Benjamín Netanyahu Quotes

Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. Netanyahu also currently serves as a member of the Knesset and Chairman of the Likud party.

Born in Tel Aviv to secular Jewish parents, Netanyahu is the first Israeli prime minister born in Israel after the establishment of the state.

Netanyahu joined the Israel Defense Forces shortly after the Six-Day War in 1967, and became a team leader in the Sayeret Matkal special forces unit. Netanyahu took part in many missions, including Operation Inferno , Operation Gift and Operation Isotope , during which he was shot in the shoulder. Netanyahu fought on the front lines in the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, taking part in special forces raids along the Suez Canal, and then leading a commando assault deep into Syrian territory. Netanyahu achieved the rank of captain before being discharged.

After graduating from MIT with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees, Netanyahu was recruited as an economic consultant for the Boston Consulting Group. Netanyahu returned to Israel in 1978 to found the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute, named after his brother Yonatan Netanyahu, who died leading Operation Entebbe. Netanyahu served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988.

Netanyahu became the leader of Likud in 1993. Netanyahu won the 1996 elections, becoming Israel's youngest ever Prime Minister, serving his first term from June 1996 to July 1999. Netanyahu moved from the political arena to the private sector after being defeated in the 1999 election for prime minister by Ehud Barak. Netanyahu returned to politics in 2002 as Foreign Affairs Minister and Finance Minister in Ariel Sharon's governments, but he departed the government over disagreements regarding the Gaza disengagement plan. As Minister of Finance, Netanyahu engaged in a major reform of the Israeli economy, which was credited by commentators as having significantly improved Israel's subsequent economic performance. Netanyahu retook the Likud leadership in December 2005, after Sharon left to form a new party, Kadima.

In December 2006, Netanyahu became the official Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset and Chairman of Likud. Following the 2009 parliamentary election, in which Likud placed second and right-wing parties won a majority, Netanyahu formed a coalition government. After the victory in the 2013 elections, he became the second person to be elected to the position of Prime Minister for a third term, after Israel's founder David Ben-Gurion. In March 2015, Netanyahu was elected to his fourth term as prime minister.

Netanyahu has been elected Prime Minister of Israel four times, matching David Ben-Gurion's record. Netanyahu is the only prime minister in Israel's history to have been elected three times in a row. Netanyahu is currently the second longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel's history after David Ben-Gurion, and if his current government lasts a full term, upon its completion he will become the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of Israel.

✵ 21. October 1949   •   Other names Bibi Netanyahu
Benjamín Netanyahu photo
Benjamín Netanyahu: 41   quotes 2   likes

Famous Benjamín Netanyahu Quotes

“The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war.”

Speech at the Knesset at the end of the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, as quoted in "Olmert: We will continue to pursue Hizbullah leaders" in The Globes (14 August 2006) http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000122795&fid=942
2000s, 2006

“The labeling of products of the Jewish state by the European Union brings back dark memories. Europe should be ashamed of itself. It took an immoral decision. Of the hundreds of territorial conflicts around the world, it chose to single out Israel and Israel alone, while it's fighting with its back against the wall against the wave of terror.”

As quoted in "EU: Products from West Bank and Golan cannot be labeled 'from Israel'" http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/europe/eu-labeling-israel-territories/ (11 November 2015), by Don Melvin and Oren Liebermann, CNN, State of Georgia: Cable News Network.
2010s, 2015

“The Czech Republic stood with the U. S., Canada and a handful of other countries against the prevailing international current, but history has shown us time and again that what is right is not what is popular.”

During his stay in Prague, Netanyahu praised the Czech government for opposing the Palestinian move in the UN General Assembly to have a status upgrade, as quoted in "Merkel Meets Netanyahu amid Tense Relations" (6 December 2012) http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/12/merkel-meets-netanyahu-amid-tense-relations/
2010s, 2012

“Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time. He wanted to expel the Jews.”

Netanyahu tells World Zionist Congress 2015 that Hitler only wanted to expel the Jews, but Jerusalem's Grand Mufti convinced him to exterminate them, a claim that was rejected by most accepted Holocaust scholars. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.681525.
2010s, 2015

“To say that Iran doesn't practice terrorism is like saying Derek Jeter never played shortstop for the New York Yankees.”

