Israeli Opposition Leader and former premier Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Sunday afternoon at the Psagot Winery in Samaria north of Jerusalem, along with former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
During his address at the gathering, Netanyahu decried the false “narrative” of a Palestinian claim to the Land of Israel, lamenting a shift during the 20th century in how world leaders perceive the Jewish connection to the historic Jewish homeland.
“When I used to walk here in the army…in these valleys and hills and mountains, I felt like I was walking in the footsteps of our ancestors. And I didn’t feel it – I was. Everywhere you go, stick a shovel in and what do you find? Palestinian ruins? No, there’s no such thing. You find Jewish ruins. From centuries.”
“We are resurrecting our history in a way that is a parable for humanity. Because if the Jewish people could overcome the horrible fate that we suffered in the Diaspora, the terrible cascade of tragedy that culminated in the worst tragedy of all… to overcome that river of extinction, cross that river and come here and build our life anew, build our state, build our army, build our economy, build our future – that means that there is hope for all of humanity.”
“That is a great parable. That is the story of Israel. That is why it made such an impression on the founders of the United States of America.”
“What do you see in that hall [of Congress]? You see Moses, and you see the spirit of Israel and the story of Israel that was so inspiring for the people of the United States.”
“When you came out with your declaration, Mike, you were affirming something that was known and understood by the enlightened leaders of the world exactly a century ago in Versailles, in San Remo, and at the other conferences that sought to shape the Middle East after World War I, people understood this. They knew. Lloyd George knew, Woodrow Wilson knew, Clemenceau knew – they all knew this.”
“What has happened in the last one hundred years is that slowly, by dent of Arab propaganda, by dent of constant repetition of lies, this basic connection – unequalled anywhere in the history of other nations – this has been driven aside to a false ‘narrative’. That’s a lie. They call it a ‘narrative’ – a ‘narrative’ means a lie. They displace this fact, our connection – this millennial connection to this land – and they present us, who lived here for thousands of years and longed to return here for thousands of years as colonial – we’re the Belgians in the Congo. That is ridiculous.”
“This is our land. And it happens to be the high ground. We have regained the high ground and we shall keep it. The moral high ground and the physical. Both.”
Turning to the possibility of peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Netanyahu said it would require “Two things. One, our inner spirit and confidence. And second, our great friends.”
“All nations need alliances. Superpowers need alliances.”
“We have no better allies than the United States, and in the United States we have no better allies than Mike Pompeo and some of his friends. In fact, millions and millions of friends.”