Netanyahu hits back at opposition in Knesset debate: ‘Israel is stronger than ever’

After opposition members accused him of causing a collapse of Israel’s global standing during the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defends Israel’s status, stating that the country is “the strongest power in the Middle East,” during a so-called 40-signature debate in the Knesset.

Netanyahu begins by mocking the subject of the debate, “the collapse of Israel’s international standing,” saying, “What supposed collapse? What a detachment from reality. What a recycling of hollow slogans that are the complete opposite of what is actually happening.”

“Israel today is stronger than ever. It is the strongest power in the Middle East, and in certain fields, it is a global power,” the premier asserts.

“This is a direct result of the way we have led The War of Revival,” Netanyahu says, using the controversial name for the war in Gaza that the government approved in October.

“It is also the result of proper management of Israel’s economy – an economy that is breaking records,” he continues, pointing to the strength of the shekel and foreign investment. “Israel’s debt-to-GDP ratio is lower than most European countries, lower than the United States…and this is after two years of war,” he says.

He says that “many states around the world and very many world leaders are seeking us out,” while acknowledging that “there are challenges.”

“Waves of antisemitism are sweeping the West as a result of two things: radical Muslim minorities that have entered almost every country – first and foremost in Europe – and, alongside that, antisemitic incitement on social media, incitement amplified by anti-Zionist governments and organizations,” he says.

“We are fighting this antisemitism around the world,” he continues, noting the government’s allocation of “more than two billion shekels to the Foreign Ministry to combat this propaganda.”

“I believe we must fight it with new methods,” he says, while insisting “we must look at our tremendous achievements,” pointing to the visit of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week, a visit Netanyahu says Merz requested, which followed a landmark defense deal between the two allies.