Speech to the United Nations General Assembly (September 2014), New York City, New York.
As quoted in Israeli PM: Iran doesn’t practice terrorism like Jeter isn’t a shortstop https://archive.is/K2WOj, The New York Post, (29 September 2014).
2010s, 2014

Benjamín Netanyahu Quotes about the world

“Innocent and impoverished Palestinians were denied vital aid supplied from nations around the world, Hamas stole critical support for Palestinian children so that they could kill our children…I express my deepest sympathy with innocent Palestinians and those well-meaning nations who generously donated money to help them.”

Statements after the arrest of two aid workers from World Vision and the United Nations — Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel 'cares more about Palestinians than their own leaders do' after Gaza aid worker arrests http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/benjamin-netanyahu-israel-cares-more-about-palestinians-than-own-leaders-gaza-world-vision-un-hamas-a7186481.html, The Independent (12 August 2016)
2010s, 2016

“Fortunately, President Obama and most world leaders understand that the idea that Iran's goal is not to develop nuclear weapons is ridiculous. Yet incredibly, some are prepared to accept an idea only slightly less preposterous: That we should accept a world in which the Ayatollahs have atomic bombs. Sure, they say, Iran is cruel, but it's not crazy. It's detestable but it's deterrable. Responsible leaders should not bet the security of their countries on the belief that the world's most dangerous regime won't use the world's most dangerous weapons. And I promise you that as Prime Minister, I will never gamble with the security of Israel. From the beginning, the Ayatollah regime has broken every international rule and flouted every norm. It has seized embassies, targeted diplomats and sent its own children through mine fields. It hangs gays and stones women. It supports Assad's brutal slaughter of the Syrian people. Iran is the world's foremost sponsor of terror. It sponsors Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and terrorists throughout the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Iran's proxies have dispatched hundreds of suicide bombers, planted thousands of roadside bombs, and fired over twenty thousand missiles at civilians. Through terror from the skies and terror on the ground, Iran is responsible for the murder of hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans. In 1983, Iran's proxy Hezbollah blew up the Marine barracks in Lebanon, killing 240 American servicemen. In the last decade, its been responsible for murdering and maiming American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. Just a few months ago, it tried to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in a restaurant just a few blocks from here. The assassins didn't care that several Senators and members of Congress would have been murdered in the process. Iran accuses the American government of orchestrating 9/11, and it denies the Holocaust. Iran brazenly calls for Israel's destruction, and they work for its destruction – each day, every day. This is how Iran behaves today, without nuclear weapons. Think of how they will behave tomorrow, with nuclear weapons. Iran will be even more reckless and far more dangerous.”

Speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference http://www.aipac.org/pc/videos/2012/monday-gala-plenary/prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu (March 2012).
2010s, 2012

“As Hamas's charter makes clear, Hamas's immediate goal is to destroy Israel. But Hamas has a broader objective. They also want a caliphate. Hamas shares the global ambitions of its fellow militant Islamists. That’s why its supporters wildly cheered in the streets of Gaza as thousands of Americans were murdered on 9/11. And that's why its leaders condemned the United States for killing Osama bin Laden, whom they praised as a holy warrior.So when it comes to their ultimate goals, Hamas is ISIS and ISIS is Hamas. And what they share in common, all militant Islamists share in common. Boko Haram in Nigeria; Ash-Shabab in Somalia; Hezbollah in Lebanon; An-Nusrah in Syria; The Mahdi Army in Iraq; And the Al-Qaeda branches in Yemen, Libya, the Philippines, India and elsewhere. Some are radical Sunnis, some are radical Shi'ites. Some want to restore a pre-medieval caliphate from the 7th century. Others want to trigger the apocalyptic return of an imam from the 9th century. They operate in different lands, they target different victims and they even kill each other in their quest for supremacy. But they all share a fanatic ideology. They all seek to create ever expanding enclaves of militant Islam where there is no freedom and no tolerance – Where women are treated as chattel, Christians are decimated, and minorities are subjugated, sometimes given the stark choice: convert or die. For them, anyone can be an infidel, including fellow Muslims. Ladies and Gentlemen, Militant Islam's ambition to dominate the world seems mad. But so too did the global ambitions of another fanatic ideology that swept to power eight decades ago. The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith. They just disagree about who among them will be the master… of the master faith. That's what they truly disagree about. Therefore, the question before us is whether militant Islam will have the power to realize its unbridled ambitions.”

