Netanyahu: World Silent on Threats to Destroy Israel

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Israel news photo: Eli Mandelbaum

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of a special plenary meeting to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day to address the threats to Israel's existence.

"70 years after the Holocaust, much of the world remains silent in the face of Iran's declared intent to wipe Israel off the earth," Netanyahu said.

"Much of the world are silent in the face of calls by Hizbullah for the destruction of Israel, and its continued murderous activities. Many remain silent in the face of calls by Hamas to kill Jews wherever they are.

"These are days when most of the governments of the world remain silent in the face of cries of Palestinian Muftis to kill Jews wherever they are. Where is the condemnation of the Mufti? Not the Mufti of history, but the Mufti of today?

International Holocaust Remembrance Day should be the day the world stands behind the words 'never again,'" Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu added, "This is a day when the world should unite against weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of dark regimes, led by the Ayatollah and his regime in Iran. I send greetings to leaders leaders of Europe and praise them for the important step of taking sanctions against Iran."

He also singled out key Iranian oil consumers who have thus far refused to participate in sanctions against Iran and kept Tehran's oil exports from floundering.

"It is important that other countries around the world will join this action. I mean China, Japan, India, and South Korea. Only a combination of crippling sanctions and a credible military threat on the table can force Iran to reconsider its nuclear program," he added.

"We must ask ourselves whether we learned the lessons of the Holocaust. Can we take death threats seriously, or perhaps in this generation of Jews we do not see the danger before us? We can not stick our heads in the sand.

"The Iranian regime openly calls for Israel's destruction, is planning the destruction of Israel, and is working daily to destroy Israel. The lesson says should spur the world to action," Netanyahu said.

Iran has referred to Israel as "a one bomb state"