Prime Minister Netanayhu at his weekly cabinet meeting. Photo: Screenshot.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed that the threats and challenges faced daily by the Jewish state are unceasing, and that they would not be postponed while Israel works to form a new government.

“The Middle East is not waiting on the results of the elections and it will not stop during the formation of the government. There are many threats here, among the more difficult that I have pointed out and others, and the reality is developing apace. In the east, north and south,” he said according to a communique.

Netanyahu called for strength and preparedness in response to the challenges he outlined, saying, “everything is in ferment and we must be prepared, strong and determined in the face of all possible developments. To this end, I would like to form the broadest and most stable government as possible in order – first of all – to meet the significant security threats that face the State of Israel, and I am convinced of our ability to deal with these threats.”

“Anti-Semitism has not disappeared and – to our regret – neither has the desire to destroy a considerable part of the Jewish People and the State of Israel,” Netanyahu added, “They exist and they are strong. Holocaust-denial is being spread by one of the world’s major countries, not by a group or by individual countries or by marginal elements, but by Iran which, today, from the UN or any other platform, is the leader of Holocaust-denial while preparing for what they deem to be another Holocaust – the destruction of the state of the Jews. They are not halting their relentless and systematic race to achieve a nuclear weapons capability in order to realize this intention. We do not make light of these threats and we will prevent them. This is our primary mission as a government and as a people.”

Referencing Holocaust Memorial Day, which is observed Sunday, the Prime Minister said, “In the perspective of the almost 75 years that have passed since the Holocaust, what has not changed is the desire to annihilate the Jews. What has changed is the ability of the Jews to defend themselves. This ability finds expression in the state, the military, and the security services and in our willingness to act against those who come to destroy us. This ability is the difference between what was then and what there is today. Nobody will defend the Jews if they are not ready to defend themselves; this is another lesson of the Holocaust. It is impossible to rely on separate and independent action to defend the Jews if the Jews will not defend themselves.”

A video of some of the Israeli Prime Minister’s remarks can be viewed below.