PMW: Fatah official: US and Israel assassinated Arafat

Fatah official: 

The US and Israel "assassinated" Arafat

 

PA TV educates kids:

"They killed Yasser Arafat, 

because until his final breath

 he defended the children of his people

 in war and in peace, 

diplomatically and also with a rifle"

 k

Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik

The Palestinian Authority continues to demonize Israelis to its youth. On the PA TV children's program The Best Home, the host told children that Israel killed their former leader Yasser Arafat along with "many of our people... They killed Yasser Arafat, because until his final breath he defended the children of his people in war and in peace, diplomatically and also with a rifle, with a weapon." [Official PA TV, The Best Home, Nov. 11, 2016]

  

 

 In response, a young boy repeated a famous Arafat chant glorifying fighting and dying in order to take Jerusalem from Israel:

 

Boy: "In spirit and blood we will redeem you Al-Aqsa!

In spirit and blood we will redeem you Al-Aqsa!

Millions of Martyrs are marching towards Jerusalem!
Millions of Martyrs are marching towards Jerusalem!"

   

Responding to this call for Martyrdom the TV host affirmed to the children:

 

Host: "We will follow Yasser Arafat's path..." 

Click to view

 

PA and Fatah leaders promote this accusation every year as Palestinian Media Watch has documented. Some even extend the libel to include the US, saying that Israel and the US conspired to murder Arafat. An addition this year is that they had the help of a Palestinian traitor. Fatah Central Committee member stated that "a treacherous hand helped the US and Israel assassinate the symbol Arafat":

 

"Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki said... that the US and Israel are the main suspects in the assassination of Arafat, in addition to a 'treacherous' hand that is suspected in the crime...

He added: 'This matter is very complicated, particularly because the ones who stand behind it are Israel and the US who place great obstacles before the investigation in order to prevent reaching the truth and announcing it.'"

[Amad, independent Palestinian news agency, Nov. 10, 2016]

 

Similarly, Fatah Advisory Council member Ahmed Abd Al-Rahman cited a fictitious conversation between then Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and then US President George Bush:

  

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"I say that they put poison into his ear a year earlier. A slow poison. And it began to work gradually and Yasser Arafat's health deteriorated... [Former Israeli Prime Minister] Sharon said to [former US President] Bush: 'My brother, let us get rid of him and kill him.' [He was talking] about Arafat. [Bush] told him: 'Leave it to God.' Sharon responded to him: 'But God needs helpers on earth.''"

[Official PA TV, State of Politics, Nov. 15, 2016]

Click to view

 

Another Fatah official eager to promote the libel that Israel murdered Arafat is Fatah Central Committee member Dr. Nasser Al-Qidwa, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute for the Commemoration of Yasser Arafat. As in previous years, he "accused Israel of its responsibility for the assassination of the late Martyr Yasser Arafat." [Ma'an, independent Palestinian news agency, Nov. 13, 2016]

 

Some PA and Fatah leaders have added a new aspect to the libel this year and are accusing Israel of plotting to kill the current PA leader Mahmoud Abbas as well, as reported by PMW. 

 

The following are longer excerpts of the statements accusing Israel of murdering Arafat:

 

Official PA TV host: "We want to know who killed our late leader [Yasser Arafat]. Certainly it is the occupation,but we need proof in order to present the facts to the world.... [In 2002], the Israeli occupation entered every area of the West Bank and tried to kill many. It killed many of our [Palestinian] people... They killed Yasser Arafat, because until his final breath he defended the children of his people in war and in peace, diplomatically and also with a rifle, with a weapon..."

Boy chants Arafat's slogans: 

"In spirit and blood we will redeem you Al-Aqsa!
In spirit and blood we will redeem you Al-Aqsa!
Millions of Martyrs are marching towards Jerusalem!
Millions of Martyrs are marching towards Jerusalem!"

PA TV host: "We will follow Yasser Arafat's path and his promise, and also [follow] the path of our current president, leader Mahmoud Abbas, because he wants all of us to be the future of Palestine, and through all of us, he wants to struggle against the occupation's army and Israel, whose strength is military while our strength is our creativity and our minds. We will fight them before the entire world. Allah willing they will soon leave Palestine, defeated."

[Official PA TV, The Best Home, Nov. 11, 2016]

 

The host's reference to Israel entering the West Bank in 2002 refers to Israel's Operation Defensive Shield - a large Israeli military operation in April 2002 in response to the many suicide bombings during the PA terror campaign (the second Intifada, 2000-2005). Israel put Arafat under siege and invaded six of the largest West Bank cities in an attempt to destroy the terror infrastructure.

 

Official PA TV program State of Politics, hosting Fatah Advisory Council member Ahmed Abd Al-Rahman 

Fatah Advisory Council member, Ahmed Abd Al-Rahman:"Regarding the fate of Yasser Arafat, it was after they [the Israelis] were unable to control him politically, in other words to cause him to make concessions and to submit. They did not find a solution other than eliminating him in this way... I say that they put poison into his ear a year earlier. A slow poison. And it began to work gradually and Yasser Arafat's health deteriorated... [Former Israeli Prime Minister] Sharon said to [former US President] Bush: 'My brother, let us get rid of him and kill him.' [He was talking] about Arafat. [Bush] told him: 'Leave it to God.' Sharon responded to him: 'But God needs helpers on earth.' There was a journalist with Sharon who wrote a biography on Sharon, and this is what he noted (there are no records of such a conversation -Ed.)"

