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

“Now, I have just used a tough word, a very strong word: appeasement. I use it reluctantly. But unfortunately that is exactly what we are seeing again in Europe. We need to think about that. The same week that Iran was caught red-handed trying to murder European citizens, European leaders were rolling out the red carpet for President Rouhani, promising to give Iran even more money. As the son of a historian, I have to ask — and I ask it not merely as a historian’s son, but as a Jew, a citizen of the world and someone who has lived through the twentieth century — have these European leaders learned nothing from history? Will they ever wake up? We in Israel do not need a wake-up call, because Iran threatens us every day. Despite the best of hopes — and there were many hopes around the nuclear deal — that deal did not push war further away.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Well, it did not happen. Instead, Iran used the money to fuel its vast war machine. Just this past year, Iran has attacked Kurds in Iraq, slaughtered Sunnis in Syria, armed Hizbullah in Lebanon, financed Hamas in Gaza, fired missiles into Saudi Arabia and threatened the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab El-Mandeb. That is some peace, some moderation. If people think that Iran’s aggression has been confined to the Middle East, they need to think again. Last month, two Iranian agents were arrested for plotting terror attacks here in the United States, and several weeks ago, Iranian agents were arrested for plotting terror attacks in the heart of Europe. Yet while the United States is confronting Iran with new sanctions, Europe and others are appeasing Iran by trying to help it bypass those new sanctions.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“We will act against it in Iraq. We will act against it whenever and wherever we must. We must act to defend our State and to defend our people. Three years ago, a few weeks after the nuclear deal was completed, I asked this question from this very podium: does anyone seriously believe that flooding Iran’s radical theocracy with weapons and cash will curb its appetite for aggression? But many of the deal’s supporters believed just that. They believed that Iran’s regime would become more moderate, more peaceful. They believed that Iran would use the billions of dollars it received in sanctions relief to improve the lives of its people — solving the water problem, the trucking problem, the electricity problem and improving hospitals and schools. That is what they believed. Perhaps some people here today also believed that.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The IAEA should inspect that atomic warehouse immediately, before the Iranians finish clearing it out. Do delegations remember the time when we were promised that inspections could take place anytime, anywhere? Well, how about inspections of Mehr Alley right now? And while Mr. Amano is at it, he should inspect the other sites that we told him about. Once and for all, he should tell the world the truth about Iran. I also have a message today for the tyrants of Tehran. Israel knows what they are doing, and Israel knows where they are doing it. Israel will never let a regime that calls for our destruction develop nuclear weapons — not now, not in 10 years, not ever. And Israel will do whatever it must do to defend itself against Iran’s aggression. We will continue to act against it in Syria. We will act against it in Lebanon.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“After all, when South Africa and Libya gave up their nuclear programmes, the first thing they did was to destroy both the archives and the materiel and equipment. The answer to the question is simple. The reason Iran did not destroy its atomic archive and its atomic warehouse is because it has not abandoned its goal to develop nuclear weapons. In fact, it planned to use both of those sites in a few years when the time was right to break out the atom bomb. Delegations may rest assured that that will not happen. It will not happen because what Iran hides Israel will find. I have a message for the Head of the IAEA, Mr. Yukiya Amano. I believe he is a good man. I believe he wants to do the right thing. I therefore ask him to do the right thing now.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“The residents of Tehran, now endangered, may want to know that they can get a Geiger counter on Amazon for only $29.99. At today’s exchange rate, that is just 4 million Iranian rials. But we will get to that later. I will talk about the Iranian economy in a minute. They took that radioactive material and spread it around Tehran. The Iranian officials cleaning out the site still have a lot of work to do, because they had at least 15 gigantic ship containers full of nuclear-related equipment and materiel stored there. Since each of those containers can hold 20 tons of materiel, the site must have contained as much as 300 tons of nuclear- related equipment and materiel, all in that very place. We now have to ask ourselves a question. Why did Iran keep a secret atomic archive and a secret atomic warehouse?”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“And for those who try to get there, it is a hundred meters from the Kalishoi, a rug-cleaning operation. By the way, I hear they do a fantastic job of cleaning rugs there. But by now they may be radioactive rags. That is the second secret site. Now countries with satellite capabilities may notice some increased activity on Mehr Alley in the days and weeks ahead. The people they will see scurrying back and forth are Iranian officials desperately trying to finish the job of cleaning up that site. Since we raided the atomic archive, they have been busy cleaning out the atomic warehouse. Just last month, they removed 15 kilogrammes of radioactive materiel. What did they do with it? They had to get those 15 kilogrammes of radioactive materiel out of the site, so they took it out and spread it around Tehran in an effort to hide the evidence.