Israel—Standing Strong

March 25, 2015

Anti-Semitism Is Exploding Globally

“The Holocaust did not cure the world of anti-Semitism,” Netanyahu said at Yad Vashem. Instead, “hatred of the Jews has returned in full force.”

“Once again in Europe and elsewhere,” Netanyahu warned, “Jews are being slandered, vilified and targeted just for being Jews. This is taking place in the intolerant Middle East and in the very heart of the liberal and tolerant West. It’s taking place in Tehran and Paris, in Gaza and Brussels. Around the world, Jewish communities are increasingly living in fear.”

“Today’s anti-Semitism,” he said, “is not just against Jewish communities throughout the world, it is also against the Jewish community in the world, the Jewish State of Israel.

“Israel is assaulted with the same slurs and libels that have been levelled at the Jews since time immemorial.”

“What do the so-called ‘enlightened’ organs of the international community do?” Netanyahu asked.

“A quarter of a million people are slaughtered in Syria, poison gas is used against civilians, and who do the signatories to the Geneva Convention urgently meet to discuss? Israel.

“Across the region, dictatorial regimes and brutal movements brutalize their peoples—suppressing women, lynching gays, forcing Christians to live in fear. And who does the Human Rights Council of the United Nations condemn? Israel.

“Hamas fires thousands of rockets at our civilians, deliberately targeting our people while hiding behind the Palestinian civilians it uses as human shields. And who does the ICC announce it will examine? Israel.”

For Israel’s Prime Minister, the conclusion is inescapable. “This obsession with the Jewish people and their state has a name. It’s called anti-Semitism.”

Even if It Stands Alone, Israel Will Do Whatever It Must

“We are no longer a stateless people endlessly searching for safe haven. We are no longer a powerless people begging others to protect us.

“Today we are an independent and sovereign people in our ancestral homeland. Today we can speak out against the hateful voices of those seeking our destruction. Today we can protect ourselves and defend our freedom.

“Let me clear. The Jewish people will defend itself by itself against any threat. That’s what the Jewish State is all about.”—Benjamin Netanyahu—International Holocaust Remembrance Day Speech

“Israel is the Home of Every Jew”

 “Extremist Islamic terrorism has struck Europe again, this time in Denmark. We send our condolences to the Danish people and to the Jewish community in Denmark. Jews have been murdered again on European soil only because they were Jews and this wave of terrorist attacks—including murderous anti-Semitic attacks—is expected to continue.

“Of course, Jews deserve protection in every country but we say to Jews, to our brothers and sisters: Israel is your home. We are preparing and calling for the absorption of mass immigration from Europe. I would like to tell all European Jews and all Jews wherever they are: ‘Israel is the home of every Jew.’

“We have submitted to the Cabinet a NIS 180 million [US $46.5 million] plan to encourage the absorption of immigrants from France, Belgium and Ukraine. We will submit additional plans later. To the Jews of Europe and to the Jews of the world I say that Israel is waiting for you with open arms.”—PM Netanyahu speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting

Israel’s Message to the UN 70 Years after Holocaust

“People speak about Israel’s right to self-defense, but when Jewish lives are threatened and Israel acts to defend them, we are largely denounced. We have been humanity’s canary in the coalmine for too long. Well, no more.

“Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East. It is the only country in the region with a free press, with free elections, and free speech. And it is the only nation defending the rights of women and minorities. We will always defend these values. Always.

“A Jewish proverb teaches, from Hebrew: ‘The instruments of both death and life are in the power of the tongue.’

“If you want to prevent the next mass atrocity, then there can be no ambiguities or equivocations—say it like it is. Radical Islamists are the single greatest threat to global peace and security.

“I am here to tell you that we have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to fight for the values we all believe in. Extremists are attacking human rights and human dignity and we are not doing enough to stop them.

“The danger of indifference and the consequences of inaction are just too high. We must stand together and proclaim that there can be zero, zero, tolerance for prejudice. There can be zero tolerance for teaching children to hate. And there can be zero tolerance for extremism.

“Mr. President, the United Nations emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust to stand up for humanity. It is a responsibility that each and every one of us carries every single day. The Holocaust taught us that remembrance without resolve is meaningless. And it showed us that awareness must be matched with action.

“We have a duty to ACT—A, C, T: A—we must be attentive and recognize the warning signs. C—we must condemn all those who are motivated by prejudice. And T—we must teach, teach, the next generation tolerance and understanding.

“Together we must stand with courage and determination to defend our freedom, protect our values and confront those forces who would take them away. Only then can we say the words ‘never again’ and know that these words have meaning.”—Israel’s UN Ambassador, Ron Prosor, addressing the UN

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