Excerpts from Netanyahu’s UN speech: ‘Enough is enough’
September 27, 2024 | Full Speech
Mr. President, Ladies and gentlemen, I didn’t intend to come here this year. My country is at war, fighting for its life.
But after I heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country by many of the speakers at this podium, I decided to come here and set the record straight. I decided to come here to speak for my people.
To speak for my country, to speak for the truth. And here’s the truth: Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace and will make peace again. Yet we face savage enemies who seek our annihilation, and we must defend ourselves against them.
These savage murderers, our enemies, seek not only to destroy us, but they seek to destroy our common civilization and return all of us to a dark age of tyranny and terror. When I spoke here last year, I said we face the same timeless choice that Moses put before the people of Israel thousands of years ago, as we were about to enter the Promised Land. Moses told us that our actions would determine whether we bequeath to future generations a blessing or a curse.
And that is the choice we face today: the curse of Iran’s unremitting aggression or the blessing of a historic reconciliation between Arab and Jew.
A normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel seemed closer than ever. But then came the curse of October 7th. Thousands of Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists from Gaza burst into Israel in pickup trucks and on motorcycles, and they committed unimaginable atrocities. They savagely murdered 1,200 people. They raped and mutilated women. They beheaded men. They burned babies alive. They burned entire families alive—babies, children, parents, grandparents, in scenes reminiscent of the Nazi Holocaust.
Hamas kidnapped 251 people from dozens of different countries, dragging them into the dungeons of Gaza. Israel has brought home 154 of these hostages, including 117 who returned alive. I want to assure you, we will not rest until the remaining hostages are brought home too.
War on Seven Fronts
The curse of October 7th began when Hamas invaded Israel from Gaza. But it didn’t end there. Israel was soon forced to defend itself on six more war fronts, all backed by Iran.
On October 8th, Hezbollah attacked from Lebanon, launching over 8,000 rockets at our civilians. Two weeks later, Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen began drone and missile strikes, with 250 attacks aimed at Israel, including one recently targeting Tel Aviv. Iran’s militias in Syria and Iraq have also repeatedly attacked Israel. Palestinian terrorists in Judea and Samaria carried out numerous assaults, and last April, Iran attacked Israel directly, firing 300 drones and missiles from its own territory.
I have a message for Tehran: If you strike us, we will strike back. There is no place in Iran—or the entire Middle East—that the long arm of Israel cannot reach.
Our soldiers fight with courage and sacrifice. And I have another message for this assembly: We are winning.
Blessing or curse
As Israel defends itself in a seven-front war, the stakes have never been clearer. On one side, we see a future of hope, symbolized by Israel's collaboration with its Arab partners—building a bridge of peace through trade, infrastructure, and innovation. On the other side, there is an arc of terror, stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, orchestrated by Iran's brutal regime. This arc seeks to stifle nations, cut off trade, and spread chaos across the Middle East and beyond.
Iran's aggression threatens not just Israel but the world. It funds terror across five continents, builds missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads, and has long been appeased by the international community. That appeasement must end. Nations must rally not only to support Israel's fight but also to stand with the people of Iran in their pursuit of freedom from tyranny.
As we fight, we are dismantling Hamas in Gaza, a terror army that once ruled with an iron fist, its forces and infrastructure now largely destroyed. But this victory is not complete until we finish the job, ensuring a demilitarized and de-radicalized Gaza, free from Hamas's exploitation of its own people. Total victory is the only path forward—there can be no role for Hamas in Gaza’s future.
The world faces a choice between these two futures: one of blessing, peace, and prosperity, or one of terror, despair, and destruction. Israel has made its choice, and we call on the world to join us in securing a better future for all.
On Hezbollah, ‘Enough is Enough’
Israel must defeat Hezbollah, the world's quintessential terror organization. Responsible for the deaths of more Americans and French citizens than any group except Bin Laden, Hezbollah has attacked Israel viciously for over 20 years. After the October 7th massacre by Hamas, Hezbollah escalated attacks, turning vibrant Israeli towns into ghost towns and displacing over 60,000 citizens. Imagine if terrorists emptied U.S. cities like El Paso and San Diego—would America tolerate that for even a day?
For 18 years, Hezbollah has defied UN Resolution 1701, positioning itself right on Israel’s northern border. They launch rockets from civilian areas, using schools and homes in Lebanon as shields. To the Lebanese, Israel’s message is clear: Hezbollah has hijacked your country, and we’re not at war with you, but with them.
This week alone, Israel destroyed large portions of Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal and eliminated senior commanders responsible for Israeli, American, and French deaths. The campaign will continue until Hezbollah’s threat is fully neutralized and Israeli citizens can safely return home.
