PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s Stellar Speech at the United Nations

I have read several takes on the marvelous speech given by PM Netanyahu on September 27th. I thought that I would add my thoughts.

I am unabashedly attached and loyal to him. I have been watching and listening to PM Netanyahu on American TV since he served as Ambassador to the UN. I know his facial expressions as well as the intonations of his voice. I also am very conscious of his body language. As he walked towards the podium, I saw a man with a message, sure of himself, ready to speak not only for Israel but also for all of the Jewish People. I saw a man who came during a war to deliver a message to the World Body representing all of the Nations of the World.

I know his style of public speaking. I have studied it over the years and I have applied elements to my public speaking and even to my university teaching. Of course, I saw his exhaustion. I have seen it intensify over these horrific months and I have admired his ability to contain his exhaustion and his anger. He is a polished speaker and a consummate diplomat. I knew that we would hear and watch him prepare his “audience” for his message. I knew that the crux of what he came to say would not open his speech. It would burst forth when least expected, like the crescendo of a symphony – built up until it explodes. He was in perfect control of himself and his audience. His maps of good vs. evil were perfectly placed.

There were two unexpected “events” which caught my attention: he seemed to lose his place twice, as though distracted. This behavior was totally unlike him. It did not take long for me to understand that he was not distracted but rather was expecting some type of communication. He must have received it because his tone and language changed into that of a powerful, determined leader, the spokesman for an Israel under attack and for the Jewish People and indeed the World. There was PM Netanyahu, no longer on stage delivering history but helping Israel write history and make history.

As I watched, I checked my phone for posts and found the statement that our PM had given the order to attack Lebanon just before he entered the room to approach the podium. Then, I understood his “distractions” while speaking. He was waiting for confirmation of the IDF attack on Lebanon. When he got it, he began the crux of his speech. He spoke as no one else could have spoken. His speech was pure artistry, diplomacy, and leadership. It was civilized, strong, challenging, and historically accurate.

What makes it most outstanding is that with it PM Netanyahu took on all of the UN Member Nations, including those who walked out as he entered the room. Then, Israel’s Prime Minister, our “Jewish Renaissance Man” Prime Minister, stood unafraid and called out our enemies and in a way which I have never heard before, accused the Nations of the World of Antisemitism. Most amazing, PM Netanyahu told these Nations in no uncertain terms that Israel today is fighting not only for herself but for the World. A masterful speech where he minced no words. Not only Israel’s Leader but truly a leader of the Free – and perhaps the not so Free, World.