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Rosh Hashanah: Benjamin Netanyahu uses Jewish New Year address to slam 'bigoted and prejudiced' critics

He praised Israel as a "beacon of progress" in the Middle East

Kashmira Gander
Monday 14 September 2015 18:17 BST
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Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a Rosh Hashanah address in which he slams Israel's critics
Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a Rosh Hashanah address in which he slams Israel's critics

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has used a message marking Jewish New Year to hit back against the state's critics, whom he described as “bigoted and prejudiced”.

In the minute-long clip, Mr Netanyahu wished viewers Shanah Tovah, the greeting used during Rosh Hashanah, before bashing the state’s critics in a strongly-worded address.

Mr Netanyahu said the surrounding region as “plagued by fanaticism, by terror and unbelievable savagery”.

Describing Israel as a “beacon of progress” in modernity, democracy and human rights, the Prime Minister said these facts were evident to “to all but the most bigoted and prejudiced”.

Without naming specific groups or nations, Mr Netanyahu said that Israel must “repel […] slanders”.

“We do that together as we build our state because we’re untied, proud of our past, confident in our future.”

Mr Netanyahu then asked viewers to “join with all Israelis, with all friends of Israel and Jewish people everywhere in wishing for a better future for the world, for the middle east, and most importantly for the one and only Jewish state”.

While it is unclear who Mr Netanyahu was aiming his attack towards, it comes as previously robust relations with the US have frayed following a deal nuclear deal with Israel’s enemy, Iran.

Israel is strongly opposed to the Iranian nuclear deal, which will see international oil and financial sanctions lifted in return for Iran compromising on its ability to enrich uranium.

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