Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday in a video address at the AIPAC Policy Conference that given the UN’s “shameful record” of bias against Israel, the United States must reject any UN-backed plan to impose a negotiation framework for Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations.
Netanyahu pointed out that Israel is the only country that is “permanently scheduled for condemnation at the UN Human Rights Council,” unlike flagrant rights abusers like Syria and North Korea. Because of this, Netanyahu said, any agreement that the UN proposed without the consent of both parties would “undoubtedly be stacked against Israel.” It also would convince the Palestinians that “they can stab their way to a state.” He called on the United States to maintain its “longstanding position” to veto any such resolution, and expressed his satisfaction that all four presidential candidates who spoke at AIPAC yesterday reaffirmed that peace can only come from bilateral negotiations.
Acknowledging that some people doubt his sincerity, Netanyahu offered to begin “negotiations immediately without preconditions,” which he has repeatedly done over the years. He noted that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has consistently refused to meet with him for the past five and a half years. In that time, Netanyahu said, Abbas “has helped inculcate a new generation of young Palestinians with murderous hatred for Israel.”
He then introduced a “deeply disturbing” video showing official PA incitement against Israel.
Netanyahu added that the Palestinian Authority helps to “spur more terrorism by rewarding the families of murderers,” showing that “terrorism pays – literally.” He called on the world to address the central issue of Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians:
If the international community really wants to advance peace, it must demand that the Palestinians stop poisoning the minds of their children. If the international community wants to advance peace, it must address the true core of the conflict: the persistent Palestinian refusal to accept a Jewish state in any borders.
Netanyahu also touched on last year’s debate over the nuclear deal with Iran, point out that despite the differences of opinion between the American and Israeli governments, it “did not undermine the unbreakable alliance between Israel and the United States.” He pointed out that Iran still bankrolls terror groups on all of Israel’s borders, offers thousands of dollars to Palestinian terrorists and seeks to open a new front against Israel on the Golan in Syria. It is for this reason, Netanyahu said, “that both those who supported the nuclear deal and those who opposed it can, at the very least, work together to stop Iran’s aggression and terror and hold Iran accountable for its transgressions.”
He thanked the United States and President Barack Obama for “generously” aiding Israel with “many of the tools we need to defend ourselves,” expressing his hope that a new agreement to boost Israel’s defensive capabilities would soon be concluded soon. He also hailed the “strong bipartisan support for Israel in Congress and the strong, overwhelming support for Israel among the American people.” He noted that “year after year, the overwhelming majority of Americans stand with Israel.”
Netanyahu noted that numerous world leaders are visiting Israel with the hope of benefiting from Israel’s know-how in security, technology, medicine, and agriculture. Israel now has diplomatic relations with 161 nations, more than at any time of its history.
As Netanyahu wound down his speech, he struck a hopeful tone about the challenges Israel faces.
I am confident that over time the trend of embracing Israel will overcome the trend of maligning Israel, because ultimately freedom beats tyranny, and ultimately, when vigorously defended, truth beats lies. So I believe that Israel faces a future of promise. I believe that when we stand together, all of us, we can overcome all the challenges facing us.
Netanyahu’s speech is embedded below.
[Photo: Jewish Life Television / YouTube ]