Islamist fighters (file)
Islamist fighters (file)Reuters

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor on Tuesday addressed the UN General Assembly for the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, and warned that the forces of evil represented by the Nazis now threaten the world in the form of Islamist terror regimes.

"Seventy-five years ago, at the dawn of the Second World War, Europe was locked in the grip of tyranny," Prosor reminded. "the Nazis subjugated, devastated, and exterminated anyone they deemed different and inferior. With the forces of fascism advancing, the Allied forces knew they had no choice but to liberate Europe from the grip of tyranny."

Prosor noted that the freedom enjoyed by the world today is thanks to the efforts of the Allied armies, who "did not always agree, but despite their political differences they knew that evil had to be stopped."

"For Israel and the Jewish people, World War II is synonymous with the Holocaust," continued Prosor. "Families were torn apart, vibrant communities destroyed, and one third of the Jewish people - including one million children - were murdered. We are still haunted by the devastation."

Turning his focus to the present day, the ambassador warned, "freedom is once again under attack. The radical Islamists marching across the Middle East and North Africa are every bit as determined and dangerous as the Nazi forces that marched across Europe."

"Seventy-five years ago men, women, and children were rounded up and murdered because of what they believed, where they came from, how they looked, and whom they loved. The same crimes are taking place in the Middle East. Activists and political opponents are being silenced, homosexuals are being hanged, and Christians are being beheaded," noted Prosor.

"Make no mistake, evil is alive and well - and not just in the Middle East. In the heart of civilized Europe, angry mobs can be heard chanting 'gas the Jews,' firebombs have been thrown at synagogues, young men are afraid to walk down the street wearing a kippah, and a kosher grocery store is targeted for attack."

Speaking about Israel's role in countering the growing violent anti-Semitism, he continued, "history has taught us that Jewish lives can never be entrusted to another people or another nation. We must always be able to defend ourselves by ourselves. The State of Israel is the fulfillment of that promise. Never again will Jews be rounded up like cattle and marched to their death.  Never again will the world think that Jews can be targeted with impunity."

"Seventy years ago, a generation of men and women sacrificed in war so that we would inherit freedom, equality, and democracy. We cannot allow those sacrifices to be in vain. With courage and conviction we must now fight for the ideals for which they lived and died," concluded Prosor. "The time has come for us to be united in purpose, united in valor, and united as nations - so that we too may pass the gifts of freedom, equality, and democracy to our children and grandchildren."