What a joy it was to listen to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu at the AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference this morning! It was truly a wonderful speech, and I expect that Netanyahu’s speech tomorrow in front of a joint session of Congress will be even better!
If readers here missed the speech this morning, you can see it at C-Span.
Or, you can view Netanyahu’s speech at You tube:
You Tube: Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at AIPAC – 3/2/15 [fast forward to 1:26:00 for Netanyahu’s speech.)
Read: the Prime Minister’s tweets here.
There was only a partial transcript at the site (taken from closed captioning) over at C-Span. I reviewed the speech again and made proper corrections and additions that were left out of the C-Span transcript.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE WELCOME AIPAC PRESIDENT BOB COHEN. (music)(music) WE ARE HONORED THIS MORNING TO BE JOINED BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL, BENJAMIN NATHANIEL — NETANYAHU. [APPLAUSE] >> THROUGHOUT HIS DISTINGUISHED CAREER, PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU HAS COURAGE AND PASSION.
HE HAS WARNED THE WORLD ABOUT THE THREAT OF MILITANT ISLAM, THOUGHTS AGAINST THE ANTI-ISRAEL A CAMPAIGN AT THE UNITED NATIONS AND LONG RECOGNIZED THE DANGER OF A NUCLEAR CAPABLE IRAN. NOT JUST TO ISRAEL BUT THE ENTIRE WORLD.
MR. PRIME MINISTER, TODAY WITH SO MUCH AT STAKE, AMERICA’S PRO ISRAEL COMMUNITY INCLUDING PRO ISRAEL COMMUNITY INCLUDING MORE THAN 16,000 PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WELCOME YOU TO WASHINGTON.
[APPLAUSE]
WE ARE THRILLED YOU BROUGHT FAMILY WITH YOU FROM JERUSALEM. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN PLEASE WELCOME THE WIFE OF THE PRIME MINISTER, SARAH NETANYAHU.
[APPLAUSE]
WE WELCOME YOU BOTH TO THIS CONFERENCE IN CELEBRATION OF THE SHARED INTEREST AND VALUES OF TWO GREAT DEMOCRACIES, AND WE STAND HERE TO SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE.
WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN THEIR QUEST TO STOP IRAN.
WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN THEIR QUEST FOR PEACE WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS.
[APPLAUSE]
AND WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN THEIR QUEST FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE JOIN ME IN WELCOMING THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL, MR. BENJAMIN NETANYAHU.
[APPLAUSE] (music)(music) [CHEERING] >>
15,000 PEOPLE. ANYONE HERE FROM CALIFORNIA? FLORIDA?
[CHEERING]
NEW YORK?
[CHEERING]
THOSE ARE THE EASY ONES. HOW ABOUT COLORADO?
[CHEERING]
INDIANA? I THINK I GOT IT. MONTANA?
[APPLAUSE]
YOU ARE HERE IN RECORD NUMBERS. YOU ARE HERE FROM COAST TO COAST, FROM EVERY PART OF THIS GREAT LAND AND YOU ARE HERE AT A CRITICAL TIME.
YOU ARE HERE TO TELL THE WORLD THAT REPORTS OF THE DEMISE OF THE U.S. RELATIONSHIP IS NOT ONLY PREMATURE BUT IT IS WRONG.
[APPLAUSE]
THE ALLIANCE IS STRONGER THAN EVER. AND BECAUSE OF YOU AND MILLIONS LIKE YOU THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY IT’S GOING TO GET EVEN STRONGER IN THE COMING YEARS.
[APPLAUSE]
TO ALL OF THE LEADERSHIP OF AIPAC, THANK YOU. FOR YOUR TIRELESS DEDICATED WORK IN THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES I WANT TO THANK MOST ESPECIALLY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS, I DEEPLY APPRECIATE YOUR STEADFAST SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT AND YOU HAVE OUR BOUNDLESS GRATITUDE.