[Official PA TV, State of Politics, Nov. 15, 2016]

 

Headline: "Abbas Zaki: A treacherous hand helped the US and Israel assassinate the symbol Arafat"

"Fatah Central Committee member [and Fatah Commissioner for Arab and China Relations] Abbas Zaki revealed that there are a number of sources behind the assassination of the late [PA] President Yasser Arafat.

Zaki, in a statement to the Hamas movement website 'Al-Risalah Net', said on Thursday evening [Nov. 10, 2016] that the US and Israel are the main suspects in the assassination of Arafat (this conspiracy theory has been refuted by international investigators, -Ed.), in addition to a 'treacherous' hand that is suspected in the crime, and they are trying to investigate it, according to him.

He added: 'This matter is very complicated, particularly because the ones who stand behind it are Israel and the US who place great obstacles before the investigation in order to thwart reaching the truth and announcing it.'

Zaki emphasized that the investigation committee continues to search for the hand that committed the crime, and noted that they are postponing the announcement of the murderer so as 'not to harm the investigation and to reach the required results.'

He noted that the announcement of the results will take place immediately after the investigation committee completes its work, and expressed hope that they would reach results in this matter.

[PA] President Mahmoud Abbas declared today [Nov. 10, 2016] that he knows the murderer of the late [PA] President Yasser Arafat, and emphasized that the result will soon be exposed 'and the Palestinian people will be astonished when it discovers who the perpetrators are.'"

[Amad, independent Palestinian news agency, Nov. 10, 2016]

 

Headline: "This is what Al-Qidwa said about the assassination of Yasser Arafat and his final days in the hospital"

"Fatah Central Committee member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Institute [for the Commemoration] of Yasser Arafat Dr. Nasser Al-Qidwa again accused Israel of its responsibility for the assassination of the late Martyr (Shahid) Yasser Arafat (these conspiracy theories have been refuted by international investigators, -Ed.), and said that he has already expressed this position more than once.

Al-Qidwa, as part of the program The Difficult Questions presented by colleague [Director of the Ma'an independent Palestinian news agency] Dr. Nasser Al-Lahham, stated that there is evidence and facts that prove the involvement of Israel in the assassination of Yasser Arafat, among them the Israeli siege of the Muqata'a (i.e., the PA's presidential headquarters, reference is to 2002 counter-terror Operation Defensive Shield, see note below), and the decision of the government of Israel to get rid of Yasser Arafat. This is in addition to the medical reports, including the French report, which said that pathology cannot explain this case, and conclusively pointed to poisoning (French experts ruled out poisoning -Ed.), alongside a long list of evidence that points to Israel...

Likewise, he again emphasized that the nuclear material that the French report spoke of, plutonium (sic., polonium-210), is a dangerous substance found only in the hands of nuclear states, and Israel is a nuclear state that possesses it."

[Ma'an, independent Palestinian news agency, Nov. 13, 2016]

PMW: PA Security Forces cartoon: Netanyahu's hands drip with blood

PA Security Forces cartoon: 

Netanyahu's hands drip with blood

 

Itamar Marcus

Click to view on PMW's website

Although the Palestinian National Security Forces coordinate with Israel on security issues against Hamas, this does not stop them from demonizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli soldiers.

This cartoon, with the logo of the Palestinian security forces and posted on its official Facebook page, presents Netanyahu with blood dripping from his hand. He is shown holding a magnifying glass with the word "Sharon," i.e., walking in the footsteps of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who the Palestinian Authority likewise demonizes as a person who sought to kill Palestinians. [Facebook page of the PA National Security Forces, Oct. 14, 2016]

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that demonizing Israel is a fundamental component of Palestinian Authority leadership messaging to its people. 

The PA National Security Forces demonized Israeli soldiers in another cartoon. Two Israeli soldiers with long noses standing at a checkpoint are ordering dogs that are shaped like assault rifles to attack Palestinians, who are lying bleeding on the ground. [Facebook page of the PA National Security Forces, Oct. 17, 2016]

  

The cartoon apparently addresses the alleged "summary executions" that the PA claims Israel is carrying out, in a reference to how Israeli soldiers have shot Palestinian terrorists as they were in the act of attacking Israelis.

This cartoon has appeared in the past on Fatah-run Awdah TV.

PMW: PA kids' drawings: Israel drinks blood of Palestinians

PA kids' drawings:

 Israel drinks blood of Palestinians;

Israel eats Palestinians; 

Yes to Violence; 

All of Israel is "Palestine" in kids' maps

Fatah about drawings:

"Innocent drawings express the feelings of children

 of #Palestine"

 

Source: Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 11, 2016

Itamar Marcus

Click to view on PMW's website

Fatah has posted several children's drawings on Facebook. The drawings clearly show the success of PA and Fatah brainwashing children to believe that Israel only seeks to harm them, violence is good and that all of Israel really is "Palestine."

