Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu glared in silence at delegates at the United Nations General Assembly for more than 45 seconds during a Thursday speech where he criticized the international community’s response to Iran’s threats against his country.
“Seventy years after the murder of 6 million Jews, Iran’s rulers promise to destroy my country, murder my people, and the response from this body, the response from nearly every one of the governments represented here has been absolutely nothing,” Netanyahu said. “Utter silence. Deafening silence.”
What followed were more than 45 seconds of silence where Netanyahu stared down the audience inside the auditorium.
“Perhaps you can understand why Israel is not joining you in celebrating this [Iran nuclear] deal,” he continued. “If Iran’s rulers were working to destroy your countries, perhaps you’d be less enthusiastic about the deal. If Iran’s terror proxies were flying thousands of rockets at your cities, perhaps you’d be more measured in your praise. And if this deal were unleashing a nuclear arms race in your neighborhood, perhaps you’d be more reluctant to celebrate.”
Later, he explained that not just Israel is at risk from Iran’s “aggression.”
“Iran is also building intercontinental ballistic missiles whose sole purpose is to carry nuclear warheads,” he said. “Now, remember this, Iran already has missiles that can reach Israel. So those intercontinental ballistic missiles that Iran is building, they’re not meant for us. They’re meant for you, for Europe, for America, for raining down mass destruction any time, anywhere.”
Netanyahu claimed, “It’s not easy to oppose something that is embraced by the greatest powers in the world” suggesting “it would be far easier to remain silent. But throughout our history, the Jewish people have learned the heavy price of silence and as the prime minister of the Jewish state, as someone who knows that history, I refuse to be silent.”