[APPLAUSE]
I WOULD WELCOME THE PRESIDENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC. MR. PRESIDENT ISRAEL NEVER FORGETS ITS FRIENDS AND THE PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN STEADFAST FRIENDS OF ISRAEL AT THE INCEPTION OF ZIONISM AND WHEN I ENTERED THE ISRAELI ARMY IN 1967 AND RECEIVED A CZECH RIFLE – THAT WAS ONE OF THE RIFLES THAT WAS GIVEN TO US BY YOUR PEOPLE IN OUR TIME OF NEED IN 1948, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.
[APPLAUSE]
ALSO HERE ARE TWO GREAT FRIENDS OF ISRAEL THE FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN. AND AS OF LAST MONTH, THE FORMER CANADIAN MINISTER THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNWAVERING SUPPORT YOU ARE THE TRUE CHAMPIONS OF ISRAEL AND ARE TWO CHAMPIONS OF THE TRUTH.
[APPLAUSE]
I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL, DAN SHAPIRO FOR YOUR GENUINE FRIENDSHIP AND FOR THE GREAT JOB YOU ARE DOING REPRESENTING THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
[APPLAUSE]
AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE TWO RONS, AND THANK THE AMBASSADOR FOR THE EXEMPLARY JOB HE’S DOING IN THE UN DURING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME FOR HIM.
[APPLAUSE]
AND I WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE OTHER RON – A MAN WHO KNOWS HOW TO TAKE THE HEAT, ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES, RON DURMER.
[APPLAUSE]
I COULDN’T BE PROUDER TO HAVE YOU REPRESENTING ISRAEL IN WASHINGTON AND FINALLY I WANT TO RECOGNIZE MY WIFE, SARAH WHOSE COURAGE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY IS AN INSPIRATION TO ME.
[APPLAUSE]
SARAH DIVIDES HER TIME AS A CHILD PSYCHOLOGIST, AS A LOVING MOTHER AND HER PUBLIC DUTY AS THE WIFE OF A PRIME MINISTER. SARAH I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH ME TODAY, TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH ME AT MY SIDE ALWAYS
[APPLAUSE]
MY FRIENDS, I BRING GREETINGS TO YOU FROM JERUSALEM OUR ETERNAL, UNDIVIDED CAPITAL.
[APPLAUSE]
AND I ALSO BRING NEWS TO YOU THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD. SEE, I WILL BE SPEAKING IN CONGRESS TOMORROW.
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
YOU KNOW, NEVER HAS SO MUCH BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT A SPEECH THAT HASN’T BEEN GIVEN AND I’M NOT GOING TO SPEAK TODAY ABOUT THE CONTENT OF THAT SPEECH. BUT I DO WANT TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF THE SPEECH. FIRST LET ME CLARIFY WHAT IS NOT THE PURPOSE OF THAT SPEECH. MY SPEECH IS NOT INTENDED TO SHOW ANY DISRESPECT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA OR THE OFFICE THAT HE HOLDS. I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR BOTH.
[APPLAUSE]
I DEEPLY APPRECIATE ALL THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS DONE FOR ISRAEL: SECURITY COOPERATION, INTELLIGENCE SHARING, SUPPORT AT THE UN, AND MUCH MORE …SOME THINGS THAT I CAN’T DEVULGE TO YOU BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE CONFIDENCE THAT ARE KEPT BETWEEN THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT AND OF THE ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER. I AM GRATEFUL AND DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE AND SO SHOULD YOU BE.
[APPLAUSE]
MY SPEECH IS ALSO NOT INTENDED TO INJECT ISRAEL INTO THE AMERICAN PART OF THE DEBATE. AN IMPORTANT REASON WHY OUR ALLIANCE HAS GROWN STRONGER DECADE AFTER DECADE IS THAT IT IS THE CHAMPION BY BOTH PARTIES AND SO IT MUST REMAIN.