Labeling the drawings "innocent drawings" that "express the feelings of children of #Palestine," Fatah posted the drawing above showing Israel, as indicated by a Star of David, eating a Palestinian body wrapped in the Palestinian flag. Blood is seen coming from the body, and a glass of blood is next to the plate.

Another drawing by a Palestinian child showed a crucified woman wearing the colors of the Palestinian flag, with her body in the shape of the PA map of "Palestine" that presents all of Israel as "Palestine" together with the PA areas. The crucifixion also repeats the analogy that Palestinians are Martyr victims like Jesus. 

Yet other drawings showed support for violence as legitimate means of Palestinian opposition to Israel. One child drew a Palestinian with a slingshot, another drew a hand with a rifle (see below). These drawings echo the PA and Fatah's encouragement of the use of violence against Israel and their glorification of terrorists as heroes. Palestinian Media Watch documented thatsummer camps organized by the PA Ministry of Education and the PLO educated children to see terrorist stabbers as role models.


Other drawings repeated the world view that all of Israel is "Palestine," showing the PA map of "Palestine" which completely erases the existence of Israel and its legitimacy (see below). 

This message is repeated endlessly by the PA and Fatah. Children are told that "it will all return to us" on kids' TV programs. The PA National Security Forces regularly post photos from all over Israel presenting the places as "Palestine," and even crossword puzzles portray Israeli cities as "occupied Palestine." 


The PA's exploitation of Palestinian children's innocence is precisely what PMW has been highlighting and warning about for years.

The PA and Fatah repeatedly demonize Israel as a monster whose only intention is to harm Palestinians. Israel is "Satan with a tail" on PA TV children's programs and "Satan's project" fighting "Allah's project" in sermons delivered by Mahmoud Abbas' advisor. 

Similarly, Palestinian terrorist murderers are being portrayed as innocent victims of alleged Israeli "executions." 

A few of the drawings included doves, some calling for "peace and freedom." A major focus of Palestinian Authority policy today is to demand freedom for all imprisoned Palestinian terrorists including murderers. One drawing specifies "Freedom for Ahmad Manasrah" - a child terrorist who stabbed and critically wounded two Israelis, one of them a 13-year-old boy.

Text: "Freedom for Ahmad Manasrah"

 Text on flag: "Palestine". 

Text below states the name of the school: 

"Al-Janiah High School for Boys and Girls"

PA and Fatah's indoctrination of children to hate and violence, including their naming schools and sporting events after terrorists, perpetuate the conflict and are one of the greatest impediments to peace.

PMW: Fatah celebrates "blood" of two Israelis murdered yesterday

Fatah celebrates "blood" of

two Israelis murdered yesterday

Machine gun waves from Dome of Rock

above pool of blood representing 2 murdered Israelis

in Fatah cartoon

by Itamar Marcus

Click to view on PMW's website

A hand waves a machine gun from the top of the Dome of the Rock mosque in a cartoon posted by Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Movement this morning. In the corner is a pool of blood and two helmets with Stars of David, symbolizing the two murdered Israelis.

The text #Jerusalem accompanies the cartoon, which appeared today, after a Palestinian terrorist yesterday shot and murdered one Israeli civilian and one policeman, and injured six others during a shooting spree through Jerusalem. As Palestinian Media Watch has documented, the PA and Fatah portraying terrorists and murderers as great defenders of Islam and the Islamic holy places. The cartoon's message is that yesterday's murder of two Israelis is a victory.

Yesterday, the Fatah Movement was quick to praise the murderer as a "Martyr" and its Jerusalem branch announced a day of mourning.

PMW: Fatah quick to honor as "Martyr" today's terrorist murderer

Fatah immediately honors as "Martyr"
today's terrorist murderer

who shot and killed 2 and wounded others

 k

Itamar Marcus 

Click to view on PMW's website

In two separate posts on its official Facebook page, Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Movement honored the terrorist murderer who went on a shooting spree in Jerusalem today, targeting people who were waiting at train stations from his car. Terrorist Musbah Abu Sbeih murdered a 60-year-old woman and a policeman, and injured 6.

 

Fatah referred to the murderer as a "Shahid," an Islamic Martyr - someone who died for Allah - a status the Palestinian Authority presents as the highest achievement a Muslim can reach in life.

 

Defining a dead murderer as a Shahid indicates that according to Fatah, the murder of Israelis is sanctioned and even desired in the name of Islam.

Palestinian Media Watch has documented that it is PA and Fatah policy to glorify terrorist murderersand turn them into role models for Palestinian society.

 

Fatah and the Palestinian Authority for quite some time have been defining the conflict with Israel as a religious war, defining all attackers and the murderers of Israelis as heroic defenders of Islam and its symbols. Fatah's Jerusalem branch announced "mourning and a general strike for Palestine's Martyrs" and specifically mentioned today's killer - "this morning's Martyr" and vowed to "defend the honor of the Arab and Islamic nations with our bare chests." These and other terms in Fatah's posts, see text below, reiterate Fatah's Islamization of the conflict with Israel.

Voice of Palestine Radio likewise reported that the Jerusalem branch of Fatah announced a day of mourning and a general strike in Jerusalem "due to the death of the Shahid Abu Sbeih."

