Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a dramatic address before the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, pausing in his speech for 45 seconds to denounce the world's "utter silence, deafening silence" on Iran's threats to destroy his nation.
"Seventy years after the murder of 6 million Jews, Iran's rulers promise to destroy my country, murder my people; and the response from this body — the response from nearly every one of the governments represented here — has been absolutely nothing," Netanyahu said. "Utter silence. Deafening silence," Newsmax reported.
At that point, he paused for 45 seconds and stared down on the members of the UN body in attendance as if to dramatise their "deafening silence."
Resuming his speech, Netanyahu said: "Perhaps you can now understand why Israel is not joining you in celebrating this deal," referring to the Iran nuclear accord that is set for implementation following the US Senate's failure to pass a measure rejecting the accord.
"If Iran's rulers were working to destroy your countries, perhaps you'd be less enthusiastic about the deal," the Israeli leader said.
Netanyahu once again condemned the deal, saying that it gives Iran more access to nuclear weapons, not less.
The Israeli premier also promised that Israel will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon regardless of the deal. Analysts said this is not an empty promise since Israel made good on its threats to bomb suspected nuclear sites in Iraq in 1981 and in Syria in 2007.
At the same time, Netanyahu appeared resigned to the world powers' apparent embrace of Iran and their acceptance of the nuclear deal.
He called on the governments involved in the deal to enforce it "with a little more rigour."
"Make sure that the inspectors actually inspect," Netanyahu said. "Make sure that the snapback sanctions actually snap back. Make sure that Iran's violations aren't swept under the Persian rug."
Netanyahu also sought to reach out to US President Barack Obama after their ties were strained earlier this year over the nuclear deal.
"But in Israel, we never forget one thing, we never forget that the most important partner that Israel has had, has always been and will always be the United States of America," Netanyahu said. "The alliance between Israel and the United States is unshakable."
