The full
transcript of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the
UN General Assembly:
Mr.
President, ladies and gentlemen, we're in the midst of a great revolution. A
revolution in Israel's standing among the nations. This 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
Buffet, and great companies, like Google and Intel, what they've recognized and
known for years: that Israel is THE innovation nation. THE place for
cutting-edge technology and agriculture, in water, in cybersecurity, in
medicine, in autonomous vehicles. You name it, we've 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. Now, you may not know this, but your governments do, and they're working
closely together with Israel to keep your countries safe and your citizens
safe. I stood here last year on this podium, and I spoke about this profound
change in Israel's standing around the world. And 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 these 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 - or rather the
Jewish people's temples stood for nearly 1,000 years, and when the president
touched those ancient stones, he touched our hearts forever.
In July,
Prime Minister Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel. You
may have seen ten 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 India, for Israel, for all of humanity.
In the
past year, Israel has hosted so many world leaders, and I had the honor of representing
my country on six different continents. One year, six continents. I went to
Africa, where I saw Israeli innovators increasing crop yields, turning air into
water, fighting AIDS. I went to Asia, where we deepened our relations with
China and with Singapore and expanded our cooperation with our Muslim friends
in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. I went to Europe, where in London and Paris,
Saloniki 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 you can believe it, the
first Israeli prime minister ever to visit Latin America.
After 70
years, the world is embracing Israel, and Israel is embracing the world.
(Applause)
One year,
six continents. Now, it's true: I haven't yet visited Antarctica, but one day,
I hope to go there. I want to go there, too, because I heard that penguins are
also enthusiastic supporters of Israel. Now, you laugh, but penguins have no
difficulty recognizing that some things are black and white, are right and
wrong, and unfortunately, when it comes to UN decisions about Israel, that
simple recognition is too often absent.
It was
absent last December when the Security Council passed an anti-Israel resolution
that set back the cause of peace. It was absent last May when the World Health
Organization adopted - you have to listen to this - the World Health
Organization adopted a Syrian-sponsored resolution that criticized Israel for
health conditions on the Golan Heights. As the great John McEnroe would say,
you cannot be serious. I mean, this is preposterous. 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? Israel.
So is
there no limit to the UN's absurdities when it comes to Israel? Well,
apparently not. Because in July, UNESCO declared the Tomb of the Patriarchs in
Hebron a Palestinian World Heritage Site. That's worse than fake news; that's
fake history. Mind you, it's true that Abraham, the father of both Ishmael and
Isaac, is buried there, but so, too, are Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca - Sarah's
a Jewish name, by the way - Sarah, Rebecca and Leah, who just happened to be
patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people. Well, you won't read about that
in the latest UNESCO report, but if you want to, you can read about it in a
somewhat weightier publication. It's called "the Bible." I highly
recommend it. I hear it even got four and a half out of five stars on Amazon.
And it's a great read. I read it every week.
Ladies and
gentlemen, a moment to be serious. Despite the absurdities, despite the
repetition of these farcical events, there is change, slowly but surely. There
are signs of positive change, even at the United Nations.
Mr.
Secretary-General, I very much appreciate your statement that denying Israel's
right to exist is anti-Semitism, pure and simple. Now that's important because
for too long, the epicenter of global anti-Semitism has been right here at the
UN, and while it may take many years, I'm absolutely confident that the
revolution in Israel's ties with individual nations will ultimately be
reflected here in this hall of nations.
I say that
because there's also a marked change in the positions of some of our key
friends. Thanks to President Trump's unequivocal support for Israel in this
body, that positive change is gathering force. So thank you, President Trump.
Thank you for supporting Israel at the UN, and thank you for your support,
Ambassador Nikki Haley. Thank you for speaking the truth about Israel.