The following are excerpts from the two posts on Fatah's Facebook page:

Posted text: "The one who carried out the operation (i.e., terror attack, 2 murdered) today in Jerusalem is a pilgrim [to Mecca] Martyr (Shahid) Musbah Abu Sbeih (40), one of the most prominent people in Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and a released prisoner.

He was supposed to turn himself in today and begin a sentence of four months on charges of Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and hitting the occupation's soldiers.

He was arrested in 2013 in the Bab Huta region of the Old City of Jerusalem on charges of hitting an officer and was released, but to his surprise the case was reopened in 2015 and he was sentenced to a four month active sentence, and according to the ruling of the Israeli Magistrate Court that was given roughly one month ago, the ruling was supposed to be carried out in the middle of this month [October 2016].

The occupation authorities persecuted him over the last two weeks and he was arrested and detained five times in a row, and after his last arrest he was released on condition of being distanced from East Jerusalem for one month, and before that he was given a ruling preventing him from traveling [abroad] until the end of this year, and he was forbidden from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque for six months, after being released [from arrest] at the end of last year [2015]."

[Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 9, 2016]

 

Posted text: "The Jerusalem branch of Fatah announced a strike and mourning for the Martyrs' (Shahids') souls.

'Permission [to fight] has been given to those who are being fought, because they were wronged. And indeed, Allah is competent to give them victory.' [Sura 22:39, Sahih International translation] Great truth of God.
The Jerusalem branch of Fatah announced mourning and a general strike today [Oct. 9, 2016] in Jerusalem in memory of the souls of the Martyrs of Palestine and this morning's Martyr Musbah Abu Sbeih. 

Due to the barbaric escalation being perpetrated by the occupation government and the herds of settlers, which includes killing, violence, destruction, and an attempt to instill fear in our Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps, and particularly in Jerusalem, we announce our complete objection to crimes of these types being carried out before the international community and its human rights organizations. These organizations have not succeeded in forcing the occupation government to abide by international law, and treat it as an entity that is above international law, as they shirk their responsibilities to the Palestinian people and even to providing international protection to our people. The occupation government and its executive branches must bear the consequences of what they are perpetrating against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the disregard of Muslim sensibilities, and the granting of permission to the settlers to invade it, defile it, and desecrate its sanctity on a daily basis under the umbrella and protection of the occupation police. This, while banning hundreds of men and women from Jerusalem who are carrying out Ribat (i.e., religious conflict/war over land claimed to be Islamic) from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and carrying out a policy of distancing [them from the Al-Aqsa Mosque] and detentions. All of these steps will not be accepted in silence, and residents of Jerusalem will defend the place of the ascent to Heaven (i.e., the Al-Aqsa Mosque) of our precious messenger Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him.

Therefore, we in the Jerusalem branch of Fatah emphasize our adherence to Jerusalem, the strengthening of the [Arab] presence in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Old City [of Jerusalem], and [that] it will not be abandoned to the extremists and terrorists [of the occupation], and [that] we will defend the honor of the Arab and Islamic nations with our bare chests. Praise to the Martyrs, healing to the injured, freedom to the prisoners, and cessation to the occupation."

[Official Fatah Facebook page, Oct. 9, 2016]

 

Musbah Abu Sbeih - 39-year-old Palestinian terrorist who murdered 2 Israelis and wounded 5 others in 3 drive-by shooting attacks in Jerusalem on Oct. 9, 2016. Abu Sbeih, who held Israeli residency status, began his shooting spree at the Ammunition Hill light rail stop and continued to the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood. He was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli border police officers during the attack. On the morning of the attack, Abu Sbeih was due to turn himself in and begin a 4 month jail sentence, after being convicted in January 2015 on numerous counts of inciting to terror and supporting a terror organization. Abu Sbeih praised terror groups including Hamas as well as terrorists who carried out attacks on his Facebook page, and actively called for attacks against Israelis. In July 2016, Abu Sbeih was given a distancing order from the Temple Mount that was to be in effect until the end of October 2016.

Magen David Adom MDA Heroes Talk About 365 Days of Terror

Jerusalem-based paramedics recount their experiences saving lives over the past year, when Palestinian terror attacks against Israelis skyrocketed.

The current wave of Palestinian terror began on the eve of Rosh Hashana – the Jewish New Year – exactly a year ago, and continued in full intensity.

Listen to the heroic paramedics of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national emergency medical service, discuss 365 days of saving lives while working under constant threat.

They talk about the victims – real people, not mere statistics.

This video presents the stories of the MDA teams in the Jerusalem region, where the largest number of terror attacks occurred.

PMW: PA daily: Israel controls the US which controls the world

  

Palestinian Media Watch has long documented that the Palestinian Authority spreads classicAntisemitic hate, claiming that the Jews and Israel control the world.

This libel was given a new rendering this week in the official PA daily, which ran a cartoon that portrays Israel as controlling the United States and telling it what to do with the world.

In the cartoon, a small soldier with a Star of David on his helmet is seen giving orders to a taller man with blank eyes, representing the US. The large man's hat is made of the American flag but with a six-pointed Star of David replacing the five-pointed star. The "US" is holding a basketball that resembles a globe, and "Israel" is directing the "US" to shoot the globe-shaped basketball into a basket which is also shaped of a Star of David.

The cartoon's message is that while America controls the world, it is Israel who orders America what to do with the world.