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“Today I am disclosing for the first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran, a secret atomic warehouse for storing massive amounts of equipment and materiel from Iran’s secret nuclear-weapon programme. In May, we exposed the site of Iran’s secret atomic archive. It is in the Shorabad district of Tehran. Today I am revealing the site of a second facility, Iran’s secret atomic warehouse, which is located in the Torquzabad district of Tehran, just three miles away from the archive. Let me show exactly what the secret atomic warehouse looks like. From this image, it looks just like the atomic archive, another innocent-looking compound. For listeners at home using Google Earth, this no-longer-secret atomic warehouse is on Mehr Alley. The coordinates are on the image. Anyone can try to get there.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“In May, I presented a short summary of what we obtained to the international media. I provided hard evidence of Iran’s plans to build nuclear weapons and its plans to deceive the international community. Israel shared that information and even more damning evidence that we found with members of the five plus one group and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Months have passed, and the IAEA has still not taken any action. It has not posed a single question to Iran. It has not demanded to inspect a single new site discovered in that secret archive. Given that inaction, I have decided, therefore, to reveal today something else that we have shared with the IAEA and with a few intelligence agencies. What I am about to say has not been shared publicly before.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“When I spoke here three years ago (see A/70/PV.22), Israel stood alone among the nations. Of the nearly 200 countries that sit in this Hall, only Israel openly opposed the nuclear deal with Iran. We opposed it because it threatens our future, even our very survival. We opposed it because the deal paved Iran’s path to a nuclear arsenal. By lifting the sanctions, it has fuelled Iran’s campaign of carnage and conquest throughout the Middle East. We opposed it because the deal was based on a fundamental lie, that Iran is not seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Israel exposed that lie earlier this year. In February 2018, Israel conducted a daring raid on Iran’s secret atomic archive. We obtained more than 100,000 documents and videos that had been stashed in vaults in an innocent-looking building in the heart of Tehran.”
2018-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 73 (2018)
“As the prophet Isaiah said: “I have made you a light unto the nations, to be My salvation to the ends of the Earth.” Today, 2,700 years after Isaiah spoke those prophetic words, Israel is becoming a rising power among the nations. And, at long last, its light is shining across the continents, bringing hope and salvation to the ends of the Earth. Happy new year from Israel.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“A simple look around will reveal those contributions every day — in the food people eat, the water they drink, the medicines they take, the cars they drive, the cell phones they use and in so many other ways that are transforming our world. It can be seen in the smile of an African mother in a remote village who, thanks to an Israeli innovation, no longer must walk eight hours a day to bring water to her children. It can be seen in the eyes of an Arab child who has flown to Israel to undergo a lifesaving heart operation. And it can be seen in the faces of the people in earthquake-stricken Haiti and Nepal, who are rescued from the rubble and given new life by Israeli doctors.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Fifty years ago, we reunited our eternal capital — Jerusalem — achieving a miraculous victory against those who sought to destroy our State. Theodor Herzl was our modern Moses, and his dream has come true. We have returned to the promised land, revived our language, ingathered our exiles and built a modern, thriving democracy. Tomorrow evening Jews around the world will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of our new year. It is a time of reflection, and we look back with wonder at the remarkable and miraculous rebirth of our nation. We look ahead with pride to the remarkable contributions Israel will continue to make to all nations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“The remarkable alliance between the United States and Israel has never been stronger and never been deeper. Israel is deeply grateful for the support of the Trump Administration, the American Congress and the American people. In this year of historic visits and historic anniversaries, Israel has much to be grateful for. A hundred and twenty years ago, Theodor Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress to transform our tragic past into a brilliant future by establishing the Jewish State. One hundred years ago, the Balfour Declaration advanced Herzl’s vision by recognizing the right of the Jewish people to a national home in our ancestral homeland. Seventy years ago, the United Nations further advanced that vision by adopting resolution 181 (II), supporting the establishment of a Jewish State.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with those in the Arab world who share our hopes for a brighter future. We have made peace with Jordan and Egypt, whose courageous President, Mr. Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, I met here last night. I appreciate President Al Sisi’s support for peace, and I hope to work closely with him and other leaders in the region to advance peace. Israel is committed to achieving peace with all of our Arab neighbours, including the Palestinians. Yesterday President Trump and I discussed all of this at great length. I appreciate President Trump’s leadership, his commitment to stand by Israel’s side, his commitment to advance a peaceful future for all. Together, we can seize the opportunities for peace and together we can confront the great dangers of Iran.