[APPLAUSE]
BOTH DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS THAT WORK TOGETHER WITH FRIENDS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE IN CONGRESS TO STRENGTHEN ISRAEL AND OUR ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. AND WORKING TOGETHER PROVIDED GENEROUS MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND MISSILE DEFENSE SPENDING. WE HAVE SEEN HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS JUST LAST SUMMER. WORKING TOGETHER, THEY HAVE MADE ISRAEL THE FIRST FREE-TRADE PARTNER OF AMERICA 30 YEARS AGO AND ITS FIRST OFFICIAL STRATEGIC PARTNER LAST YEAR.
[APPLAUSE]
THEY BACKED ISRAEL IN DEFENDING ITSELF IN THE WAR AND IN OUR EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE THE DURABLE PEACE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS. WORKING TOGETHER IT’S MADE ISRAEL STRONGER AND WORKING TOGETHER MADE OUR ALLIANCE STRONGER.
[APPLAUSE]
THAT’S WHY THE LAST THING THAT ANYONE WHO CARES ABOUT ISRAEL OR I WOULD WANT IS FOR ISRAEL TO BECOME AN ISSUE AND I REGRET SOME PEOPLE HAVE MISPERCEIVED MY VISIT HERE THIS WEEK AS DOING THAT. ISRAEL HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIPARTISAN ISSUE AND SHOULD ALWAYS REMAIN A BIPARTISAN ISSUE.
[APPLAUSE]
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 MAP THAT YOU SEE ON THE WALL. IT SHOWS IRAN TRAINING, ARMING, DISPATCHING THE TERRORISTS. ON FIVE CONTINENTS. THEY [ENVELOPE] THE ENTIRE WORLD WITH 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]
*******
Talk Wisdom interrupts this speech transcript to show readers EXACTLY WHY Netanyahu is correct NOT TO TRUST IRAN…EVER!!! AND, EXACTLY WHY THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL NEEDS TO TAKE HIS CASE TO THE U.S. CONGRESS IN TOMORROW’S SPEECH!!!
Update: Directly after I posted this speech I found the following article over at tomfernandez28’s Blog:
IRAN- “WE WILL DESTROY TEL AVIV IN 10 MINUTES!” (VIDEO)
Posted on March 2, 2015 by tomfernandez28
Excerpt:
According to the Revolutionary Guards leader, Iran has rockets that can reach the heart of Tel Aviv within six or seven minutes, “even before the rockets of the Zionists reach us.”
The threat, coming as it does during Iran’s efforts to increase its nuclear output capability by 19-fold and feasibly obtain the ability to equip nuclear warheads on the rockets Al-Nour claims the country possesses, gives extra urgency to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s warnings against a bad nuclear deal.
Netanyahu is posed to address the US Congress on March 3 about the Iranian nuclear problem in a speech that has raised uproar among the left in Israel and the US, given its proximity to March 17 Knesset elections.
The speech is meant to warn against leaving Iran with nuclear capabilities as talks between world powers and Iran approach a March 31 deadline, with Netanyahu warning the deal in its current formation would leave Iran a nuclear threshold state, and a state which has threatened to destroy Israel as Al-Nour reiterated on Saturday.
HAT TIP: tomfernandez28’s Blog
*******
AND AS THE 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 2000 YEARS, THE JEWISH PEOPLE WERE STATELESS, DEFENSELESS, VOICELESS. WE WERE UTTERLY POWERLESS AGAINST OUR ENEMIES WHO SWORE TO DESTROY US. WE SUFFERED RELENTLESS PERSECUTION AND ATTACKS. WE COULD NEVER SPEAK ON OUR OWN BEHALF AND WE COULD NOT DEFEND OURSELVES. WELL…NO MORE!!
[APPLAUSE]
THE DAYS WHEN THE JEWISH PEOPLE OR PASSAGE IN THE THREAT TO ANNIHILATE US, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!!
[APPLAUSE AND CHEERING]
TODAY IN OUR SOVEREIGN STATE OF ISRAEL, WE DEFEND OURSELVES!