In a different version of this libel, the PA regularly claims that Israel indirectly controls world events and is responsible for all the civil wars, the creation of the Islamic State and even the radical Muslim terror attacks in Europe.

For example, the official Fatah Facebook page published this cartoon blaming Israel for the terror attack in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015 that killed 130 people. The cartoon depicts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an ISIS terrorist near the Eiffel Tower. Netanyahu is pictured helping the ISIS terrorist aim his machine gun.

[Official Facebook page of the Fatah Movement, Nov. 16, 2015]

 

Another cartoon expresses the libel that Jews/Israel seek to destroy the Muslim world. The

cartoon depicts a long-nosed Jew with an Israeli flag on his arm lighting a fuse to blow up a bomb. Inside the bomb, a Shi'ite Muslim and a Sunni Muslim are lighting fuses to blow up each other.

[Fatah Information and Culture Commission website, July 28, 2016]

 

Official PA TV broadcasted a cartoon showing the Statue of Liberty holding a menorah, thereby symbolizing the alleged Jewish rule over the US. [Official PA TV, July 8, 2010]

In a similar vein, another cartoon published in the official PA daily shows Uncle Sam, symbolizing the US, berating a keffiyeh-wearing Arab.Uncle Sam sits beneath massive pair of feet bearing the Star of David looming ominously above his head , portraying an overwhelming Jewish pressure. The American keeps whips his head round in the direction the Jewish feet, as if following directions. [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, June 29, 2010]

The official PA daily also took a swipe at then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009, accusing her of accepting Israeli bribes after she praised Israel for making concessions regarding settlements, and criticized the Palestinians for not resuming peace talks without prior conditions. "Why, Mrs. Hillary?  How much did the Zionists pay you as a bribe?," jeered one article in the paper, while another accused her of "wallow[ing] in the swamp of lies." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Nov. 2, 2009]

Another example of this libel targeted former US President George W. Bush. A cartoon in the official PA daily showed President Bush's head on a ring, worn on the hand of a Jew as identified by the Star of David on his sleeve. [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Dec. 7, 2006]

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Address to the 2016 United Nations General Assembly

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking at the UN General Assembly. Photo: Twitter.

Below is the full transcript of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, 2016.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, what I’m about to say is going to shock you: Israel has a bright future at the UN.

Now I know that hearing that from me must surely come as a surprise, because year after year I’ve stood at this very podium and slammed the UN for its obsessive bias against Israel. And the UN deserved every scathing word – for the disgrace of the General Assembly that last year passed 20 resolutions against the democratic state of Israel and a grand total of three resolutions against all the other countries on the planet. Israel – 20; rest of the world – three.

And what about the joke called the UN Human Rights Council, which each year condemns Israel more than all the countries of the world combined? As women are being systematically raped, murdered, sold into slavery across the world, which is the only country that the UN’s Commission on Women chose to condemn this year? Yep, you guessed it – Israel. Israel. Israel, where women fly fighter jets, lead major corporations, head universities, preside – twice – over the Supreme Court, and have served as speaker of the Knesset and prime minister.

And this circus continues at UNESCO. UNESCO, the UN body charged with preserving world heritage. Now, this is hard to believe, but UNESCO just denied the 4,000-year connection between the Jewish people and its holiest site, the Temple Mount. That’s just as absurd as denying the connection between the Great Wall of China and China.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The UN, begun as a moral force, has become a moral farce. So when it comes to Israel at the UN, you’d probably think nothing will ever change, right? Well, think again. You see, everything will change, and a lot sooner than you think. The change will happen in this hall, because back home, your governments are rapidly changing their attitudes towards Israel. And sooner or later, that’s going to change the way you vote on Israel at the UN.

More and more nations in Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, more and more nations see Israel as a potent partner – a partner in fighting the terrorism of today, a partner in developing the technology of tomorrow.

Today Israel has diplomatic relations with over 160 countries. That’s nearly double the number that we had when I served here as Israel’s ambassador some 30 years ago. And those ties are getting broader and deeper every day. World leaders increasingly appreciate that Israel is a powerful country with one of the best intelligence services on earth. Because of our unmatched experience and proven capabilities in fighting terrorism, many of your governments seek our help in keeping your countries safe.

Many also seek to benefit from Israel’s ingenuity in agriculture, in health, in water, in cyber and in the fusion of big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence – that fusion that is changing our world in every way.

You might consider this: Israel leads the world in recycling wastewater. We recycle about 90% of our wastewater. Now, how remarkable is that? Well, given that the next country on the list only recycles about 20% of its wastewater, Israel is a global water power. So if you have a thirsty world, and we do, there’s no better ally than Israel.

How about cybersecurity? That’s an issue that affects everyone. Israel accounts for one-tenth of one percent of the world’s population, yet last year we attracted some 20% of the global private investment in cybersecurity. I want you to digest that number. In cyber, Israel is punching a whopping 200 times above its weight. So Israel is also a global cyber power. If hackers are targeting your banks, your planes, your power grids and just about everything else, Israel can offer indispensable help.

Governments are changing their attitudes towards Israel, because they know that Israel can help them protect their peoples, can help them feed them, can help them better their lives.