Speech at the United Nations General Assembly (September 2014), New York City, New York.
As quoted in The Jerusalem Post https://web.archive.org/save/http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Full-text-of-Prime-Minister-Netanyahus-UN-speech-376626.
2010s, 2014

“You don't need to do nation building in Israel, we're already built. You don't need to export democracy to Israel, we've already got it. You don't need to send American troops to Israel, we defend ourselves… Israel is not what is wrong about the Middle East, Israel is what is right about the Middle East… The tyranny in Tehran brutalizes its own people. It supports attacks against American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. It subjugates Lebanon and Gaza. It sponsors terror worldwide… A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world. I want you to understand what this means. They could put the bomb anywhere. They could put it on a missile. It could be on a container ship in a port, or in a suitcase on a subway… Now the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads in the sand. Less than seven decades after six million Jews were murdered, Iran's leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people, while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom, should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. But there is something that makes the outrage even greater: The lack of outrage. In much of the international community, the calls for our destruction are met with utter silence. It is even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran's terror proxies… When we say never again, we mean never again! Israel always reserves the right to defend itself… In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers. We are not the British in India. We are not the Belgians in the Congo. This is the land of our forefathers, the Land of Israel, to which Abraham brought the idea of one God, where David set out to confront Goliath, and where Isaiah saw a vision of eternal peace… No distortion of history can deny the four thousand year old bond, between the Jewish people and the Jewish land… Peace cannot be imposed. It must be negotiated. But it can only be negotiated with partners committed to peace.”

Address to joint meeting of the U.S. Congress http://www.c-span.org/video/?299666-1/israeli-prime-minister-netanyahu-address-joint-meeting-congress (24 May 2011).
2010s, 2011, Address to joint meeting of the U.S. Congress (May 2011)

Benjamín Netanyahu Quotes about people

“In the Israeli democracy, we will continue to protect the rights of both the individual and the group, this is guaranteed. But the majority have rights too, and the majority rules, the vast majority of people want to preserve the Jewish character of our country for generations to come, this combination of individual rights and group rights are the definition of a Jewish and democratic state.”

As quoted in Defending controversial Jewish state bill, Netanyahu says ‘majority rules’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/pm-defends-controversial-jewish-state-bill-says-majority-have-rights-too/ (12 July 2018) by Tamar Pileggi, The Times of Israel.
2010s, 2018

“I can guarantee you this, the days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over!”

2010s, 2015, Address to the United States Congress (March 2015)
Context: I wish I could promise you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Not to sacrifice the future for the present; not to ignore aggression in the hopes of gaining an illusory peace. But I can guarantee you this, the days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over! We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home. And the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves. This is why; this is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand. But I know that Israel does not stand alone. I know that America stands with Israel. know that you stand with Israel. You stand with Israel, because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to history's horrors. Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this august chamber is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land. And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years.

Benjamín Netanyahu Quotes

“Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart. Our heart will never be divided again.”

During a ceremony marking Jerusalem Day Netanyahu: Israel will continue to build Jerusalem and keep it united (20 May 2012) http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/netanyahu-israel-will-continue-to-build-jerusalem-and-keep-it-united-1.431563
2010s, 2012

“We'll attack anyone who tries to harm our citizens.”

Speech at the Knesset, as quoted in The Jerusalem Post http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=243895 (31 October 2010)
2010s, 2010

“We will bring a comprehensive plan to the government to assist you in every way. There is no room for racism and discrimination in our society, none… We will turn racism into something contemptible and despicable.”

As quoted in "Israel failed Ethiopian community, president says at memorial" http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-failed-ethiopian-community-president-says-at-memorial (17 May 2015), by Judah Ari Gross, The Times of Israel.
2010s, 2015

“The difference between us is that we're using missile defense to protect our civilians and they're using their civilians to protect their missiles.”

Interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" 12 July 2014 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-israel-avoid-civilian-deaths-in-gaza-offensive/. Comparing Israeli forces to Hamas militants.
2010s, 2014

“I am certain that I speak on behalf of my entire nation when I say: Today we are all Americans — in grief, as in defiance.”

