The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, defended this Thursday at the United Nations General Assembly the presence of the "Jewish people" in the occupied Palestinian territories and in the Syrian Golan Heights, also under Israeli control, outright rejecting the accusations of "genocide" before an audience that was emptying as his speech progressed. "We have no choice," he stated.
Numerous delegations left the chamber while the Israeli representation stood up to applaud Netanyahu, who began his speech inviting "other moral cowards" to leave the room, forcing the Presidency to call him to order repeatedly.
He recalled that "in 1967, Israel was surrounded by enemies who openly said they were going to destroy us. We were in Judea and Samaria -a term with which Israeli politicians refer to the West Bank-- also in Gaza, in the Golan Heights since the days of Moses," reproaching that now the country is accused of "colonialist" policies.
Netanyahu maintained that, decades later, "the days when Jews were victims, when they could not defend themselves, are over." Therefore, he encouraged "the Jews of the world" to "walk with their heads held high, be proud, walk with confidence, do not let themselves be intimidated."
The Israeli leader boasted that Israel has been facing seven simultaneous fronts for three years. "Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, the militias in Iraq, the militias in Syria, the Palestinian terrorists in the West Bank, all stood up and fought to wipe us off the face of the earth, but they did not succeed, because instead of crumbling, what we did was attack them with our great American friends," he celebrated.
He again mentioned the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, which caused about 1,200 deaths and 250 kidnappings, and downplayed the violence of extremist settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.
He described them as "about 150 young delinquents who throw stones, who cut olive trees, who set themselves on fire or something." "What are they? One, two, three casualties? Two or three dead? How can we compare that with the thousands of terrorist attacks against peaceful settlers, good people who respect the law?" he questioned.
Netanyahu took the opportunity to express his gratitude to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for his "brave leadership" as "the greatest ally" of Israel against what he defined as "barbarism."
"Years ago he understood that if all this was allowed to advance, the fanatical ayatollahs who shout death to Israel and death to the United States would put it into practice. So Israel and the United States acted together, not only to protect us, but to save civilization," he stated, alluding to the offensive against Iran at the end of February and, subsequently, to the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
In contrast, he lashed out at "some" countries in Western Europe, which he accused of "surrendering to anti-Semitism" through sanctions and the recognition of Palestine as a state. "The leaders of these countries have chosen fragility, appeasement. We cannot turn a blind eye to the sad truth that we have before us. Many in the free world are afraid to defend freedom," he asserted, before emphasizing that "we in Israel do not wait for others to wake up from their moral slumber."
He also targeted Qatar and Turkey, whom he accused of "defaming" Israel with "lies" about the offensive in the Gaza Strip. He defended that "Israel has done everything possible to ensure that (the Palestinians) are not in danger. We sent millions of text messages alerting civilians to withdraw from combat zones. What genocidal regime gives polio vaccines to the population of its enemies? What genocidal regime allows two million tons of food to be distributed in Gaza?" he posed before the few delegates who remained in the chamber.
"Accusing Israel of genocide is the biggest lie of the century (...) Israel has done more to prevent civilian casualties in wartime than any other army in history. We have taken countless measures to protect the civilian population. Is this genocide? Of course not. It is the complete opposite," he defended.
Netanyahu also addressed the diplomats protesting outside, whom he labeled as "hypocritical delegates." "Where were you when the Iranian tyrants were murdering tens of thousands of civilians? Where were you when they killed thousands of people from their own people? Have you organized demonstrations, hunger strikes? Have you protested outside the Iranian mission at the UN? Have you spoken about the persecuted Christians in the Middle East? No, you have done nothing, because you are fakes," he denounced.
Netanyahu focuses his speech on Iran
A substantial part of his intervention was dedicated to Iran, which he defined as "murderous dictatorship." "Wiping out Iran's nuclear facilities was difficult. A very difficult objective. But for me, it was one of the easiest decisions I had to make as prime minister," he emphasized.
The leader assured that "many" of the leaders of the countries that left the room "thank me privately for getting rid of Iranian nuclear weapons." "It's hard to imagine such rampant hypocrisy, but it is so. This is not the first time we face the threat of annihilation," he pointed out.
Even so, he expressed his confidence that "the power of the people will overcome the people who are in power" in Iran. "Despite their silence, despite their hypocrisy, it is only a matter of time. In Iran, something incredible will happen.
Maybe not long from now, the Iranian people will be free. Their murderous regime will be overthrown by its corruption, by its crimes, by its cruelty. This evil regime will fall, and we will all celebrate it," he predicted.