a student in Ivy College, and he said he's 18 years old and he wants to study to enter politics. And he said, what's the most important thing that I have to study to enter a political life? And I said, you have three things you have to study. History, and history. That's the fundamental discipline for political life. But then you have to study other things. Study economics, study politics and so on, and study the military. had an advantage because I spent some years there, so I learned a lot of that, but I had to acquire the other disciplines and you never acquire enough. Read, read, read. And by the way, if I have to choose, I read history, history, and history.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“I think it's one of the... Savage horrors of history and one of the great tragedies that is occurring. And let me say in advance that if I have any opportunity to. use my contacts to help bring about an end to this tragedy, I'll do so. I've had, I know both leaders, but I don't just jump in and assume if there be a desire at a certain point. Because the conditions have Created the possibility of helping stop this carnage, then I'll do it. And that's why I choose my words carefully, because I think that may be the best thing that I could do. Look, I think what you see in Ukraine is what happens if you have territorial designs on a territory by a country that has nuclear weapons. And that, to me, you see the change in the equation.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“I'm a student of history and I read a lot of history and I read that in the Versailles discussions after World War I President Woodrow Wilson said I believe in open covenants, openly arrived at I have my correction. I believed in open covenants secretly arrived at. So if we're not going to advance a Saudi Israeli peace by having it publicly discussed and in any case it's a decision of the Saudis if they want to do it. But there's obviously a mutual interest. So here's my view.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“Well, I think the reason you have the persistence of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which goes back about a century, is the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize a Jewish state, a nation-state for the Jewish people in any boundary. That's why they opposed the establishment of the state of Israel before we had a state. Now, that's why they've opposed it after we had a state. They opposed it when we were, we didn't have Judea and Samaria, the West Bank in our heads in Gaza, and they opposed it after we have it. It doesn't make a difference. It's basically their persistent refusal.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“Well, you should ask a different question. What's happened to these cases? These cases have basically are collapsing before our eyes. There was recently an event in which the judges, the three judges in my case, called in the prosecution and said, you know, your flagship, the bribery charge, so-called bribery charts, you know, is gone. It doesn't exist before a single defense witness was called. And it sort of tells you that this thing is evaporating. It's quite astounding. Even that, I have to say, was covered even by the mainstream press in Israel because it's such an earthquake. You know, a lot of these charges are not a lot. These charges will prove to be nothing. I always said, listen, I stand before the legal process.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“I have two He said, No, no, but what you mean you don't have any that you control? I said, not only do I have none that I control, they're all against me. So I say, so how do you win elections? And, you know, with both hands tied behind your back. And I said, the hard way. That's why, you know, I have the largest party, but I don't have many more seats that I would have if I had a sympathetic voice in the media. And Israel is, until recently, was dominated completely by one side of the political spectrum that often vilified me, not me because they viewed me as representing basically the conservative voices in Israel that are majority. So the idea that I'm an omnipotent, authoritarian dictator is ridiculous. I would say I'm not merely a champion of”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“Not at all, because I think that, again, the thing that drives me is nothing but the mission that I took to assure the survival and thriving of the state, the Jewish state, that is, its economic prosperity, but its security and its ability to achieve peace with our neighbors. And I'm committed to it. I think there's still many things that have been done.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“There is no possibility of not entering AI with full force. Secondly, there is a need for regulation. Third, it's not clear there will be global regulation. Fourth, it's not clear where it ends up. I certainly cannot say that. Now, you might say, does it come to control us? Okay, that's a question. Does it come to control us? I don't know the answer to that. I think that as As one observation that I had from these conversations is if it does come to control us, that's probably the only chance of having universal regulation because I don't see...”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“First of all, I have a high regard for the people I talk to. And I understand that they understand things I don't understand, and I don't pretend to understand everything, but I do understand one thing. I understand that AI is developing at a geometric rate. And mostly in political life and in life in general, people don't have an intuitive grasp of geometric growth. You understand things basically in linear increments. And the idea that you're coming up a ski slope is very foreign to people. So I don't understand it. And they're naturally also sort of taken aback by it. Because what do you do? So I think there's several conclusions from my conversations with them and from my other observations that I've been talking about for many years. I'm talking about the need to do this. Well, the first thing is this.”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“Well, I think they don't know very much. I think they're guided by a lot of ignorance. They don't know about Israel. They don't know that Israel is a stellar democracy, that it happens to be one of the most advanced societies on the planet that what Israel develops helps humanity in every field in medicine and agriculture and the environment and telecoms”
Lex Fridman Podcast12 July 2023Source ↗
