In the 70 years Israel has existed, only three prime ministers have been capable of strategic thinking and had a well-developed sense of history. Three leaders for whom history was their North Star: David Ben-Gurion, who declared the founding of the state; Menachem Begin, who promoted the enterprise of settlement in our historic homeland as well as making peace with Egypt; and Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made Israel into a powerhouse in the fields of defense, diplomacy, economy, and technology. The prime minister's speech to the U.N. General Assembly reflected both Israel's strength and his ability to analyze history and geopolitics.
I listened to his impressive address and felt a true sense of pride, as a Jew and as an Israeli. As the son of Holocaust survivors who came through the danger and as an IDF veteran left disabled by the 1973 Yom Kippur War, I know how to appreciate the prime minister's proud and determined stance in front of representatives of the nations of the world, as well as his talent in voicing basic truths that lie at the heart of our existence. Many countries find it difficult to accept Israel's courage and strength, as well as it being the only national homeland of the Jewish people.
The nations of Europe, which became a giant graveyard for millions of Jews, perpetuate the old anti-Semitism, which is rearing its head again – this time tricked out as anti-Israeli sentiment. The prime minister's words were biting and tough and made those same countries reconsider their support for the violent and terrorist Iranian regime – a regime that comprises yet another threat to the Jewish people, as well as many others throughout the Middle East and the world at large.
The prime minister demonstrated Israel's amazing intelligence capabilities and made it clear that no such threat would come to pass ever again. Israel can and will defend itself. What we witnessed only 75 years ago will never happen again.
Israel has a loyal ally in the United States, especially the administration of President Donald Trump, who is unwilling to blindly participate in a masquerade that is entirely based on hypocrisy and pretense. The U.S.'s conduct is the only real chance to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and creating a reality in which the regime will worry about its own citizens' welfare rather than spilling blood.
The prime minister didn't have to devote much of his speech to the Palestinians. Anyone who listed to the weepy, hysterical speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas understood that for now, there is no one with whom to negotiate. Slander, fuss about harm done to holy sites, and false equivalencies to apartheid do not bring us closer to the table. The Holocaust denier, funder of terrorists, and successor to archterrorist Yasser Arafat cannot be a partner in the peace process. His time has passed.
Using reasonable, informed arguments, the prime minister made it clear that the nation-state law is not racist, that Jews have a right to self-determination just like other nations do, and that a national language and flag are not racist or nationalist. I am sure that even notable leftists will admit that on Thursday, they saw an Israeli prime minister whose abilities and leadership left them very impressed.