A Path to Historic Peace
We are committed to removing the curse of terrorism that threatens all civilized societies. But to truly realize the blessing of a new Middle East, we must continue the path of the Abraham Accords. Above all, this means achieving a historic peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The benefits of such peace are clear: millions of Israelis have already flown over Saudi airspace to Gulf countries, bringing trade, tourism, and joint ventures. A peace with Saudi Arabia would boost the security and economy of both nations and help transform the Middle East into a global powerhouse.
Israel and Saudi Arabia could collaborate on energy, agriculture, and artificial intelligence, ushering in historic reconciliation between the Arab world and Israel. Yet, while Israel is committed to this, Iran and its terror proxies aim to derail it. A peace with Saudi Arabia would foil Iran’s designs and form the foundation for a broader Abrahamic alliance, including Israel, the U.S., and other Arab nations.
With American support, this vision could materialize sooner than expected. As Prime Minister of Israel, I will do everything in my power to make it happen. This opportunity must not be missed.
A Choice for the World
Israel has made its choice. We seek to move forward to a bright age of prosperity and peace. Iran and its proxies have made theirs—to move back to a dark age of terror and war. Now, I ask you: What choice will you make? Will your nation stand with Israel and democracy, or with Iran, a brutal dictatorship?
In this battle between good and evil, there must be no equivocation. Standing with Israel means defending your own values and interests against a common enemy that seeks to destroy our way of life. Unfortunately, in many countries and even this hall, good is portrayed as evil, and evil as good.
We see this moral confusion when Israel is falsely accused of genocide while defending itself. We see it when Israel is accused by the ICC Prosecutor of starving Palestinians, despite bringing in 700,000 tons of food. No army has done what Israel is doing to minimize civilian casualties—dropping flyers, sending texts, making calls to ensure civilians avoid harm.
Progressives march against Israeli democracy, unknowingly supporting the Iranian-backed goons who oppress women, protesters, and LGBTQ people. According to U.S. intelligence, Iran fuels these protests, maybe even some outside this building now.
King Solomon said: "There is nothing new under the sun." Forty years ago, I stood at this very podium defending Israel against a proposal to expel us from the UN, and here I am again. President Abbas leads the charge this time, paying terrorists through "Pay for Slay" and waging war on Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.
To those who support this resolution, I say: Check your fanaticism at the door.
The UN ‘swamp of antisemitic bile’
The singling out of the one and only Jewish state remains a moral stain on the United Nations. It has made this once-respected institution contemptible in the eyes of decent people everywhere. For the Palestinians, this UN house of darkness is home court, where an automatic majority is ready to demonize the Jewish state. In this anti-Israel flat-earth society, any false charge can gather support.
In the last decade, more resolutions have been passed against Israel than the entire world combined—174 times since 2014. The rest of the world was condemned just 73 times. What hypocrisy, what double standard. What a joke. All the hostility aimed at Israel this year—it’s not about Gaza, it’s about Israel’s existence. Until Israel is treated like other nations, the UN will be seen as a contemptuous farce.
Given the antisemitism at the UN, it’s no surprise that the ICC prosecutor is considering issuing arrest warrants against me and Israel’s defense minister. His rush to judgment and refusal to treat Israel as other democracies is nothing but pure antisemitism.
The real war criminals are not in Israel. They’re in Iran, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. Those who stand with evil against good should be ashamed of themselves.
But I have a message for you: Israel will win this battle. We will win this battle because we don’t have a choice.
After generations in which our people were slaughtered, remorselessly butchered, and no one raised a finger in our defense, we now have a state [again]. We now have a brave army, an army of incomparable courage, and we are defending ourselves.
As the book of Samuel says in the Bible:
“נֵ֣צַח יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א יְשַׁקֵּ֖ר”
“The eternity of Israel will not falter.”
In the Jewish people’s epic journey from antiquity, in our odyssey through the tempest and upheavals of modern times, that ancient promise has always been kept and it will hold true for all time.
To borrow a great poet’s phrase: Israel will not go gently into that good night. We will never need to rage against the dying of the light because the torch of Israel will forever shine bright.
To the people of Israel and to the soldiers of Israel, I say: Be strong and of good courage.
“חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ אַל־תִּֽירְא֥וּ וְאַל־תַּעַרְצ֖וּ מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם כִּ֣י ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ ה֚וּא הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א יַרְפְּךָ֖ וְלֹ֥א יַעַזְבֶֽךּ”
עם ישראל חי
The people of Israel live now, tomorrow, forever.
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