“And if you do, I am confident that, in the years ahead, we will be able to celebrate more good news from the Middle East — good news for Israel, good news for our Arab neighbours and good news for the world and for all those who seek peace security and prosperity. Thank you.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“He restored United States sanctions, forced countries to choose between doing business with America or doing business with Iran and took out the world’s most dangerous terrorist, Qassem Suleimani. And last month, when the Security Council refused to extend an arms embargo on Iran, the United States snapped back the sanctions. While the Security Council is divided, we in the region are united. Both Arabs and Israelis are together urging for tough action on Iran. And when Arabs and Israelis agree, others should pay attention. Israel calls upon all members of the Security Council to stand with the United States against Iran’s aggression; stand with it in insisting that Iran and its nuclear weapons programme once and for all; stand with the United States in confronting the greatest danger to peace in our region.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Wedded to the failed nuclear deal, the Security Council also still refuses to see what was obvious to anyone who understands anything about the Middle East. Rather than curb Iran’s aggression, the nuclear deal fed and funded it. Five years ago, in removing the sanctions on Iran, the leading Powers of the world opened the door of a tiger’s cage and then they simply hoped for the best. But instead, exactly as I warned five years ago, we who live in the Middle East are suffering the consequences of that irresponsible deal. A richer and emboldened Iran use the billions that flowed into its coffers to fuel its campaign of carnage and conquest across the region while, thankfully, President Trump recognized the disastrous nuclear deal for what it was and he acted.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Because of these violations, Iran will have enough enriched uranium in a few months for two nuclear bombs. And Iran has been working on a new generation of centrifuges. It is called the IR9, which will multiply Iran’s enrichment capability fifty-fold. Ladies and gentlemen, There is no question that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. The once-secret nuclear archive Israel’s agents obtained from the heart of Tehran proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt. In the run up to the nuclear deal, Israel was told — especially by our European friends — that any Iranian violation would be met with a quick and severe response. But in the face of Iran’s brazen violations, in the face of the irrefutable evidence of the nuclear archive, the Security Council has done — well, absolutely nothing.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“And that is why the international community must insist that Hezbollah stop using Lebanon and Lebanese civilians as human shields. Ladies and gentlemen, We must all stand up to Iran, and President Trump deserves praise for doing exactly that. First and foremost, I commend President Trump for withdrawing from the flawed nuclear deal with Iran. In 2015, I stood alone among world leaders in opposing the shameful nuclear deal that was made with Iran. I opposed it because the nuclear deal did not block Iran’s path to the bomb — it actually paved its way to it. I opposed it because the deal’s restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme were only temporary and were in no way tied to Iran’s change of behaviour. Now Iran has violated even those temporary restrictions.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Here are more gas trucks. And it is embedded in civilian housing here and civilian housing here. For the Janah neighbourhood residents these are the actual coordinates. So, I want to show you the entrance to Hezbollah’s missile factory, because that is what it is. It is right here. This is the gas company and this is the missile explosive depot. I say to the people of Janah: you have got to act now. You have got to protest this, because if this thing explodes it will be another tragedy. I say to the people of Lebanon: Israel means you no harm, but Iran does. Iran and Hezbollah have deliberately put you and your families in grave danger. And what you should make clear is what they have done is unacceptable. You should tell them: “Tear these depots down!” Just a few days ago, one of these depots exploded at Ain Qana in south Lebanon.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Iran wantonly and repeatedly attacks its neighbours and its terror proxies are directly involved in violence throughout the Middle East, including in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Gaza and, of course, Lebanon. We all saw the terrible explosion at Beirut port last month. The explosion happened here. This is the Beirut port. Two hundred people died. Thousands of people were injured and a quarter of a million people were made homeless. Now, here is where the next explosion could take place: right here. This is the Beirut neighbourhood of Janah. It is right next to the international airport. And here, Hezbollah is keeping a secret arms depot. The secret arms depot, right here, is adjacent, a metre away, from a gas company. These are gas canisters, right here. It is a few metres away from a gas station. It is 50 metres away from the gas company.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Now two Arab States have decided to make peace with Israel and more will follow. The expanding circle of peace will not make an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians less likely; it will make peace between Israelis and Palestinians more likely. Palestinian leaders will increasingly realize that they no longer have a veto over peace and progress in our region and hopefully those leaders will ultimately decide to make peace with the Jewish State. And when that happens, Israel will be ready. I will be ready and I would be willing to negotiate, on the basis of the Trump plan, to end our conflict with the Palestinians once and for all. Ladies and gentlemen, Israel and States across the Arab world not only stand together in advancing peace; we stand together in confronting the greatest enemy of peace in the Middle East: Iran.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Yet for years, many in the international community have tried to appease these absurd Palestinian demands and, as a result, they have wasted time trying to advance an illusion that will not happen instead of working for a realistic solution that could happen. Thankfully, President Trump chose a different path to peace; a path anchored in reality. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and he put forward a realistic peace plan that recognizes Israel’s rights, addresses Israel’s security needs and provides the Palestinians with a dignified, realistic path forward if they make peace with Israel. Critics argued that each of these steps by President Trump would kill the chances for peace. Well, they were wrong — dead wrong. Those steps advanced peace.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“For decades, all progress was halted and held hostage to completely unrealistic Palestinian demands, such as the demand that Israel withdraw to the indefensible lines of 1967 and place its security in the hands of others; or the demand that Israel expel tens of thousands of Jews from their homes, effectively committing ethnic cleansing; or the demand that Israel absorb millions of Palestinians or descendants of refugees from a war that was launched by the Palestinians against Israel more than half a century ago. Of course, these demands, along with many others, are complete non-starters for any responsible Israeli Government.