Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered two speeches on Thursday. The first was indeed surprising, not just because of the classified intelligence he shared but also because he confronted the International Atomic Energy Agency head on, as well as the Iran-appeasing European nations.
Appeasement is a tough word to use and he made it clear during the speech. That word has a troubled past, and Netanyahu, being a son of a historian, knows full well what the word has come to represent: the failed policy adopted vis-à-vis Nazi Germany during the 1930s.
The atomic bomb Netanyahu dropped during the speech was in the part in which he revealed that some 15 kilograms of radioactive material was dispersed on Tehran's streets. Netanyahu advised the residents of the city to buy a Geiger counter on Amazon to ensure they were not affected by the radiation. But the big question is what IAEA Director General Yukya Amano is going to do now that he is aware of the secret nuclear warehouse Netanyahu unveiled, which could potentially store some 300 tons of radioactive material.
As a Japanese national, Amano knows all too well what it means to live under the existential threat of a nuclear North Korea. Netanyahu has once again stated in his speech that the nuclear deal was based on a lie that had received a stamp of approval by the IAEA.
As was the case in the press conference several months ago, when Netanyahu exposed Iran's nuclear archive, on Thursday the prime minister showed more evidence corroborating Iran's intent to develop nuclear weapons. It will be hard for Amano to ignore the challenge put forth by Netanyahu.
But Netanyahu's most vociferous attack was on Europe. "Think about this: The same week Iran was caught red-handed trying to murder European citizens, European leaders were rolling out the red carpet for President Rouhani, promising to give Iran even more money," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu did not name the European leaders he was referring too, but it is clear who they are: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and her colleagues in Brussels. "Have these European leaders learned nothing from history? Will they ever wake up?" Netanyahu asked.
Netanyahu's speech was different than his other addresses before the U.N. General Assembly. He provided damning evidence against Iran and he built a case like a well-trained prosecutor, establishing an unshakable foundation. But Netanyahu managed to do something that no other Israeli public advocate or frankly anyone else has been able to do on the world stage: He has made a compelling case for nullifying that Iran nuclear deal, and managed to make the case for the policy adopted by Israel and the United States, and to convey his message in a convincing manner.
The last part of his speech was the second speech, aimed at uncovering the propaganda lies regarding Israel's alleged racism, as well as to appeal to Israeli citizens and explain the merits of the Nation-State Law.
There is a reason why movie theaters have stopped selling two-for-one tickets. Netanyahu had no good reason to sell such a ticket, especially since the first movie was such a hit.