[APPLAUSE]
AND BEING ABLE TO DEFEND OURSELVES, WE ALLIED WITH OTHERS MOST IMPORTANTLY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO DEFEND OUR COMMON CIVILIZATION AGAINST COMMON THREATS. IN OUR PART OF THE WORLD AND INCREASINGLY IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD NO ONE MAKES ALLIANCES WITH THE WEAK. YOU SEEK OUT THOSE WHO HAVE STRENGTH, THOSE WHO HAVE RESOLVE, THOSE WHO HAVE DETERMINATION TO FIGHT FOR THEMSELVES. THAT’S HOW ALLIANCES ARE FORMED. SO, WE DEFEND OURSELVES AND IN SO DOING, CREATE THE BASIS OF A BROADER ALLIANCE AND TODAY WE ARE NO LONGER SILENT. TODAY WE HAVE A VOICE!
[APPLAUSE]
AND TOMORROW AS PRIME MINISTER OF THE ONE AND ONLY JEWISH STATE, I PLAN TO USE THAT VOICE.
[APPLAUSE]
I PLAN TO SPEAK ABOUT AN IRANIAN REGIME THAT IS THREATENING TO DESTROY ISRAEL, THAT’S DEVOURING COUNTRY AFTER COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, THAT’S EXPORTING TERROR THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND THAT IS DEVELOPING AS WE SPEAK THE CAPACITY TO MAKE NUCLEAR WEAPONS – LOTS OF THEM.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES AGREE THAT IRAN SHOULDN’T HAVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS. BUT WE DISAGREE ON THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT THEM FROM DEVELOPING THOSE WEAPONS. DISAGREEMENTS AMONG ALLIES ARE ONLY NATURAL FROM TIME TO TIME EVEN AMONG THE CLOSEST OF ALLIES BECAUSE THERE ARE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AMERICA AND ISRAEL.
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IS A LARGE COUNTRY, ONE OF THE LARGEST. ISRAEL IS A SMALL COUNTRY, ONE OF THE SMALLEST. AMERICA LIVES IN ONE OF THE WORLD’S SAFEST NEIGHBORHOODS. ISRAEL LIVES IN THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS NEIGHBORHOODS. AMERICA IS THE STRONGEST POWER IN THE WORLD. ISRAEL IS STRONG [BUT] IT’S MUCH MORE VULNERABLE. AMERICAN LEADERS WORRY ABOUT THE SECURITY OF THEIR COUNTRY. ISRAELI LEADERS WORRY ABOUT THE SURVIVAL OF THEIR COUNTRY.
[APPLAUSE]
I THINK THAT ENCAPSULATES THE DIFFERENCE. I’VE BEEN PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL FOR NINE YEARS. THERE’S NOT A SINGLE DAY, NOT ONE DAY THAT I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT THE SURVIVAL OF MY COUNTRY AND THE ACTIONS THAT I TAKE TO ENSURE THAT SURVIVAL, NOT ONE DAY.
[APPLAUSE]
AND BECAUSE OF THESE DIFFERENCES, AMERICA AND ISRAEL HAVE HAD SOME SERIOUS DISAGREEMENTS OVER THE COURSE OF OUR NEARLY 70 YEAR OLD FRIENDSHIP. IT STARTED AT THE BEGINNING. IN 1948, SECRETARY OF STATE GEORGE MARSHALL OPPOSED THE INTENTION TO DECLARE STATEHOOD. HE VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED IT. BUT SEN GURION, UNDERSTANDING WHAT WAS AT STAKE, HE WENT AHEAD AND DECLARED THE INDEPENDENCE.
IN 1967, AS AN ARAB NOOSE WAS TIGHTENING AROUND [OUR NECK], THE UNITED STATES WARNED THE PRIME MINISTER THAT IF ISRAEL ACTED ALONE, IT WOULD BE ALONE. BUT ISRAEL DID ACT – ACTED ALONE TO DEFEND ITSELF.
IN 1981, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE PRIME MINISTER MENACHIM BEGIN, ISRAEL DESTROYED [AN IRAQI] NUCLEAR REACTOR.