This summer I had an unbelievable opportunity to see this change so vividly during an unforgettable visit to four African countries. This is the first visit to Africa by an Israeli prime minister in decades. Later today, I’ll be meeting with leaders from 17 African countries. We’ll discuss how Israeli technology can help them in their efforts to transform their countries.

In Africa, things are changing. In China, India, Russia, Japan, attitudes towards Israel have changed as well. These powerful nations know that, despite Israel’s small size, it can make a big difference in many, many areas that are important to them.

But now I’m going to surprise you even more. You see, the biggest change in attitudes towards Israel is taking place elsewhere. It’s taking place in the Arab world. Our peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan continue to be anchors of stability in the volatile Middle East. But I have to tell you this: For the first time in my lifetime, many other states in the region recognize that Israel is not their enemy. They recognize that Israel is their ally. Our common enemies are Iran and ISIS. Our common goals are security, prosperity and peace. I believe that in the years ahead we will work together to achieve these goals, work together openly

So Israel’s diplomatic relations are undergoing nothing less than a revolution. But in this revolution, we never forget that our most cherished alliance, our deepest friendship, is with the United States of America, the most powerful and the most generous nation on earth. Our unbreakable bond with the United States of America transcends parties and politics. It reflects, above all else, the overwhelming support for Israel among the American people, support which is at record highs and for which we are deeply grateful.

The United Nations denounces Israel; the United States supports Israel. And a central pillar of that defense has been America’s consistent support for Israel at the UN. I appreciate President Obama’s commitment to that longstanding US policy. In fact, the only time that the United States cast a UN Security Council veto during the Obama presidency was against an anti-Israel resolution in 2011. As President Obama rightly declared at this podium, peace will not come from statements and resolutions at the United Nations.

I believe the day is not far off when Israel will be able to rely on many, many countries to stand with us at the UN. Slowly but surely, the days when UN ambassadors reflexively condemn Israel, those days are coming to an end.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Today’s automatic majority against Israel at the UN reminds me of the story, the incredible story of Hiroo Onada. Hiroo was a Japanese soldier who was sent to the Philippines in 1944. He lived in the jungle. He scavenged for food. He evaded capture. Eventually he surrendered, but that didn’t happen until 1974, some 30 years after World War II ended. For decades, Hiroo refused to believe the war was over. As Hiroo was hiding in the jungle, Japanese tourists were swimming in pools in American luxury hotels in nearby Manila. Finally, mercifully, Hiroo’s former commanding officer was sent to persuade him to come out of hiding. Only then did Hiroo lay down his arms.

Ladies and Gentlemen, distinguished delegates from so many lands, I have one message for you today: Lay down your arms. The war against Israel at the UN is over. Perhaps some of you don’t know it yet, but I am confident that one day, in the not-too-distant future, you will also get the message from your president or from your prime minister informing you that the war against Israel at the United Nations has ended. Yes, I know, there might be a storm before the calm. I know there is talk about ganging up on Israel at the UN later this year. Given its history of hostility towards Israel, does anyone really believe that Israel will let the UN determine our security and our vital national interests?

We will not accept any attempt by the UN to dictate terms to Israel. The road to peace runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not through New York.

But regardless of what happens in the months ahead, I have total confidence that in the years ahead, the revolution in Israel’s standing among the nations will finally penetrate this hall of nations. I have so much confidence, in fact, that I predict that a decade from now an Israeli prime minister will stand right here where I am standing and actually applaud the UN. But I want to ask you: Why do we have to wait a decade? Why keep vilifying Israel? Perhaps because some of you don’t appreciate that the obsessive bias against Israel is not just a problem for my country; it’s a problem for your countries, too. Because if the UN spends so much time condemning the only liberal democracy in the Middle East, it has far less time to address war, disease, poverty, climate change and all the other serious problems that plague the planet.

Are the half million slaughtered Syrians helped by your condemnation of Israel? The same Israel that has treated thousands of injured Syrians in our hospitals, including a field hospital that I built right along the Golan Heights border with Syria. Are the gays hanging from cranes in Iran helped by your denigration of Israel? That same Israel where gays march proudly in our streets and serve in our parliament, including I’m proud to say in my own Likud party. Are the starving children in North Korea’s brutal tyranny, are they helped by your demonization of Israel? Israel, whose agricultural knowhow is feeding the hungry throughout the developing world?

The sooner the UN’s obsession with Israel ends, the better. The better for Israel, the better for your countries, the better for the UN itself.

Ladies and Gentlemen: If UN habits die hard, Palestinian habits die even harder. President Abbas just attacked from this podium the Balfour Declaration. He’s preparing a lawsuit against Britain for that declaration from 1917. That’s almost 100 years ago – talk about being stuck in the past. The Palestinians may just as well sue Iran for the Cyrus Declaration, which enabled the Jews to rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem 2,500 years ago. Come to think of it, why not a Palestinian class action suit against Abraham for buying that plot of land in Hebron where the fathers and mothers of the Jewish people were buried 4,000 years ago? You’re not laughing. It’s as absurd as that. To sue the British government for the Balfour Declaration? Is he kidding? And this is taken seriously here?

