PM Netanyahu to UN delegation: ‘History is not going to give us another chance’

Meeting with a delegation of UN ambassadors in Jerusalem on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast current hostility toward Israel as a continuation of Holocaust-era antisemitism, delivering a pointed message that Israel can now defend itself and shape regional security and prosperity.

Netanyahu argued that discourse against Jews and the Jewish state remains unchanged. “The one thing that has changed,” he said, “is that when they come to slaughter us, we have the capacity to defend ourselves.” He attributed that capacity to Israel’s technology, science and “the spirit of the people,” who he said, “know that history is not going to give us another chance.” He then voiced Israel's commitment to a region of prosperity, security and peace, “not only for us, but for all those who join us.”

The delegation consisted of more than 20 representatives from Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific Islands and Africa. The visiting officials began their visit last week at Holocaust sites in Poland before traveling to Israel to tour Jerusalem’s Jewish heritage landmarks, Oct. 7 memorial sites, and the Kerem Shalom Crossing.