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“And we will act to prevent Iran from opening new terror fronts against Israel along our northern border. As long as Iran’s regime seeks the destruction of Israel, Iran will face no fiercer enemy than Israel. But I also have a message today for the people of Iran, who are not our enemy. They are our friends. One day my Iranian friends will be free from the evil regime that terrorizes them, hangs gays, jails journalists, tortures political prisoners and shoots innocent women like Neda Soltani, leaving her choking on her own blood on the streets of Tehran. I have not forgotten Neda, and I am sure that neither have members. When the day of liberation for the people of Iran finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient peoples will surely flourish once again. Israel knows that we are not alone in confronting the Iranian regime.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“That is precisely what Iran is doing today. From the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East. Iran spreads that curtain of tyranny and terror over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and elsewhere. And it pledges to extinguish the light of Israel. Today I have a simple message for Ayatollah Khamenei, the dictator of Iran: the light of Israel will never be extinguished. Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions. We will act to prevent Iran from establishing permanent military bases in Syria for its air, sea and ground forces. We will act to prevent Iran from producing deadly weapons, in Syria or in Lebanon, for use against us.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Fixing the deal requires many things, among them inspecting military sites and any other site that is suspect, and penalizing Iran for every violation. Above all, fixing the deal means getting rid of the sunset clause. Beyond fixing this bad deal, we must also stop Iran’s development of ballistic missiles and roll back its growing aggression in the region. I remember we have had these debates. As members know, I took a fairly active role in them. Many supporters of the deal naively believed that it would somehow moderate Iran and make it a “responsible” member of the international community. I strongly disagreed. I warned that, when the sanctions on Iran would be removed, Iran would behave like a hungry tiger unleashed — not joining the community of nations, but devouring nations one after the other.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Imagine the danger of hundreds of nuclear weapons in the hands of a vast Iranian Islamist empire, with the missiles to deliver them anywhere on Earth. I know that there are those who still defend the dangerous deal with Iran, arguing that it will block Iran’s path to the bomb. That is exactly what they said about the nuclear deal with North Korea, and we all know how that turned out. Unfortunately, if nothing changes, this deal will turn out exactly the same way. That is why Israel’s policy regarding the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple — change it or cancel it, fix it or nix it. Nixing the deal means restoring massive pressure on Iran, including crippling sanctions, until Iran fully dismantles its nuclear-weapon capabilities.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It means that in a few years those restrictions will be automatically removed, not by a change in Iran’s behaviour, not by a lessening of its terror or its aggression, but merely by a change in the calendar. I warned that when that sunset came, a dark shadow would be cast over the entire Middle East and the world — because Iran would then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons. That is why I said two years ago that the greater danger was not that Iran would rush to a single bomb by breaking the deal, but that Iran would be able to build many bombs by keeping the deal. In the past few months we have all seen how dangerous even a few nuclear weapons can be in the hands of a small rogue regime.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“But I can say this — none were bolder, none were more courageous and forthright, than the one delivered by President Trump today. President Trump rightly called the nuclear deal with Iran “an embarrassment”. I could not agree with that more. Here is why — Iran vows to destroy my country every day. That vow was repeated by its Chief of Staff the other day. Iran is conducting a campaign of conquest across the Middle East. And Iran is developing ballistic missiles to threaten the entire world. Two years ago, I stood here and explained why the Iranian nuclear deal not only did not block Iran’s path to the bomb, but actually paved it. That is because the restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear programme have what is called a “sunset clause”. Let me explain what that term means.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“And while it may take many years, I am absolutely confident that the revolution of Israel’s ties with individual nations will ultimately be reflected here in this Hall of nations. I say that because there is also a marked change in the position of some of our key friends. Thanks to President Trump’s unequivocal support for Israel in this organ, that positive change is gathering force. I thank President Trump for supporting Israel at the United Nations, and I thank Ambassador Nikki Haley for her support. I thank them for speaking the truth about Israel. Here at the United Nations we must also speak the truth about Iran, as President Trump did so powerfully this morning. I served as Ambassador to the United Nations and I am a long-serving Israeli Prime Minister, so I have listened to countless speeches in this Hall.