President Abbas attacked the Balfour Declaration because it recognized the right of the Jewish people to a national home in the land of Israel. When the United Nations supported the establishment of a Jewish state in 1947, it recognized our historical and our moral rights in our homeland and to our homeland. Yet today, nearly 70 years later, the Palestinians still refuse to recognize those rights – not our right to a homeland, not our right to a state, not our right to anything. And this remains the true core of the conflict, the persistent Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish state in any boundary. You see, this conflict is not about the settlements. It never was.

The conflict raged for decades before there was a single settlement, when Judea Samaria and Gaza were all in Arab hands. The West Bank and Gaza were in Arab hands and they attacked us again and again and again. And when we uprooted all 21 settlements in Gaza and withdrew from every last inch of Gaza, we didn’t get peace from Gaza – we got thousands of rockets fired at us from Gaza.

This conflict rages because for the Palestinians, the real settlements they’re after are Haifa, Jaffa and Tel Aviv.

Now mind you, the issue of settlements is a real one and it can and must be resolved in final-status negotiations. But this conflict has never been about the settlements or about establishing a Palestinian state. It’s always been about the existence of a Jewish state, a Jewish state in any boundary.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Israel is ready — I am ready — to negotiate all final-status issues. But one thing I will never negotiate: our right to the one and only Jewish state.

Wow, sustained applause for the prime minister of Israel in the General Assembly? The change may be coming sooner than I thought.

Had the Palestinians said yes to a Jewish state in 1947, there would have been no war, no refugees and no conflict. And when the Palestinians finally say yes to a Jewish state, we will be able to end this conflict once and for all.

Now here’s the tragedy, because, see, the Palestinians are not only trapped in the past; their leaders are poisoning the future.

I want you to imagine a day in the life of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy. I’ll call him Ali. Ali wakes up before school; he goes to practice with a soccer team named after Dalal Mughrabi, a Palestinian terrorist responsible for the murder of a busload of 37 Israelis. At school, Ali attends an event sponsored by the Palestinian Ministry of Education honoring Baha Alyan, who last year murdered three Israeli civilians. On his walk home, Ali looks up at a towering statue erected just a few weeks ago by the Palestinian Authority to honor Abu Sukar, who detonated a bomb in the center of Jerusalem, killing 15 Israelis.

When Ali gets home, he turns on the TV and sees an interview with a senior Palestinian official, Jibril Rajoub, who says that if he had a nuclear bomb, he’d detonate it over Israel that very day. Ali then turns on the radio and he hears President Abbas’s adviser, Sultan Abu al-Einein, urging Palestinians, here’s a quote, “to slit the throats of Israelis wherever you find them.” Ali checks his Facebook and he sees a recent post by President Abbas’s Fatah Party calling the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics a “heroic act.” On YouTube, Ali watches a clip of President Abbas himself saying, “We welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem.” Direct quote.

Over dinner, Ali asks his mother what would happen if he killed a Jew and went to an Israeli prison. Here’s what she tells him. She tells him he’d be paid thousands of dollars each month by the Palestinian Authority. In fact, she tells him, the more Jews he would kill, the more money he’d get. Oh, and when he gets out of prison, Ali would be guaranteed a job with the Palestinian Authority.

Ladies and Gentlemen: All this is real. It happens every day, all the time. Sadly, Ali represents hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children who are indoctrinated with hate every moment, every hour.

This is child abuse.

Imagine your child undergoing this brainwashing. Imagine what it takes for a young boy or girl to break free out of this culture of hate. Some do but far too many don’t. How can any of us expect young Palestinians to support peace when their leaders poison their minds against peace?

We in Israel don’t do this. We educate our children for peace. In fact, we recently launched a pilot program, my government did, to make the study of Arabic mandatory for Jewish children so that we can better understand each other, so that we can live together side-by-side in peace.

Of course, like all societies, Israel has fringe elements. But it’s our response to those fringe elements, it’s our response to those fringe elements that makes all the difference.

Take the tragic case of Ahmed Dawabsha. I’ll never forget visiting Ahmed in the hospital just hours after he was attacked. A little boy, really a baby, he was badly burned. Ahmed was the victim of a horrible terrorist act perpetrated by Jews. He lay bandaged and unconscious as Israeli doctors worked around the clock to save him.

No words can bring comfort to this boy or to his family. Still, as I stood by his bedside, I told his uncle, “This is not our people. This is not our way.” I then ordered extraordinary measures to bring Ahmed’s assailants to justice and today the Jewish citizens of Israel accused of attacking the Dawabsha family are in jail awaiting trial.

Now, for some, this story shows that both sides have their extremists and both sides are equally responsible for this seemingly endless conflict.

But what Ahmed’s story actually proves is the very opposite. It illustrates the profound difference between our two societies, because while Israeli leaders condemn terrorists, all terrorists, Arabs and Jews alike, Palestinian leaders celebrate terrorists. While Israel jails the handful of Jewish terrorists among us, the Palestinians pay thousands of terrorists among them.

So I call on President Abbas: you have a choice to make. You can continue to stoke hatred as you did today, or you can finally confront hatred and work with me to establish peace between our two peoples.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I hear the buzz. I know that many of you have given up on peace. But I want you to know – I have not given up on peace. I remain committed to a vision of peace based on two states for two peoples. I believe as never before that changes taking place in the Arab world today offer a unique opportunity to advance that peace.

