Speaking before the 2015 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained why he was addressing Congress on Tuesday, saying he had a “moral obligation” to speak up about a bad Iran deal and that he would defend the Jewish people. (VIDEO: Former Dem Senator Blames Democrats For Politicizing Netanyahu Speech)
NETANYAHU: Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of my address to Congress tomorrow is to speak up about a potential deal with Iran that could threaten the survival of Israel. Iran is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world. Look at that graph, look at that map that you see on the wall. It shows Iran training, arming, dispatching terrorists on five continents. Iran envelopes the entire world with its tentacles of terror.
This is what Iran is doing now without nuclear weapons. Imagine what Iran would do with nuclear weapons. And this same Iran vows to annihilate Israel; if it develops nuclear weapons, it would have the means to achieve that goal. We must not let that happen! [applause] And as prime minister of Israel, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them.
For 2,000 years, my people, the Jewish people, were stateless, defenseless, voiceless. We were utterly powerless against our enemies who swore to destroy us. We suffered relentless persecution and horrific attacks. We could never speak in our own behalf, and we could not defend ourselves. Well, no more! [applause] No more! The days when the Jewish people are passive in the face of threats to annihilate us, those days are over! [applause]