Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a forceful address Wednesday night at a reception for Jewish and Christian leaders at Blair House in Washington, attended by U.S. generals, senators, and other dignitaries.
The prime minister thanked President Donald Trump for his historic preemptive actions against the Iranian nuclear threat, saying it was an existential threat to both countries.
"In great devastation, they would come with nuclear warheads. They would destroy your cities. They say, 'Death to Israel.' We're simply in the way, but the real goal is death to America," Netanyahu said.
"President Trump understood what was in America's interest. I understood what was in the Jewish state's interest. And those interests are completely coherent. We worked together as a team—a team like no other," the premier continued, comparing their actions to World War II when the U.S. did not join the fight until Pearl Harbor was attacked.
In striking the Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan nuclear sites in Iran last month, Trump "didn't wait to be bombed."
Trump demonstrated "great leadership," Netanyahu said, praising the pilots of the American B2 bombers.
"I think it's incredible. President Trump did what no other president did — he actively engaged in battle, in the defense of his allies but also the defense of the United States," he said.
He pointed out the dire media predictions against American intervention did not pan out.
"So we acted together in that partnership, and we delivered the benefits of victory against an evil regime. That changes history."
Netanyahu said that Israel's survival was threatened by "two life-threatening cancerous growths developing in this cancerous regime not far away from us," referring to the Islamic Republic's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
"If we didn't act within a year, Iran would have had a nuclear bomb. And time was running out," the prime minister said. The Iranian regime also planned to build tens of thousands of missiles aimed at the Jewish state, the "equivalent to two atomic bombs.
"If you act, you might need to act again. But if you don't act, you will die," Netanyahu said.
"We did not make the journey of 3,500 years of Jewish history — overcoming the greatest odds any people have faced, coming back to our ancestral homeland, building our state—to have it demolished by these mad ayatollahs. We decided to act. We did act. We acted with the courage of our people."
Balaam didn't deliver.
He explained why he called it "Operation Rising Lion," which comes from this week's Torah portion, Balak.
"It relates to Balak and Balaam. Balak was one of the kings who wanted to destroy the Israelites. He hired a seer — his name was Balaam. He appears in historical evidence beyond the Bible. Balak wanted him to give a prophecy that would assure the destruction of the Jews. But Balaam didn't deliver. Instead, he delivered a prophecy: 'The people shall rise like lions.'
"Our soldiers are lions — our fighting soldiers, our people. So we rose like lions," Netanyahu said.
Looking to the future, the prime minister said that "we need to reap the fruits of peace" following the show of military strength.
"First, we must ensure that Iran does not get nuclear weapons, because they'll try again. When you take out a cancer, it can reappear. You have to make sure it doesn't," Netanyahu said. "There are possibilities of peace that are mind-boggling. We're working on it. The less said, the better."
He then reflected on the Abraham Accords reached during Trump's first term in office, which saw Israel normalize relations with four Arab Muslim countries.
"President Trump and I worked for three years with a close team on the Abraham Accords. Nobody knew, and then it happened. The same is happening now. We've already changed the Middle East, but we're going to change it even further, and we're going to give it a brilliant future—the one the people of Israel deserve, our neighbors deserve and the world deserves," Netanyahu said.
He personally acknowledged his wife, Sara Netanyahu, who joined the premier this week in Washington.
"It is said in the Bible, 'Anything that Sara said to you, listen to it.' So I've listened to Sara. She stood by me all these years amid much sacrifice and with incredible courage.
"Without her unrelenting support and wise judgment, I could not have done this. President Trump always says, 'You have a secret weapon.' I want to express our common appreciation for her efforts and her sacrifice."
In closing, Netanyahu discussed the Jewish mission in its historic homeland and the perseverance of the Jewish people.
"Finally, I want to say this: We have secured unbelievable victories. It gives us an opportunity to chart a different course for our people, our region and the world.
"This could not have been done without the innate mission of the Jewish people to reclaim our homeland and build our future in our ancestral home. It is a powerful thing."
This JNS.org report was published with permission from Jewish News Syndicate.
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