I commend President el-Sisi of Egypt for his efforts to advance peace and stability in our region. Israel welcomes the spirit of the Arab peace initiative and welcomes a dialogue with Arab states to advance a broader peace. I believe that for that broader peace to be fully achieved the Palestinians have to be part of it. I’m ready to begin negotiations to achieve this today – not tomorrow, not next week, today.

President Abbas spoke here an hour ago. Wouldn’t it be better if instead of speaking past each other we were speaking to one another? President Abbas, instead of railing against Israel at the United Nations in New York, I invite you to speak to the Israeli people at the Knesset in Jerusalem. And I would gladly come to speak to the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah.

Ladies and Gentlemen: While Israel seeks peace with all our neighbors, we also know that peace has no greater enemy than the forces of militant Islam. The bloody trail of this fanaticism runs through all the continents represented here. It runs through Paris and Nice, Brussels and Baghdad, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Minnesota and New York, from Sydney to San Bernardino. So many have suffered its savagery: Christian and Jews, women and gays, Yazidis and Kurds and many, many others.

Yet the heaviest price, the heaviest price of all has been paid by innocent Muslims. Hundreds of thousands unmercifully slaughtered. Millions turned into desperate refugees, tens of millions brutally subjugated. The defeat of militant Islam will thus be a victory for all humanity, but it would especially be a victory for those many Muslims who seek a life without fear, a life of peace, a life of hope.

But to defeat the forces of militant Islam, we must fight them relentlessly. We must fight them in the real world. We must fight them in the virtual world. We must dismantle their networks, disrupt their funding, discredit their ideology. We can defeat them and we will defeat them. Medievalism is no match for modernity. Hope is stronger than hate, freedom mightier than fear.

We can do this.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Israel fights this fateful battle against the forces of militant Islam every day. We keep our borders safe from ISIS; we prevent the smuggling of game-changing weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon; we thwart Palestinian terror attacks in Judea and Samaria — the West Bank — and we deter missile attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza.

That’s the same Hamas terror organization that cruelly, unbelievably cruelly, refuses to return three of our citizens and the bodies of our fallen soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin. Hadar Goldin’s parents, Leah and Simcha Goldin, are here with us today. They have one request – to bury their beloved son in Israel. All they ask for is one simple thing – to be able to visit the grave of their fallen son, Hadar, in Israel. Hamas refuses. They couldn’t care less.

I implore you to stand with them, with us, with all that’s decent in our world against the inhumanity of Hamas – all that is indecent and barbaric. Hamas breaks every humanitarian rule in the book, throw the book at them.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The greatest threat to my country, to our region and ultimately to our world remains the militant Islamic regime of Iran. Iran openly seeks Israel’s annihilation. It threatens countries across the Middle East, it sponsors terror worldwide.

This year, Iran has fired ballistic missiles in direct defiance of Security Council Resolutions. It has expended its aggression in Iraq, in Syria, in Yemen. Iran, the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism, continued to build its global terror network. That terror network now spans five continents.

So my point to you is this: The threat Iran poses to all of us is not behind us; it’s before us. In the coming years, there must be a sustained and united effort to push back against Iran’s aggression and Iran’s terror. With the nuclear constraints on Iran one year closer to being removed, let me be clear: Israel will not allow the terrorist regime in Iran to develop nuclear weapons – not now, not in a decade, not ever.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I stand before you today at a time when Israel’s former president, Shimon Peres, is fighting for his life. Shimon is one of Israel’s founding fathers, one of its boldest statesmen, one of its most respected leaders. I know you will all join me and join all the people of Israel in wishing him refuah shlemah, Shimon, a speedy recovery.

I’ve always admired Shimon’s boundless optimism, and like him, I too am filled with hope. I am filled with hope, because Israel is capable of defending itself by itself against any threat. I am filled with hope, because the valor of our fighting men and women is second to none. I am filled with hope, because I know the forces of civilization will ultimately triumph over the forces of terror. I am filled with hope, because in the age of innovation, Israel – the innovation nation – is thriving as never before. I am filled with hope, because Israel works tirelessly to advance equality and opportunity for all its citizens: Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, everyone. And I am filled with hope, because despite all the naysayers, I believe that in the years ahead, Israel will forge a lasting peace with all our neighbors.

Ladies and Gentlemen: I am hopeful about what Israel can accomplish because I’ve seen what Israel has accomplished. In 1948, the year of Israel’s independence, our population was 800,000. Our main export was oranges. People said then we were too small, too weak, too isolated, too demographically outnumbered to survive, let alone thrive. The skeptics were wrong about Israel then; the skeptics are wrong about Israel now.

Israel’s population has grown tenfold, our economy fortyfold. Today our biggest export is technology – Israeli technology, which powers the world’s computers, cellphones, cars and so much more.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The future belongs to those who innovate, and this is why the future belongs to countries like Israel. Israel wants to be your partner in seizing that future, so I call on all of you: Cooperate with Israel, embrace Israel, dream with Israel. Dream of the future that we can build together, a future of breathtaking progress, a future of security, prosperity and peace, a future of hope for all humanity, a future where even at the UN, even in this hall, Israel will finally, inevitably, take its rightful place among the nations.

Thank you.