Addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s Congressional Summit in Washington, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid declares that “whoever messes with the Jewish people will pay the price.”
“Israel has been through the hardest year of its existence, but our spirit has not been broken,” Lapid says, noting that the Syrian regime that “celebrated” the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terror assault “no longer exists” while the leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah are now dead.
“After October 7, they celebrated in the streets of Iran and handed out candies. They felt that Israel’s defenses had collapsed. The Iranian defenses no longer exist. Israeli planes, Israeli pilots, destroyed them,” Lapid boasts, adding that if Tehran “believes that it can continue to develop its nuclear program and Israel will stand by, then they are making the biggest mistake of their lives.”
“Our message to all those who hate us is simple: whoever messes with the Jewish people will pay the price. Whoever messes with the State of Israel will pay with his life,” he declares, praising the United States for its “unbreakable alliance” with Jerusalem and calling to return the hostages.
“Donald Trump is not only a president who loves Israel, he is also a president unafraid of big ideas and big opportunities… together we can change history,” Lapid continues.
“When this war is won and our hostages are home, the idea is to sign a normalization agreement between the United States, the Saudis and Israel” in order to “create a new regional coalition” that “will manage Gaza and stand united opposite Iran and its evil plans,” he adds.
This new coalition “will open new markets for the American and Israeli economies” while also working “towards a separation between Israel and the Palestinians,” he says.
According to Lapid, he spoke with a leader of one of the Gulf states following Trump’s announcement of his plan for Gaza, which involves the relocation of many of its Palestinian residents.
“I asked him, ‘What did you think?’ and he said, ‘I was excited. We have still a lot of work to do, but I was excited that the president spoke about peace and prosperity and new opportunities, not only war and destruction,’” Lapid recalls.
“Together with our partners in the Abraham Accords, together with the United States, we will provide the alternative to the agents of chaos from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. We will provide a vision of peace, prosperity and cooperation,” Lapid says.