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“But if members want to read about it, they can in a somewhat weightier publication. It is called the Bible. I highly recommend it. I hear it got four and a half out of five stars on Amazon, and it is a great read. I read it every week. Let me now be serious. Despite the absurdities, despite the repetition of those farcical events, there is change. Slowly, but surely, there are signs of positive change — even at the United Nations. I very much appreciate the statement of the Secretary-General, indicating that denying Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitism — pure and simple. That is important, because for too long the epicentre of global anti-semitism has been right here at the United Nations.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Syria has barrel-bombed, starved, gassed and murdered hundreds of thousands of its own citizens, and wounded millions more, while Israel has provided life-saving medical care to thousands of Syrian victims of that very same carnage. Yet who does the World Health Organization criticize? Israel. Is there no limit to United Nations absurdities when it comes to Israel? Apparently not, because in July, UNESCO declared the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron a Palestinian World Heritage Site. That is worse than fake news; that is fake history. While it is true that Abraham, the father of both Ishmael and Isaac, is buried there, so are Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah — who just happen to be patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people. Members will not read about that in the latest UNESCO report.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“It is true that I have not yet visited Antarctica, but I want to go there too, because I have heard that penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel. Members laugh. But penguins have no difficulty recognizing that some things are black or white, are right or wrong. Unfortunately, when it comes to United Nations decisions about Israel, that simple recognition is too often absent. It was absent last December, when the Security Council adopted anti-Israel resolution 2334 (2016), which set back the cause of peace. It was absent last May, when the World Health Organization — one has to listen to this — adopted a Syrian-sponsored draft resolution that criticized Israel for health conditions on the Golan Heights. As the great John McEnroe would say, “You cannot be serious!” That is preposterous.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“I went to Asia, where we deepened our relations with China and Singapore, and expanded our cooperation with our Muslim friends in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. I went to Europe, where, in London and Paris, Thessaloniki and Budapest we enhanced our security and economic ties. I went to Australia, becoming the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit our great allies down under. And just last week, I went to South America, visiting Argentina and Colombia, and then I went on to Mexico — becoming, if members can believe it, the first Israeli Prime Minister to visit Latin America. After 70 years, the world is embracing Israel, and Israel is embracing the world. In one year, I visited six continents.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“In July, Prime Minister Modi became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. Some here may have seen the pictures. We were on a beach in Hadera. We rode together in a Jeep outfitted with a portable desalination device that some thriving Israeli entrepreneur invented. We took off our shoes, waded into the Mediterranean and drank seawater that had been purified only a few minutes earlier. We imagined the endless possibilities for Israel, for India and for all of humankind. In the past year, Israel has hosted many world leaders. I had the honour of representing my country on six different continents in one year. I went to Africa, where I saw Israeli innovators increasing crop yields, turning air into water, fighting AIDS.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Members may not know it, but their Governments do. And they are working closely together with Israel to keep their countries and its citizens safe. I stood here last year, at this rostrum, and I spoke about that profound change in Israel’s standing around the world (see A/71/PV.14). Just look at what has happened since. In one year, hundreds of Presidents, Prime Ministers, Foreign Ministers and other leaders have visited Israel — many for the first time. Of those many visits, two were truly historic. In May, President Trump became the first American President to include Israel in his first visit abroad. President Trump stood at the Western Wall, at the foot of the Temple Mount, where the Jewish people’s temples stood for nearly 1,000 years. When the President touched those ancient stones, he touched our hearts forever.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“We are in the midst of a great revolution — a revolution in Israel’s standing among the nations. It is happening because so many countries around the world have finally woken up to what Israel can do for them. Those countries now recognize what brilliant investors like Warren Buffett and great companies like Google and Intel have recognized and known for years, that is, that Israel is the innovation nation, the place for cutting-edge technology in agriculture, in water, in cybersecurity, in medicine, in autonomous vehicles. You name it, we have got it. Those countries now also recognize Israel’s exceptional capabilities in fighting terrorism. In recent years, Israel has provided intelligence that has prevented dozens of major terrorist attacks around the world. We have saved countless lives.”
