YouSaid · the spoken record

Benjamin Netanyahu

lines on the record: 291
first: 1998-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 12
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2020-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 75 (2020)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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”.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“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.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Take the outlandish attacks that have been levelled against Israel after our Knesset, our Parliament, recently adopted a law declaring Israel the nation-State of the Jewish people. Nevertheless, Israel is a free country. People can oppose that law, and people have done so. People can call for different wording in this or that clause, or add or delete a clause. People can do that. But when Israel is called racist for making Hebrew its official language and the Star of David its national flag, when Israel is labelled an apartheid State for declaring itself the nation-State of the Jewish people — that is downright preposterous. And does the Assembly know why? Because represented in the Hall today are more than 100 countries that have only one official language, even though many other languages are commonly spoken within those countries.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Israel’s Arab citizens vote in our elections, serve in our Parliament, preside over our courts and have exactly the same individual rights as all other Israeli citizens. Yet here at the United Nations Israel is shamefully accused of apartheid. Today there are at least five times as many Palestinians as there were in 1948, the year of Israel’s founding. Yet here at the United Nations Israel is outrageously accused of ethnic cleansing. Do those here know what that is? It is the same old anti-Semitism with a brand-new face. That is all it is. Once it was the Jewish people who were slandered and held to a different standard; today it is the Jewish State that is slandered and held to a different standard. Here is an example.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“President Trump and Ambassador Haley also stopped funding an unreformed United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, an organization that perpetuates the Palestinian refugee problem instead of solving it. Day after day, the Trump Administration has stood up to what has long been a specialty here at the United Nations, slandering Israel. Even though the shameful resolution 3379 (XXX) comparing Zionism to racism was repealed 25 years ago, I am sorry to say that its foul stench still clings to these halls. Israel airlifted Ethiopian Jews to freedom and a new life in Israel, in the Jewish State. Yet here at the United Nations Israel is absurdly accused of racism.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“I also want to take the opportunity now, here at the United Nations, a place I know something about because many years ago I served here as Ambassador for many years, to express Israel’s appreciation to President Trump and Ambassador Haley for the unwavering support they have provided to Israel at the United Nations. They have unequivocally backed Israel’s right to defend itself. They rightly pulled out of a history-denying UNESCO and a morally bankrupt Human Rights Council. I think that more resolutions about Israel than about the rest of the world combined have been introduced in those bodies, and tenfold the number of resolutions on Iran, Syria or any other State. It is not even fair to say “tenfold”, because there are no multiples of zero.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“By empowering Iran, it has brought Israel and many Arab States closer than they have ever been before, in an intimacy and friendship that I have not seen in my lifetime and that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. When friendships are formed around a threat or a challenge, opportunities are quickly seen, not just for security but for how to bring a better life to our peoples, which is what Israel can and wants to contribute to. Israel deeply values those new friendships, and I hope the day will soon arrive when Israel will be able to expand peace, a formal peace, beyond Egypt and Jordan to other Arab neighbours, including the Palestinians. I look forward to working with President Trump and his peace team to achieve that goal.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Instead of coddling Iran’s dictators, join the United States and Israel and most of the Arab world in supporting new sanctions against a regime that endangers all of us across the world. Israel is deeply grateful to President Trump for his bold decision to withdraw from the disastrous nuclear deal with Iran. A great many of our Arab neighbours are also grateful. And everyone who cares about the peace and security of the world should also be grateful. But I have an important confession to make. It may be surprising, but I have to admit that the Iran deal has had one positive consequence, an unintended but positive consequence.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“No, these are Iranians from Iran, embracing Israel, criticizing their regime — that is an understatement — with their names. Shortly after the protests broke out, I asked my intelligence people, “What is going on?” Those protests are an indicator of something extraordinary that has been taking place there. Through those protests, the Iranian people are showing unbelievable courage. The protests are now embracing the whole of Iran — from the urban centres to distant villages, from the striking merchants in the bazaars to the young women uncovering their hair. The people of Iran are bravely standing up to a regime that has brutally repressed them for four decades and that has squandered — and still squanders — their money in bloody wars across the Middle East. This is what I say to Europe’s leaders and to others.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The deal’s supporters were also wrong when they argued — and it is hard to believe that they argued this, despite the fact that I have had many arguments with them — that restoring sanctions would rally the Iranian people around the regime. While they are definitely rallying, their rallying is definitely not around the regime. They are rallying against the regime. They are not chanting “Death to America”. They are chanting “Death to the dictator”. They are not chanting “Export the Islamic Revolution”. They are chanting “Leave Syria”, “Leave Lebanon”, “Leave Gaza”, and “Take care of us in Iran”. I listen to those protests. I talk to Iranian people. I show videos and get so many responses — from Iranians. At first, I thought they were Iranian exiles — in the safety of London or Paris or Los Angeles.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Let us take a look at what has happened to Iran’s economy now that President Trump has forced companies to choose between doing business with Iran and doing business with the United States, whose gross domestic product is 50 times the size of Iran’s gross domestic product. A year ago, Iran’s economy was booming. Now it is collapsing. Iran’s currency is plummeting. Inflation and unemployment are soaring. British airlines, German banks, French oil companies, Japanese oil importers and many others are scrambling to get out. If that is little economic impact, we can imagine what will happen with the next batch of United States sanctions, which will be imposed in November.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In it, we can see Beirut’s international airport, the first missile site, which is in the Ouzai neighbourhood, on the water’s edge, a few blocks away from the runway. There is also a second site, which is underneath a soccer stadium, two blocks away, and a third site, which is adjacent to the airport itself, right next to it. I therefore have a message for Hizbullah today. Israel also knows what it is doing. Israel knows where it is doing it. And Israel will not let it get away with it. Just as supporters of the nuclear deal were wrong about what would happen when sanctions were removed, they were dead wrong about what would happen when sanctions were restored. They argued that United States sanctions alone would have little economic impact on Iran. That is what they said. It is hard to believe.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“It brought it ever closer to our borders. In Syria, Iran is trying to establish permanent military bases against us and has already launched missiles and drones into our territory. In Gaza, Iran is arming terror groups to launch rocket attacks on our cities and terror attacks on our civilians. In Lebanon, Iran is directing Hizbullah in the building of secret sites for converting inaccurate projectiles into precision-guided missiles that can hit targets deep inside Israel with an accuracy of within 10 metres. The Assembly needs to listen to this. Hizbullah is deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields. It has placed three of these missile-conversion sites alongside Beirut’s international airport. I can show a picture that is worth a thousand missiles.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)