Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar speaks at the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026. Credit: Ronen Horesh\/GPO.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Describing Israel\u2019s decision to negotiate with Lebanon as historic, Sa\u2019ar said Lebanon is a \u201cfailed state,\u201d one controlled by Hezbollah, a fact that puts Lebanon \u201cde facto under Iranian occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHezbollah is a common enemy of Israel and Lebanon. Just as it threatens Israel\u2019s security, it harms Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty and threatens its future,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah,\u201d Sa\u2019ar said, calling on the Lebanese government to work with Israel to defeat their common enemy. \u201cThis cooperation is needed by you even more than by us. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks. But there is no real alternative for ensuring a future of peace for you and for us,\u201d he said, directing his message to Lebanon\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
He defended Israel\u2019s strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon, noting Israel\u2019s citizens were attacked by 8,000 missiles, rockets and drones since March 2 from the terror group.<\/p>\n
Israel responded with \u201cprecise actions,\u201d he said, which only Israel\u2019s military is capable of carrying out. \u201cWould any other nation in the world be accused of \u2018indiscriminate attacks\u2019 for actions like these taken in self-defense? And all this has been going on 26 years after we completely withdrew from Lebanon,\u201c he said.<\/p>\n
Sa\u2019ar also highlighted the remarkable history of the Jewish people\u2019s return to Zion and the rebuilding of its state in its ancient land after nearly 2,000 years in exile. \u201cWhen Israel was founded in 1948, the small community here had just 650,000 Jews. Today, over 7.7 million Jews, including immigrants with the right of return, live in Israel. Over 11 times the amount than when our country was born. Who would\u2019ve believed this could happen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Sa\u2019ar condemned the \u201cnew antisemitism,\u201d which has set as its target the Jewish state and Zionism. He said Zionism is merely \u201cthe right of the Jewish people to its own state in its historic homeland\u2014its right to the same rights taken for granted by any other nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s unforgivable \u201csin\u201d is refusing to be eliminated by fanatical jihadist terrorists, he said.<\/p>\n
Sa\u2019ar said the \u201cWorld Order\u201d is disintegrating as states collapse and terror groups scale up to \u201cterror states,\u201d taking over large territories and populations. He cited the situation in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Yemen. Iran, another example, commits economic terror by closing down the Strait of Hormuz, he said.<\/p>\n
The Foreign Minister praised U.S. President Donald Trump for taking action to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while the \u201cinternational community\u201d did little.<\/p>\n
Noting the international community has shown little nerve for crises, he said that \u201cthe luck of mankind\u201d is that there is still a world leader like U.S. President Donald Trump, who is willing to confront \u201cextremist regimes\u201d and prevent them from obtaining nuclear arms.<\/p>\n
Peace is in \u2018our DNA\u2019<\/b>
Israel has historically made \u201chuge concessions for peace,\u201d taking steps that \u201cno other nation \u2026 that won wars\u201d would make because peace is in \u201cour DNA,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
However, past moves like the Oslo Accords, in which Israel handed over territory to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and its later withdrawal from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip ultimately did not bring Israel \u201ccloser to peace\u201d but instead eroded its security.<\/p>\n
Israel has learned from these experiences, he stressed, and is now unwilling to take what he called \u201cirresponsible risks,\u201d especially given its small size and limited strategic depth. The lesson of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, is that Israeli civilians are no longer willing to expose themselves as the front line against jihadists.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace is not meant to include a gamble on our security, future and existence. This is not just the position of governments. It is the mindset of the people,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe people of Israel want and have always wanted peace,\u201d he said, but \u201ca real peace,\u201d not one \u201cbased on illusions, and on the abandonment of our future and security.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that such a peace requires patience, wisdom and the ability to confront the enemy: \u201cOnly if Israel is strong enough will there be security in this region. For who else will be the obstacle preventing the radical axis from taking over the region? No one but Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing the ambassadors present, Sa\u2019ar said, \u201cYou more than anyone else know that this is the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quoting Israeli poet Uri Zvi Greenberg, he concluded: \u201cThere is one truth and not two. As there is one sun and as there are not two Jerusalems.\u201d<\/p>\n
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