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“These new agreements will bring our peoples the blessings of peace and the enormous benefits that come with more trade, more investment, more commerce, transportation, tourism and increased cooperation in so many areas. I also have no doubt that more Arab and Muslim countries will be joining the circle of peace soon — very soon. This good news about peace came about because of a clear break with the failed strategies of the past. For far too long, the Palestinians effectively wielded the veto on peace between Israel and the broader Arab world.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Mr. President, Ladies and gentlemen, The Middle East is not exactly renowned for producing good news, and few expected this year to be any different. As you know, the pandemic virus is ravaging our part of the world, like everywhere else. But I am pleased to report to you that, this year, I can tell you about good news from the Middle East — in fact, I can report two pieces of good news. Earlier this month, at a White House ceremony hosted by President Trump, Israel signed historic agreements with the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain. This was the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab country in over a quarter of a century and it was the first time that peace agreements between Israel and two Arab countries were signed on the same day.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2020Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Most of all, I am proud of the people of Israel, who draw extraordinary strength from the deep wellsprings of our heritage, who possess an unbreakable spirit and who are as determined as ever to build a secure and magnificent future for the one and only Jewish State.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“Is the Assembly aware that we target the fertilizer and the water down to the individual plant — not to a field, not to part of a field, but down to the plant? I am proud of those geniuses that have brought those unbelievable developments in water management, cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles, digital health, medical devices and so many other fields that are improving the lives of billions of people around the world. I am proud of Israel’s brilliant scholars, innovative entrepreneurs, talented artists, devoted teachers and compassionate doctors, and of our search-and-rescue teams who save lives from Haiti to Mexico, from Nepal to the Philippines. I am also proud of Israel’s courageous soldiers, the men and women who bravely defend our homeland while upholding the highest values.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“At the same time, Israel is a vibrant democracy, where all its citizens, Jews and non-Jews alike, enjoy equal individual rights, and those rights are guaranteed by law. In Israel, whether a person is a Jew or an Arab, a Christian or a Muslim, a Druze or a Bedouin or anything else, that person’s individual rights are exactly the same and will always remain the same. In the Middle East that is not obvious. Now that is an understatement. In the Middle East, where women are often treated as property, minorities are persecuted and gays are hanged, Israel stands out as a shining example of freedom and progress. I could not be more proud to represent my country, Israel. I am proud that we have made Israel a global technological Power of breathtaking creativity in information technology and precision agriculture.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“It is the place where Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob, Leah and Rachel carried out their eternal covenant with God. It is where Joshua made us a sovereign nation, where David ruled and Isaiah preached, where the Maccabees fought and where Masada fell. It is the place from which we were exiled and to which we returned, rebuilding our ancient and eternal capital, Jerusalem. The nation-State of Israel is the only place where the Jewish people proudly exercise our collective right of self-determination. That right was recognized nearly a century ago by the League of Nations, and more than 70 years ago by the United Nations when it supported the establishment of a Jewish State. That is what resolution 181 (II) said, “a Jewish State”.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“And the United Nations, which brokered an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire in 2014, should demand that Hamas release our fallen soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. The latter was kidnapped when Hamas violated that very ceasefire. Hamas should also release the two Israeli citizens whom it holds captive, Avera Mengistu and Hisham Al-Sayed. Every time I stand here I feel as I do today. I am privileged to stand here as the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, a Jewish and democratic State. Some believe that Israel cannot be both Jewish and democratic. That is false. Israel is both, and Israel will always remain both. Ever since Abraham and Sarah made their journey to the promised land, nearly 4,000 years ago, the land of Israel has been our homeland.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“He wrote a dissertation denying the Holocaust. His Palestinian National Authority imposes death sentences on Palestinians for selling land to Jews. Let me repeat that. If a Jew buys an apartment or a piece of land anywhere in the Palestinian territories, the Palestinian who sold him that land is executed. That is what the law says. President Abbas proudly pays Palestinian terrorists who murder Jews. In fact, the more they slay, the more he pays. That is in their law too. Then how can he condemn Israel’s morality and call Israel racist? That is not the way to peace. That is not the way to achieve the peace that we all want and need and to which Israel remains committed. This body should not be applauding the Head of a regime that pays terrorists. The United Nations should condemn such a despicable policy.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.
“There are more than 50 countries here that have crosses or crescents on their flags, even though they have many non-Muslims and non-Christians living in their midst. And there are dozens of countries that define themselves as nation-States of a particular people, even though there are many ethnic and national minorities within their borders. None of those countries have been denigrated or libelled for celebrating their unique national identity. Only Israel is denigrated. Only Israel is libelled. What is unique about the Jewish people is not that we have a nation-State. What is unique is that many still oppose our having a nation-State. Moments ago, President Abbas outrageously said that Israel’s nation-State law proves that Israel is a racist, apartheid State. President Abbas should know better.”
UN General Assembly24 September 2018Source: United NationsSpeech held by session and year. Its individual meeting record is not yet linked.
English text from the UN verbatim record. Where the speaker did not speak English, this is the UN's interpretation, not their original words.