2017-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 72 (2017)
“Dream of the future that we can build together — a future of breathtaking progress, a future of security, prosperity and peace, a future of hope for all humankind, a future where even at the United Nations, even in this Hall, Israel will finally, inevitably, take its rightful place among the nations.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“People said that we were too small, too weak, too isolated and too demographically outnumbered to survive, let alone thrive. The sceptics were wrong about Israel then, and the sceptics are wrong about Israel now. Israel’s population has grown tenfold. Our economy has grown fortyfold. Today, our biggest export is technology. Israeli technology powers the world’s computers, cell phones, cars and so much more. The future belongs to those who innovate, and that is why the future belongs to countries like Israel. Israel wants to form partnerships in seizing that future, and so I call on all those present to embrace Israel, to cooperate and dream with Israel.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“I am filled with hope because I know that the forces of civilization will ultimately triumph over the forces of terror. I am filled with hope because in the age of innovation, Israel, the innovation nation, is thriving like never before. I am filled with hope because Israel works tirelessly to advance equality and opportunity for all its citizens: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, everyone. I am filled with hope because despite all the doubters, I believe that in the years ahead Israel will forge a lasting peace with all our neighbours. I am hopeful about what Israel can accomplish because I have seen what Israel has accomplished. In 1948, the year of Israel’s independence, our population was 800,000. Our main export was oranges.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“With the nuclear constraints on Iran one year closer to being removed, let me be clear: Israel will not allow the terrorist regime in Iran to develop nuclear weapons — not now, not in a decade, not ever. I stand before the Assembly at a time when Israel’s former President Shimon Peres is fighting for his life. Shimon is one of Israel’s founding fathers, one of its boldest statesman and one of its most respected leaders. I know that the Assembly will join me and the people of Israel in wishing him a speedy recovery. I have always admired Shimon’s boundless optimism. Like him, I am filled with hope. I am filled with hope because Israel is capable of defending itself by itself against any threat. I am filled with hope because the valour of our fighting men and women is second to none.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The greatest threat to my country, to our region and ultimately to our world remains the militant Islamic regime of Iran. Iran openly seeks Israel’s annihilation. It threatens countries across the Middle East. It sponsors terror worldwide. This year, Iran has fired ballistic missiles in direct defiance of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015). It has expanded its activities in Iraq, Syria and in Yemen. Iran, the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism, continues to build its global terror network. That terror network now spans five continents. My point is as follows: the threat that Iran poses to all of us is not behind us; it is in front of us. In the coming years, there must be a sustained and united effort to push back against Iran’s aggression and terror.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“That is the same Hamas terror organization that cruelly — unbelievably cruelly — refuses to return three of our citizens and the bodies of our fallen soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Hadar Goldin’s parents, Leah and Simcha Goldin, are here with us today. They have one request: to be able to bury their beloved son in Israel. All they ask for is one simple thing: to be able to visit the grave of their fallen son, Hadar, in Israel, but Hamas refuses. Hamas could not care less. I implore everyone to stand with Hadar’s parents, with us, with all that is decent in our world against the inhumanity of Hamas, which represents all that is indecent and barbaric. Hamas breaks every humanitarian rule in the book. Throw the book at them.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“To defeat the forces of militant Islam, we must fight them relentlessly. We must fight them in the real world. We must fight them in the virtual world. We must dismantle their networks, disrupt their funding channels and discredit their ideology. We can defeat them, and we will defeat them. Medievalism is no match for modernity. Hope is stronger than hate. Freedom is mightier than fear. We can do it. Israel fights the fateful battle against the forces of militant Islam every day. We keep our borders safe from the Islamic State. We prevent the smuggling of game-changing weapons to Hizbullah in Lebanon. We foil Palestinian terror attacks in the West Bank. We deter missile attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“While Israel seeks peace with all our neighbours, we also know that peace has no greater enemy than the forces of militant Islam. The bloody trail of such fanaticism runs through all the continents represented here. It runs through Paris and Nice, Brussels and Baghdad, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Minnesota and New York. From Sydney to San Bernadino, so many have suffered its savagery: Christians and Jews, women and gays, Yazidis and Kurds and many others. Yet the heaviest price of all has been paid by innocent Muslims — hundreds of thousands mercilessly slaughtered, millions turned into desperate refugees, tens of millions brutally subjugated. The defeat of militant Islam will therefore be a victory for all humankind. It will especially be a victory for the many Muslims who seek a life without fear — a life of peace, a life of hope.