Netanyahu delivers defiant speech at Jewish Federation
In speech ranging from the Israel-US relationship to frozen peace process, Netanyahu sticks to key messages, receives enthusiastic response; PM takes questions at Center for American Progress.
WASHINGTON - After a successful meeting with US President Barack Obama on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took Tuesday to speak before diverse crowds, including taking questions at a liberal thinktank.
Netanyahu was in defiant mood during his address to the Jewish Federations' General Assembly, delivering a punchy speech before an enthusiastic crowd.
Touching on a range of topics from Israel's relationship with America to the peace process and Israel's international image, Netanyahu received several rounds of applause and seemed to be buoyed by his successful meeting with US President Barack Obama the day before.
“Despite our disagreement over the nuclear deal with Iran, I believe that America and Israel can and should work together now to ensure Iran complies with the deal, to curb Iran’s regional aggression and fight Iranian terrorism around the world,” Netanyahu said.
Continuing the theme of the apparent beginnings of a thaw in the Israel-US relationship, he mentioned “Obama’s commitment to bolster Israel’s security for the next 10 years, (and) also his commitment to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge so that Israel can defend itself by itself against any threat.
“Israel will continue to thrive because I believe in the indomitable spirit of our people, in the unbreakable bond with the United States,” the prime minister continued.
“Great issues have been debated, passions ran high and the stakes were even higher,” he said. “Israel has no better friend than America and America has no better friend than Israel,” he added.
On the subject of the stalled peace process, Netanyahu was quick to point the finger.
"The truth is, the reason we don't have peace yet with the Palestinians is not because of the settlements or territorial disputes," he said. "The reason there isn't peace is the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish state in any boundaries.
“When Israel faces a Palestinian leadership that seeks peace, is willing to bury the past and makes no more claims on the Jewish state … when we meet a leader who is willing to finally recognize the Jewish state, we will have peace,” Netanyahu continued.
The prime minister then addressed growing international criticism of Israel, accusing the world of double standards and saying that such censure stems from anti-Semitism more than anything else.
"Israel is not a perfect country, but it is judged by a standard that is applied to no other country and that no country can possibly meet," Netanyahu said. "You know what that is? It begins with an A and ends with an M."
Netanyahu also stressed the importance of unity among the Jewish people and vowed to protect all streams of Judaism in Israel.
“There’s only one Jewish people. There’s only one Jewish state. Now more than ever we must unite the Jewish people and secure the Jewish state,” he said.
Later on Tuesday, Netanyahu took questions at the liberal American outfit Center for American Progress, where he defended Israel's record on tackling settler violence and said that "you can't compare settler violence to Palestinian terrorism."
Netanyahu is in the middle of a trip to Washington whose primary aim is to boost Israel's defense aid package from the US. The prime minister is, however, giving a number of speeches before various audiences and received an award from the American Enterprise Institute on Monday night.