Statement on the September 11th terrorist attacks (20 September 2001), as quoted at the official site of Israeli embassy http://www.israelemb.org/US-Israel-Relations/US-Israel-Relations_famous.htm
2000s, 2001, September

“Israel has no better friend than America. And America has no better friend than Israel. We stand together to defend democracy. We stand together to advance peace. We stand together to fight terrorism. Congratulations America. Congratulations, Mister President. You got bin Laden. Good riddance!”

Speech at the U.S. Congress https://web.archive.org/web/20130704215008/http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Text-of-PM-Binyamin-Netanyahus-speech-to-the-US-Congress (May 24, 2011).
2010s, 2011, Address to joint meeting of the U.S. Congress (May 2011)

“Israel has extended its hand in peace from the moment it was established… In Israel our hope for peace never wanes. Our scientists, doctors, and innovators apply their genius to improve the world of tomorrow. Our artists, our writers, enrich the heritage of humanity. Now, I know that this is not exactly the image of Israel that is often portrayed…”

2010s, 2011
Source: Address to the U.N. General Assembly https://web.archive.org/web/20130615172321/http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/pressroom/2011/pages/remarks_pm_netanyahu_un_general%20_assembly_23-sep-2011.aspx (23 September 2011).

“We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq. [The events] swung American public opinion in our favor.”

"Report: Netanyahu says 9/11 terror attacks good for Israel" (16 April 2008) http://www.haaretz.com/news/report-netanyahu-says-9-11-terror-attacks-good-for-israel-1.244044
2000s, 2008

“I know what America is. America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in our way. … They asked me before the election if I'd honor [the Oslo accords] … I said I would, but … I'm going to interpret the accords in such a way that would allow me to put an end to this galloping forward to the '67 borders. How did we do it? Nobody said what defined military zones were. Defined military zones are security zones; as far as I'm concerned, the entire Jordan Valley is a defined military zone. Go argue.”

As quoted in "Netanyahu: 'America is a thing you can move very easily'" http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkpoint-washington/2010/07/netanyahu_america_is_a_thing_y.html (16 July 2010), The Washington Post, Washington, D.C. http://www.richardsilverstein.com/tikun_olam/2010/07/14/bibi-the-bamboozler-to-settlers-america-wont-get-in-our-way-its-easily-moved/ (Hebrew video source) http://news.nana10.co.il/Article/?ArticleID=731034
2010s, 2010

“Amos Regev, the editor-[in-chief] of Israel HaYom, is a personal friend and my conversations with him are not within the framework of my job.”

Response to an FOI request by Haaretz on ties between Netanyahu and the management of Israel's largest newspaper (11 June 2015) http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.660914
2010s, 2015

“Every time an Arab leader truly wanted peace, they got it. If the Palestinians truly want peace, we will make peace.”

Speech to the United Nations General Assembly http://www.c-span.org/video/?289123-1/israeli-prime-minister-address-general-assembly, as quoted in "Netanyahu speech / PM slams Gaza probe, challenges UN to confront Iran" in Haaretz (24 September 2009) http://www.haaretz.com/news/netanyahu-speech-pm-slams-gaza-probe-challenges-un-to-confront-iran-1.7301
2000s, 2009

“What is important about this meeting. and it is not in secret, because there are many of those – is that this is an open meeting with representatives of leading Arab countries, that are sitting down together with Israel in order to advance the common interest of war with Iran.”

10:15 AM 13 February 2019 https://archive.fo/7nDgm, affirmed by City News https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/02/13/israeli-leader-rallies-common-interest-of-war-with-iran/ and Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/world/israeli-leader-rallies-common-interest-of-war-with-iran and Montreal Gazette https://montrealgazette.com/pmn/news-pmn/israeli-leader-rallies-common-interest-of-war-with-iran/wcm/69afdd3f-be58-42f8-982a-ea95455717b3 and NBC News https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/netanyahu-appears-say-war-iran-common-goal-n971266 and Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/israeli-leader-rallies-common-interest-of-war-with-iran/2019/02/13/89ce2a2c-2fc3-11e9-8781-763619f12cb4_story.html.
the original tweet was deleted https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1095748204405104641 and replaced 11:08 AM https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM/status/1095761648399331330 with a similar message, except with "war with Iran" changed to "combating Iran"
2010s, 2019

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