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“In that connection, I commend President Al Sisi of Egypt for his efforts to advance peace and stability in our region. Israel welcomes the spirit of the Arab Peace Initiative and welcomes a dialogue with Arab States to advance a broader peace. I believe that, in order for that broader peace to be fully achieved, the Palestinians have to be part of it. I am ready to begin negotiations to achieve that today without any further delay. Although President Abbas spoke here an hour ago, would it not be better if, instead of speaking past each other, we were speaking to one another? I invite President Abbas to speak to the Israeli people at the Knesset in Jerusalem, instead of railing against Israel at the United Nations in New York. I would gladly come to speak to the Palestinian Parliament in Ramallah.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“While Israeli leaders condemn terrorists — Arabs and Jews alike — Palestinian leaders celebrate terrorists. While Israel jails the handful of Jewish terrorists among us, the Palestinians pay thousands of terrorists among them. I therefore call upon President Abbas to tell him that he has a choice to make. He can continue to stoke hatred, as he did today, or he can finally confront hatred and work with me to establish peace between our two peoples. I know that many of you have given up on peace, but I want it to be known that I have not given up on peace. I remain committed to a vision of peace based on two States, for two peoples. I believe, more than ever before, that changes taking place in the Arab world today offer a unique opportunity to advance that peace.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Ahmed was the victim of a horrible terrorist attack perpetrated by Jews. He lay bandaged and unconscious as Israeli doctors worked around the clock to save him. No words could bring comfort to this boy or to his family. Nevertheless, as I stood by his bedside, I told his uncle: “This is not our people. This is not our way”. I then ordered extraordinary measures to bring Ahmed’s assailants to justice, and today the Jewish citizens of Israel accused of attacking the Dawabsha family are in jail awaiting trial. For some, that story shows that both sides have their extremists and that both sides are equally responsible for our seemingly endless conflict. However, what Ahmed’s story actually proves is the very opposite. It illustrates the profound difference between our two societies.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Imagine what it takes for a young boy or girl to break free of such a culture of hate. Some do, but far too many do not. How can any of us expect young Palestinians to support peace when their leaders poison their minds against peace? In Israel we do not do that; we educate our children for peace. In fact, my Government recently launched a pilot programme to make the study of Arabic mandatory for Jewish children, so that we can better understand each other, and so that we can live together side by side, in peace. Of course, like all societies, Israel has fringe elements. But it is our response to those fringe elements that makes all the difference. Let us consider the tragic case of Ahmed Dawabsha. I shall never forget visiting Ahmed in the hospital, just hours after he was attacked. This little boy — a baby — was badly burned.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“On YouTube, Ali watches a clip of President Abbas himself saying “we welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem”. Over dinner, Ali asks his mother what would happen if he killed a Jew and went to an Israeli prison. She tells him that he would be paid thousands of dollars each month by the Palestinian authorities. In fact, she tells him that the more Jews he killed, the more money he would get. When he gets out of prison, Ali would be guaranteed a job with the Palestinian authorities. All of that is not just a story, it is real. It happens every day, all the time. Sadly, Ali represents hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children who are indoctrinated with hate during every moment of every hour. That is child abuse. Imagine if it were our children undergoing such brainwashing.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“On his walk home, Ali looks up at a towering statue erected just a few weeks ago by the Palestinian authorities to honour Abu Sukar, who detonated a bomb in the centre of Jerusalem, killing 15 Israelis. When Ali gets home, he turns on the television and sees an interview with a senior Palestinian official, Jibril Rajoub, who says that, if he had a nuclear bomb, he would have detonated it over Israel that very morning. Ali then turns on the radio, and he hears President Abbas’ adviser Sultan Abu al-Einein urging Palestinians to “slit the throats of Israelis wherever you find them”. Ali checks his Facebook, and he sees a recent post by President Abbas’ Fatah party, calling the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 a “heroic act”.