Netanyahu Defends Israel Amid Global Criticism at Christian Memorial Ceremony

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara attended a cornerstone-laying ceremony for a monument honoring fallen Arab-speaking Christians in the Lavie Forest near the Golani Junction on Wednesday. During his speech, Netanyahu launched a strong defense of Israel against international criticism, asserting that a false narrative about the country's treatment of minorities is being propagated globally.

"We are under a global attack against the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces," Netanyahu stated, adding that Israel and its soldiers are being falsely accused of war crimes. He called such accusations "the greatest absurdity" for "the most moral army in the world." The Prime Minister also countered claims that Israel persecutes minorities by highlighting its inclusive approach compared to other nations in the region.

"In the heart of this vast region, which lacks compassion, lacks acceptance, has so much hostility, extremism, and persecution of the other, the State of Israel is like an island, an island of progress, tolerance, and security," he declared. Netanyahu specifically mentioned Israel's efforts to aid the Druze community in Sweida, stating, "We fought in Sweida to save our Druze brethren from complete slaughter, and we protect them today."

Focusing on the Christian community in Israel, Netanyahu emphasized that it is the "only place in the Middle East" where Christians "flourish and grow." He contrasted this with other locations where Christians are "persecuted, emigrate, or are slaughtered," asserting that only in Israel do they find a "shared home."

Netanyahu concluded with a warning about the danger of repeated false accusations against Israel, stating, "The world is swept up in the big lie. And if the big lie is repeated again and again, it becomes the truth." He presented the ceremony itself as Israel's answer to these claims, declaring, "Therefore, we came today to shatter this lie, and we shatter it by this very occasion, by the very fact that we are not only defending Christians, I am talking specifically about the current lie, Christians are defending us! All together."