Flashback: Bibi in 2011 Joint Congressional Session Speech

The same moral clarity. The same penetrating insight. The same plea to stop “militant Islam.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance on May 24, 2011, before a joint session of Congress was, if anything, even more enthusiastically received than his speech today.

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When the White House scoffed that Netanyahu had “nothing new” to say, they were absolutely right. But that’s because this administration has failed utterly to heed his warnings about Iran and has doubled down by opening negotiations that would acknowledge Iran’s ability to enrich uranium and, by extension, construct a nuclear bomb to threaten Israel.

Here’s Bibi in 2011:

When I last stood here, I spoke of the consequences of Iran developing nuclear weapons. Now time is running out. The hinge of history may soon turn, for the greatest danger of all could soon be upon us: a militant Islamic regime armed with nuclear weapons.

Militant Islam threatens the world. It threatens Islam.

Now, I have no doubt — I’m absolutely convinced — that it will ultimately be defeated. I believe it will eventually succumb to the forces of freedom and progress. It depends on cloistering young minds for a given amount of years, and the process of opening up information will ultimately defeat this movement. But like other fanatacisms that were doomed to fail, militant Islam could exact an horrific price from all of us before its eventual demise.

A nuclear-armed Iran would ignite a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. It would give terrorists a nuclear umbrella. It would make the nightmare of nuclear terrorism a clear and present danger throughout the world.

See, I want you to understand what this means, because if we don’t stop it, it’s coming. They could put a bomb anywhere. They could put it in a missile; they’re working on missiles that could reach this city. They could put it on a — on a ship inside a container; could reach every port. They could eventually put it in a suitcase or in a subway.

Now, the threat to my country cannot be overstated. Those who dismiss it are sticking their heads on the stand. Less than seven decades after 6 million Jews were murdered, Iran’s leaders deny the Holocaust of the Jewish people while calling for the annihilation of the Jewish state. Leaders who spew such venom should be banned from every respectable forum on the planet. (Applause.)

But there’s something that makes the outrage even greater. Do you know what that is? It’s the lack of outrage, because in much of the international community, the call(s) for our destruction are met with utter silence. It’s even worse because there are many who rush to condemn Israel for defending itself against Iran’s terror proxies. Not you. Not America. (Applause.)

You’ve acted differently. You’ve condemned the Iranian regime for its genocidal aims. You’ve passed tough sanctions against Iran.

History will salute you, America. (Applause.)

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We yearn for national leaders with that kind of clarity of thinking. At great risk to his personal political prospects — Israel will hold their elections in 2 weeks — the prime minister came to Washington to plead with his friends to stop this deal before it becomes reality.

Here’s Netanyahu’s entire 2011 address to a joint session of Congress. The quoted part above begins at 13:00 minutes.

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