Opening of the Knesset's 'winter session': Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in the Knesset plenum this afternoon (Monday) and addressed the attack on Iran, the war, and the return of the hostages.
Netanyahu began: "We are in the midst of the War of Rebirth. On Simchat Torah on October 7, a year ago, we suffered a severe blow, but we got back on our feet. We did not break or surrender. We returned a powerful war to our attackers that is changing the face of the Middle East.".
""From that time until today, we have defended with supreme courage and determination the resurrection of Israel. Whoever attacked us brought upon himself an unprecedented disaster. The current war bears a resemblance to the War of Independence. Today we stand against seven terrorist fronts, against a violent and aggressive enemy that threatens the entire Middle East and the entire world.
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""The jealous axis of evil led by Iran threatens to destroy our country and ensnare other countries in its web, and to threaten the West first and foremost. Iran is striving for a stockpile of nuclear bombs and will be able to threaten the entire world at any point in it. We, the State of Israel, are the real barrier in Iran's path and we are thwarting its malicious intentions.".
He explained: "According to Iran's system, if Israel falls - the entire Middle East will fall into its hands, but we will not fall - we will win and the entire world will be a better place. Our victory will be for all of humanity. In the War of Resurrection, we have a clear path and goals.".
On the issue of the hostages, he said: "At the beginning of the war, I defined the goals of the war and we are working consistently to achieve them. We will return everyone - the living and the dead. We will not relent. Even these days, we are looking for ways, we are using the means, and we will return everyone home without exception.".
He added: "The complete victory is an orderly and consistent work plan that we are implementing step by step. We have settled accounts with the many murderers who were responsible for the October 7 attack. We have eliminated tens of thousands of terrorists, dismantled the Hamas battalion, crushed the enemy's bases to ashes and even below the ground. We are systematically cutting off the terrorist arms of the Iranian octopus and we are striking the head of the octopus.".
Regarding the attack on Iran, Netanyahu said: "We have proven that Israel's long arm will reach wherever the call to destroy Israel comes from. We severely damaged Iran's defense systems and its ability to export missiles. These were not mines that we attacked. These are industrial death factories and we damaged them severely. We are in continuous dialogue with our American friends, but we accept the choice of targets and objectives ourselves, according to our considerations and interests.".
He chided the studio residents who are trying to instill a sense of failure in the people: "After every achievement of ours, I hear from the people in the studios - what is your strategy? So if it is not clear by now - I will say what our strategy is in simple words: Our long-term strategy is to dismantle the axis of evil, to cut off its arms in the south and the north, to exact a heavy price from Iran and its allies, and to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. We will not give up on achieving this central goal. Stopping the Iranian nuclear program is our top priority.".
He referred to the bereaved families: "As a member of a bereaved family - I know what the families who have lost their loved ones are going through. The loss breaks the heart and a feeling of suffocation fills the throat. The sadness and longing are endless. I see the photos from the funerals with tearful eyes, we listen to the obituaries. We also listen with our hearts.
""Israeli society is shaking with steel. Our enemies did not believe that Israel would withstand a seven-front war for an entire year and that we would achieve the achievements we have achieved. The day after, Hamas will no longer control Gaza and Hezbollah will not sit on our northern border. The day after includes another, more important thing: I aspire to continue the process that I led and achieve peace with additional Arab countries. And I emphasize: peace for peace with countries in the Middle East. Peace from strength. These countries are impressed by our determination and courage and, like us, aspire to a safe, stable, and prosperous Middle East.
""Light will overcome darkness, good will prevail over evil. The strong survive, we make alliances with the strong, and we make peace with the strong. Israel is stronger than ever and will be even stronger. We will invest in strengthening. We will strengthen internal cohesion, restore the economy, rebuild the areas of our country that were damaged by the war and turn them into vibrant homelands full of life. The battlefields will once again become thriving communities. We won the War of Independence and, with God's help, we will win the War of Rebirth.".