(Applause)
But ladies
and gentlemen, here at the UN, we must also speak the truth about Iran, as
President Trump did so powerfully this morning. Now, as you know, I've been
ambassador to the UN, and I'm a long-serving Israeli prime minister, so I've
listened to countless speeches in this hall, 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 - he called it "an embarrassment." Well, I couldn't agree with
him more. And here's why: Iran vows to destroy my country. Every day, including
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 doesn't
block Iran's path to the bomb, but actually paves it. Because the restrictions
placed on Iran's nuclear program have what's called "a sunset
clause." Now let me explain what that term means. It means that in a few
years, those restrictions will be automatically removed, not by a change in
Iran's behavior, not by a lessening of its terror or its aggression: they'll
just be removed by a mere change in the calendar. And I warned that when that
sunset comes, a dark shadow will be cast over the entire Middle East and the
world because Iran will then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale,
placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons.
That's why
I said two years ago that the greater danger is not that Iran will rush to a
single bomb by breaking the deal, but that Iran will be able to build many
bombs by keeping the deal.
Now, in
the last few months, we've all seen how dangerous even a few nuclear weapons
can be in the hands of a small rogue regime. Now 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 there are those who still
defend the dangerous deal with Iran, arguing that it will block Iran's path to
the bomb. Ladies and gentlemen, that's 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's 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 weapons capability. Fixing the deal requires many things, among them
inspecting military and any other site that is a suspect, and penalizing Iran
for every violation. But above all, fixing the deal means getting rid of the
sunset clause. And 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
when we had these debates. As you know, I took a fairly active role in them -
and many supporters of the deal naively believed that it would somehow moderate
Iran. It would make it a responsible member, so they said, of the international
community. Well, you know, 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. And that's precisely what Iran is doing today.
From the
Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is
descending across the Middle East. Iran spreads this 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 to Ayatollah Khamenei, the
dictator of Iran: The light of Israel will never be extinguished.
(Applause)
נצח
ישראל לא ישקר.
(Applause)
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. 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: You are not our enemy. You are our
friends. (Farsi: Shoma duste ma hesteed.) One day, my Iranian friends, you will
be free from the evil regime that terrorizes you, hangs gays, jails
journalists, tortures political prisoners and shoots innocent women like Neda
Soltan, leaving her choking on her own blood on the streets of Tehran. I have
not forgotten Neda. I'm sure you haven't, too. And so, the people of Iran, when
your day of liberation finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient
peoples will surely flourish once again.
Ladies and
gentlemen, Israel knows that in confronting the Iranian regime, we are not
alone. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those in the Arab world who share our
hopes for a brighter future. We've made peace with Jordan and Egypt, whose
courageous president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi I met here last night. I appreciate
President al-Sissi'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 our Arab neighbors, including the
Palestinians. Yesterday, President Trump and I discussed this, 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.
The
remarkable alliance between the United States and Israel has never been
stronger, never been deeper. And Israel is deeply grateful for the support of
the Trump administration, the American Congress and the American people.
Ladies and
gentlemen, in this year of historic visits and historic anniversaries, Israel
has so much to be grateful for. One hundred and twenty years ago, Theodore
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 a resolution
supporting the establishment of a Jewish state. And 50 years ago, we reunited
our eternal capital, Jerusalem, achieving a miraculous victory against those
who sought to destroy our state.
Theodore
Herzl was our modern Moses, and his dream has come true. We've 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's a time of reflection, and we look
back with wonder at the remarkable, the miraculous rebirth of our nation, and
we look ahead with pride to the remarkable contributions Israel will continue
to make to all nations.
You look
around you, and you will see these contributions every day. In the food you
eat, the water you drink, the medicines you take, the cars you drive, the cell
phones you use, and in so many other ways that are transforming our world. You
see it 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. You see it in the eyes of an Arab child who was flown to Israel to
undergo a life-saving heart operation. And you see it in the faces of the
people in earthquake-stricken Haiti and Nepal who were rescued from the rubble
and given new life by Israeli doctors. As the prophet Isaiah said, (says in
Hebrew first) "I've made you alight onto the nations, bringing salvation
to the ends of the earth."
Today, 27
hundred 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. Shanah tovah from Israel. Thank you.
*****
*****
Winston Churchill’s presented
his Sinews of Peace, (the Iron
Curtain Speech),at Westminster College in Fulton,
Missouri on March 5, 1946:
“From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the
Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent.”