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“When the Palestinians finally say yes to a Jewish State, we will be able to end our conflict once and for all. The real tragedy is that the Palestinians are not only trapped in the past, but their leaders are poisoning the future. By way of illustration, I want the Assembly to imagine a day in the life of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy named Ali. Ali wakes up before school and goes to soccer practice with a team named after Dalal Mughrabi, a Palestinian terrorist responsible for the murder of a busload of 37 Israelis. At school, Ali attends an event sponsored by the Palestinian Ministry of Education honouring Baha Alyan, who last year murdered three Israeli civilians.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The conflict rages because for the Palestinians the real settlements they are after are Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv. Keep in mind, the issue of settlements is a real one, and it can and must be resolved in final-status negotiations. But this conflict has never been about the settlements, nor about establishing a Palestinian State. It has always been about the existence of a Jewish State, a Jewish State within any boundaries. Israel is ready, as am I, to negotiate all final-status issues. However, one thing I will never negotiate is our right to our State, the one and only Jewish State. Change may be coming sooner than I thought. Had the Palestinians said yes to a Jewish State in 1947, there would have been no war, no refugees and no conflict.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Yet today, nearly 70 years later, the Palestinians still refuse to recognize those rights — not our right to a homeland, not our right to a State, not our right to anything. And that remains the true core of the conflict: the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish State in any boundary. One can see that the conflict is not about the settlements. It never was. The conflict raged for decades before there was a single settlement, when Judea, Samaria and Gaza were all in Arab hands. The West Bank and Gaza were in Arab hands, and they attacked us again and again and again. And when we uprooted all 21 settlements in Gaza and withdrew from every last inch of Gaza, we did not get peace from Gaza — we got thousands of rockets fired at us from Gaza.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“The Palestinians may just as well sue Iran for the Cyrus Declaration, which enabled the Jews to rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem 2,500 years ago. Come to think of it, why not a Palestinian class action suit against Abraham for buying that plot of land in Hebron where the fathers and mothers of the Jewish people were buried 4,000 years ago? It is as absurd as that. To sue the British Government for the Balfour Declaration? Is he kidding? And that is taken seriously here? President Abbas attacked the Balfour Declaration because it recognized the right of the Jewish people to a national home in the land of Israel. When the United Nations supported the establishment of a Jewish State in 1947, it recognized our historical and our moral rights to our homeland.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“That same Israel where gays march proudly in our streets and serve in our Parliament, including, I am proud to say, in my own Likud party. The starving children in North Korea’s brutal tyranny, are they helped by the demonization of Israel? Israel, whose agricultural know-how is feeding the hungry throughout the developing world? The sooner the United Nations obsession with Israel ends, the better — the better for Israel, the better for other countries, the better for the United Nations itself. If United Nations habits die hard, Palestinian habits die even harder. President Abbas just attacked, from this rostrum, the Balfour Declaration. He is preparing a lawsuit against Britain for that declaration from 1917. That is almost 100 years ago — talk about being stuck in the past.”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Perhaps because some do not appreciate that the obsessive bias against Israel is not just a problem for my country, it is a problem for the other countries too. If the United Nations spends so much time condemning the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, it has far less time to address war, disease, poverty, climate change and all of the other serious problems that plague the planet. Are the half-million slaughtered Syrians helped by Member States’ condemnation of Israel? The same Israel that has treated thousands of injured Syrians in our hospitals, including a field hospital that I built right along the Golan Heights border with Syria. Are the gays hanging from cranes in Iran helped by acts to denigrate Israel?”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)
“Given the United Nations history of hostility towards Israel, does anyone really believe that Israel will let the United Nations determine our security and our vital national interests? We will not accept any attempt by the United Nations to dictate terms to Israel. The road to peace runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not through New York. But regardless of what happens in the months ahead, I have total confidence that, in the years ahead, the revolution in Israel’s standing among the nations will finally penetrate this Hall of nations. I have so much confidence, in fact, that I predict that a decade from now an Israeli Prime Minister will stand right here where I am standing and actually applaud the United Nations. But I want to ask: why do we have to wait a decade? Why keep vilifying Israel?”
2016-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 71 (2016)