Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu took the stage at the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Conference, hosted at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to deliver a sobering address about the persistence and intensification of antisemitism. His remarks emphasized that this age-old hatred endangers not only Jews but all of humanity.
Opening his remarks, Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar for convening the event. “The key issue that I want to address is the consequence of antisemitism, not only for the Jewish people but for human society,” Netanyahu stated. He likened antisemitism to a longstanding, malignant illness that has plagued history, noting that although Jews have borne the brunt of it, many other societies have suffered due to its consequences.
Drawing from a painful chapter of history, Netanyahu compared the consequences of antisemitism to the global devastation of World War II. “Six million Jews died… but 60 million died during the war that it inspired,” he said. Recalling the foresight of his father, a historian, Netanyahu cited a warning from 1933: “What starts with the Jews will not end with the Jews.” He lamented that had such warnings been taken seriously, history might have unfolded differently.
Turning to current events, Netanyahu addressed the global backlash that followed the October 7 attacks. “We have now a surge of antisemitism as we speak,” he said, describing the shock among those who assumed the brutality of the assault would result in global empathy for Jews. Instead, he noted with alarm the widespread support for those responsible for the violence: “demonstrations, protests, in the capitals of the West and other countries that celebrate, celebrate these murderers, these rapists, these baby burners, these hostage takers. Celebrate.”
He warned that these protests go beyond anti-Israel sentiment. They symbolize something deeper, he argued: a fundamental rejection of democratic and Western ideals. He pointed to the imagery seen at these rallies: not only Israeli flags, but “the burning of American flags, British flags, Canadian flags, French flags. That’s not an accident. Because the people who are leading this charge are basically challenging Western civilization or free societies as we understand them.”
Netanyahu spoke of Israel’s ongoing conflict, characterizing it as a fight across multiple fronts. He framed it as not just Israel’s struggle, but a global clash of values: “the war, ultimately, of civilization against barbarism.”
He delved into the methods used to dehumanize Jews throughout history, pointing out the consistent use of grotesque lies to justify violence. From medieval accusations of well-poisoning and blood libels to Nazi propaganda, he traced a line of rhetoric meant to condition societies for persecution. “We poisoned the wells in medieval times, we take Christian children, the blood of Christian children and bake matzahs for Passover with them, we spread vermin,” he recited. Nazi Germany, he said, relied on “exactly the same thing” to “prepare them for the kill, for the butcher.”
Referring to the atrocities of October 7, Netanyahu compared them to the Holocaust in their brutality. He quoted German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who visited the aftermath and commented, “They’re just like the Nazis.” But there was a chilling twist. “The Nazis tried to hide their crimes. These people went with GoPro cameras and they publicized it for the whole world to see. They were very proud of what they were doing.” He underscored that Hamas had made its genocidal goals clear, and that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had likewise made no secret of his intent to destroy Israel.
Addressing misinformation surrounding Israel’s conduct in the war, Netanyahu firmly pushed back on the narrative that the IDF intentionally targets civilians. “The first thing they say is you’re slaughtering people deliberately. That’s a complete destruction, a complete annihilation of the laws of war.” He argued that Hamas’s tactics of embedding itself within civilian areas amount to a “double war crime.”
He illustrated the difference between deliberate targeting and unavoidable collateral damage by referencing a WWII incident: the RAF’s accidental bombing of a children’s hospital while targeting Gestapo headquarters in Copenhagen. The implication was clear — even the most disciplined armies in the most justified wars face tragic consequences when fighting in populated areas.
Netanyahu described the unique battlefield of Gaza, where Hamas, he said, deliberately traps civilians to increase casualties and international outrage. “That’s what they do. How do they lock them in? They shoot them if they want to leave.” The confined nature of the territory, he explained, presents exceptional operational difficulties for Israeli forces.
He specifically addressed the operation in Rafah, where global voices warned against entering. “By the time we got to Rafah, 1.4 million of Gaza’s 2.2 million people were in Rafah,” he explained. Despite warnings that an invasion would result in massive civilian deaths — “20,000 civilian casualties” — Netanyahu said there was a clear evacuation route: “That place is on the beach. It’s two kilometers away. On the beach.” He continued, “within six days… the number of civilian casualties we had in Rafah was practically zero. Practically zero. Because they all left.”
The Prime Minister highlighted the unprecedented lengths to which the IDF goes to protect civilians. “We are texting civilians by the millions. Millions of text messages, millions of phone calls, cellphone calls, millions of pamphlets, ‘Please get out.’ Because we are going to come in.” He said these measures, coupled with precision tactics, have produced a remarkably low non-combatant casualty rate given the intense urban warfare. He credited experts such as John Spencer from West Point for validating this assessment.
He also confronted the widely circulated claim that Israel is starving the population of Gaza. “That’s the current fad, the current lie. Well, that’s false too.” From the outset of hostilities, he explained, Israel facilitated the delivery of “essential requirements: food, water, medicine,” amounting to “1.8 million tons of food and aid.” As proof, he pointed to the condition of Palestinian prisoners. “Thousands and thousands of prisoners taking their shirt off and you don’t see one, not one emaciated from the beginning of the war to the present.”
In closing, Netanyahu urged Jewish leaders across the globe to remain resolute. “The last thing I want to do is to address the leaders of Jewish communities who came to us from around the world. The most important thing you have to do in fighting antisemitism is to stand up and not be cowered. People value and respect people who stand up for their own rights. Do not be afraid to speak up. Speak up, stand up for the truth, stand up for the Jewish people, stand up for civilization. And I ask that all of you do the same. Thank you,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}