Netanyahu at UN: ‘Israel will Stand Alone’

“If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone. Yet in standing alone, Israel will know that we will be defending many, many others,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared at the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, warning the international community against falling for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “ruse.”

Stressing that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire world, he reminded the international community that the current Iranian leadership, since 1979, has deprived its own people of liberty and democracy.

Iran is nuclear-armed and intent on destroying the Jewish people, Netanyahu insisted. And Rouhani, who impressed the world last week with his friendliness and his claim that Iran has only peaceful intentions, “is a loyal servant” of the oppressive Islamist regime, led by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.

Describing the profound threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, Netanyahu cautioned that it “would have a chokehold on the world’s main energy supplies. It would trigger nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East, turning the most unstable part of the planet into a nuclear tinderbox. And for the first time in history, it would make the specter of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger….

“A nuclear-armed Iran in the Middle East wouldn’t be another North Korea. It would be another 50 North Koreas,” he asserted.

It was Rouhani’s credentials as one of only six candidates – out of 700 – that made it possible for him to run for the presidency and win, Netanyahu pointed out. For instance, Rouhani served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator between 2003 and 2005, preparing the nuclear weapons program “behind a smokescreen of diplomatic engagement and very soothing rhetoric,” and he headed Iran’s Supreme National Security Council from 1989 through 2003, when Iran masterminded horrific terror attacks around the world.

Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad “was a wolf in wolf’s clothing, and Rouhani is a wolf in sheep’s clothing – a wolf who thinks he can pull the wool over the eyes of the international community,” Netanyahu said, adding that he wished he could believe that the Iranian leader was sincere about pursuing peace.

Iran’s Isfahan facility is a crucial part of Iran’s nuclear weapons program, Netanyahu explained. He quoted from a book written in 2011 by the Iranian president – Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator at the time – in which Rouhani had boasted:

“While we were talking to the Europeans in Tehran, we were installing equipment in Isfahan…. By creating a calm environment, we were able to complete the work in Isfahan.”

According to Netanyahu, the Iranian leader “definitely wants to get the sanctions lifted…but he doesn’t want to give up Iran’s nuclear program in return.”

Notwithstanding the profound desire for peace among freedom-loving nations, “always remain vigilant,” Netanyahu cautioned.

Supporting US President Obama’s statement that Iran’s “conciliatory words must be matched by transparent, verifiable and meaningful action,” Netanyahu said:
“The only diplomatic solution that would work is one that fully dismantles Iran’s nuclear weapons program and prevents it from having one in the future.”

Therefore, “keep up the sanctions. If Iran advances its nuclear weapons program during negotiations, strengthen the sanctions….

“Don’t agree to a partial deal…. Lift the sanctions only when Iran fully dismantles its nuclear program.”

The Jewish state deeply longs for peace and continues to seek an historic agreement with its neighbors. Netanyahu said. But it “will never acquiesce to nuclear arms in the hands of a rogue regime that repeatedly promises to wipe us off the map.

“Against such a threat, Israel will have no choice but to defend itself,” he affirmed.

In conclusion, the Israeli PM proclaimed that the people of Israel “have come home” after centuries of exile and vowed that they will never again be uprooted.

Author: Atara Beck, staff writer for United with Israel
Date: Oct 2, 2013