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Netanyahu at UN: ‘The world is embracing Israel and Israel is embracing the world’

“We’re in the midst of a great revolution,” Netanyahu stated in his address to the UN General Assembly with regard to Israel’s remarkable diplomatic achievements across the globe, including with the Arab world.

In his proud address to the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York a day ahead of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “tomorrow evening, Jews around the world will look back with wonder at the miraculous rebirth of our nation, and we look ahead with pride at the remarkable contributions Israel will continue to make to all nations.”

“We’re in the midst of a great revolution, a revolution in Israel’s standing among the nations,” the prime minister stated. “This is happening because so many countries around the world have finally woken up to what Israel can do for them… that Israel is the innovation nation – the place for cutting-edge technology in agriculture, in water, in cyber security, in medicine, in autonomous vehicles – you name it, we’ve got it.”

‘We Have Saved Countless Lives’

This includes several Arab nations that recognize Israel’s exceptional abilities in fighting terrorism, not only inside the Jewish state, but also on a global level. “We have saved countless lives,” he declared.

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“After 70 years, the world is embracing Israel and Israel is embracing the world.”

However, when it comes to the UN, there are still many challenges, Netanyahu conceded. In July, for example, UNESCO declared the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron a Palestinian World Heritage site. “That’s worse than fake news. That’s fake history,” he said.

Yet “despite the absurdities… there is change, slowly but surely…even at the United Nations,” he added, noting, for instance UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ recent statement that “denying Israel’s right to exist is anti-Semitism, plain and simple…

However, “we must also speak the truth about Iran, as President Trump did so powerfully this morning,” the Israeli leader asserted, noting the world’s focus on the North Korean threat in recent months.

“In the last few months, we’ve all seen how dangerous even a few nuclear weapons can be in the hands of a small rogue regime. Now imagine the danger of hundreds of nuclear weapons in the hands of a vast Iranian Islamist empire, with the missiles to deliver them anywhere on earth,” he said.

“That’s why Israel’s policy regarding the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple: Change it or cancel it, fix it or nix it.”

‘Iran Will Face No Fiercer Enemy than Israel’

Nevertheless, stressing Israel’s military strength, Netanyahu warned Iranian dictator Ayatollah Khamenei: “Those who threaten us with annihilation put themselves in mortal peril. Israel will defend itself with the full force of our arms and the full power of our convictions….

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“As long as Iran’s regime seeks the destruction of Israel, Iran will face no fiercer enemy than Israel.”

“But I also have a message today for the people of Iran: You are not our enemy; you are our friends,” the prime minister continued. “One day, my Iranian friends, you will be free from the evil regime that terrorizes you… and when that day of liberation finally comes, the friendship between our two ancient peoples will surely flourish once again.”

Israel is ‘Transforming our World’

The Israeli leader concluded his speech with optimism, citing Israeli innovation that contributes to the lives of people around the world on a daily basis.

“You look around you and you will see those contributions every day – in the food you eat, the water you drink, the medicines you take, the cars you drive, the cell phones you use, and in so many other ways that are transforming our world.

“You see it in the smile of an African mother in a remote village, who, thanks to an Israeli innovation, no longer must walk eight hours a day to bring water to her children.

“You see it in the eyes of an Arab child, who was flown to Israel to undergo a life-saving heart operation.

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“And you see it in the faces of the people in earthquake-stricken Haiti and Nepal who were rescued from the rubble and given new life by Israeli doctors.”

Netanyahu quoted the prophet Isaiah, who said, “I have made you a light unto the nations, bringing salvation to the ends of the earth.”

“Today, 2,700 years after Isaiah spoke those prophetic words, Israel is becoming a rising power among the nations. And at long last, its light is shining across the continents, bringing hope and salvation to the ends of the earth,” Netanyahu concluded.

It was noteworthy that Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon, the newly elected vice-president of the UN General Assembly, presided at a sitting for the first time during Netanyahu’s speech.

By: Adina Katz, World Israel News