[APPLAUSE]
THE UNITED STATES CRITICIZED ISRAEL AND SUSPENDED ARMS TRANSFERS FOR THREE MONTHS.
AND IN 2002, AFTER THE WORST WAVE OF ATTACKS IN HISTORY, THE PRIME MINISTER ARIEL SHARON LAUNCHED]AN OPERATION IN THE DEFENSE AND THE UNITED STATES DEMANDED THAT ISRAEL WITHDRAW ITS TROOPS IMMEDIATELY. BUT SHARON CONTINUED UNTIL THE OPERATION WAS COMPLETE.
[APPLAUSE]
THERE’S A REASON I MENTION ALL OF THESE. I MENTION THEM TO MAKE A POINT. DESPITE THE OCCASIONAL DISAGREEMENTS, THE FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN AMERICA AND ISRAEL GREW STRONGER AND STRONGER, DECADE AFTER DECADE.
[APPLAUSE]
AND OUR FRIENDSHIP WILL WEATHER THE CURRENT DISAGREEMENTS TO GROW EVEN STRONGER IN THE FUTURE.
[APPLAUSE]
AND I WILL TELL YOU WHY. BECAUSE WE SHARE THE SAME DREAMS. BECAUSE WE PRAY AND HOPE AND ASPIRE FOR THAT SAME BETTER WORLD, BECAUSE THE VALUES THAT UNITE US ARE MUCH STRONGER THAN THE DIFFERENCES THAT DIVIDE US.
[APPLAUSE]
VALUES LIKE LIBERTY, EQUALITY, JUSTICE, TOLERANCE, COMPASSION. AS OUR REGION DESCENDS INTO MEDIEVAL BARBARISM, ISRAEL IS THE ONE THAT UPHOLDS THESE VALUES COMMON TO US AND TO YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
AS THEY DROP BOMBS ON THEIR OWN PEOPLE, THE ISRAELI DOCTORS TREAT VICTIMS IN HOSPITALS RIGHT ACROSS THE FENCE IN THE GOLAN HEIGHTS.
[APPLAUSE]
AS CHRISTIANS IN THE MIDDLE EAST ARE BEHEADED AND THEIR ANCIENT COMMUNITIES ARE DECIMATED, ISRAEL’S CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS GROWING AND THRIVING – THE ONLY ONE SUCH COMMUNITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
[APPLAUSE]
AS WOMEN IN THE REGION ARE OPPRESSED, ENSLAVED AND RAPED, THE WOMEN IN ISRAEL SERVE AS CHIEF JUSTICES, AS SEA FIGHTER PILOTS, [AND WE HAVE HAD] TWO WOMEN CHIEF JUSTICES IN SECESSION. THAT’S PRETTY GOOD. IN THE DARK, SAVAGED AND DESPERATE MIDDLE EAST, ISRAEL IS A BEACON OF HUMANITY OF LIFE AND OF HOPE.
[APPLAUSE]
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ISRAEL AND THE UNITED STATES WILL CONTINUE TO STAND TOGETHER, BECAUSE AMERICA AND ISRAEL ARE MORE THAN FRIENDS. WE ARE LIKE A FAMILY. NOW DISAGREEMENTS IN THE FAMILY ARE ALWAYS UNCOMFORTABLE. BUT WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT WE ARE FAMILY!
[APPLAUSE]
ROOTED IN A COMMON HERITAGE, ROOTED IN COMMON VALUES, SHARING A COMMON DESTINY. AND THAT’S THE MESSAGE I CAME TO TELL YOU TODAY. OUR ALLIANCE IS SOUND, OUR FRIENDSHIP IS STRONG AND WITH YOUR EFFORTS, IT WILL BECOME EVEN STRONGER OVER THE COMING YEARS. THANK YOU AIPAC, THANK YOUR AMERICA, GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING AND STANDING OVATION].
*******
End of transcript.
Hat tips to all links.
Talk Wisdom 
