Netanyahu took to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, a day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of being an occupying apartheid state, while threatening to cancel existing agreements with Israel.
- Netanyahu devoted the majority of his speech to addressing his concerns regarding the recent nuclear deal with Iran, mentioning the many security problems posed by Iran.
The prime minister said that Iran has only increased its aggression since the deal was signed, increasing support for Assad, Hezbollah and Hamas, as well as setting up terror cells around the world, including in the Western Hemisphere.
He warned that once sanctions are removed, "unleashed and unmuzzled, Iran will go on the prowl."
Netanyahu speaking at the UN
(מתוך היוטיוב לייו של ערוץ האו"ם)
Netanyahu argued that the world has long been watching outrageous Iranian behavior in silence -- "Utter silence. Deafening silence." In order to bring this point home, he then spent roughly 40 seconds staring at his audience in complete silence. Netanyahu said, "We see a world celebrating this bad deal, rushing to embrace and do business with a regime openly committed to our destruction."
The prime minister held up a copy of the latest book by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that he said was a "400-page screed detailing his plan to destroy the state of Israel." 📷Netanyahu's moments of silence (מתוך היוטיוב לייו של ערוץ האו"ם)
While the bulk of the speech involved Iran, Netanyahu did also raise the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He said he was prepared to return to negotiations with the Palestinians without any preconditions whatsoever, adding that Israel was still committed to a two-state solution.
Reuters contributed to this report.