Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Monday, 14 December 2020), participated – via Zoom – in the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs' "Our Common Destiny" scroll event and made the following remarks:

"Shalom to you all. Pursuant to the opening of the event, we may have many opinions but we know how to unite in time of need and this is certainly a moment of need. I congratulate Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Diaspora Affairs Minister – and initiator of this event – Omer Yankelevich, MK Naftali Bennett, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Genesis Philanthropy Group (GPG) founder Mikhail Fridman and GPG Vice President Dorit Golender.

My wife Sara and I intended to be with you but the coronavirus rules obligate all of us so we are pleased to be with you even from somewhat of a distance. This is an important day in which we are signing the scroll of the Jewish people, which has jumped in recent generations from the killing fields to the heights of rebirth. Before our eyes, especially on Chanukah, stand the wonderful things written by Mark Twain, the great 19th century American author.

Twain wrote about the Jewish people: 'Properly the Jew ought hardly to be heard of; but he is heard of, has always been heard of. He is as prominent on the planet as any other people…The Egyptian, the Babylonian, and the Persian rose, filled the planet with sound and splendor, then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed, and made a vast noise, and they are gone; other peoples have sprung up and held their torch high for a time, but it burned out, and they sit in twilight now, or have vanished. The Jew saw them all, beat them all, and is now what he always was, exhibiting no decadence, no infirmities of age, no weakening of his parts, no slowing of his energies, no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind.' He wrote this before the Holocaust, long before, and see what has happened since. If Mark Twain could see what we are doing today, I have no doubt that he would write a fat book of praise about our people.

Thanks to our great achievements, we have turned Israel into a significant force among the nations. The strength that we have systematically cultivated in security, economics, foreign relations, science, technology and culture – this strength is drawing many countries closer to us, even as it adds to the stature of Jews everywhere.

Each evening I am moved to the giant Chanukah menorahs ablaze in major cities around the world. The Jewish light and the light of Israel shines on the streets of New York and the avenues of Moscow, in the heart of Skopje which this year is commemorating – by the lighting of 1,000 menorahs – the Jews of Macedonia who perished in the Holocaust. A menorah is also lit at the base of Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

I do not overlook the challenges. There are still dangerous phenomena of racism and antisemitism. We are committed to fighting them with determination, without fear. But the light is immeasurably greater than the darkness. If we continue to cling to the policy that we have outlined to build up Israel's strength, we will bring additional achievements, more peace agreements, prosperity and pride for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters outside Israel.

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I would like to add three points which I believe form the substance of Jewish existence and which find expression in this important scroll that I have just signed. First, responsibility for the fate of humanity. Second, the ability to swim against the tide when it comes to a just goal. Third, the mutual guarantee that has been felt especially during the coronavirus period.

First, the responsibility. Noted British author Paul Johnson, who wrote an excellent book about the history of the Jews, emphasizes that we, more than any other culture, have succeeded in finding the balance between concern for ourselves and concern for our fellow man. On the one hand Jewish existence, on the other universal dedication.

Here is a little-big event that in the rush of events was pushed aside but which says so much: Last week an Israeli mission to Honduras – which was hit by powerful hurricane that struck Central America – returned to the country. Before the IDF personnel left Honduras, the local residents applauded them at length. This was heart-warming but it is not unusual. Our rescue and assistance missions are commonly among the first to arrive in countries dealing with natural disasters. This happens time and again, in Nepal, Haiti or everywhere else.

By the way, it also happens with the coronavirus. Israeli doctors are in northern Italy in order to help residents in areas to which the virus has spread. Everything stems from the Jewish root of 'love your neighbor as yourself.'

The second point, an unyielding stand on just principles. We are a stiff-necked people, as Charles de Gaulle said. In former times, we challenged mighty empires. We refused to succumb to destructive forces. We swam against the tide. We fought for our freedom, to maintain our identity, for the continuation of our heritage. This principle needs to continue to be with us in the era of sovereignty: On the issues that are fateful for our existence, we must adopt a steadfast and proud stand.

Not to bow the head, but to hold it high. Sometimes one must take a stand and not give in, even with friends, even with good friends. This is what I did in my opposition to the nuclear agreement with Iran. I warned against the dangers hidden in this agreement – for our future and that of the whole world. This approach, especially this approach, contributed to a fundamental change in the relation of Arab countries to Israel. When you vigorously oppose something bad, you also serve to support for others. Today we are causing a historic revolution in the Middle East.

The third point is mutual guarantee, the covenant that links Jews throughout the world. We can argue; we are not bad at it. We can have sharp disagreements; we do this too. But alongside this, there are basic values that link Jews from Argentina to Jews from Tunisia, a Jewish woman from Australia to a Jewish woman from Ethiopia: Memory, wisdom, learning, destiny, purpose, brotherhood, the historic memory and the hope for Jerusalem. We saw this with the marvelous aliyah from Ethiopia only a few days ago. It was one of the most moving moments to see them coming off the plane and kissing the ground of the homeland, as they carried a little girl named Jerusalem.

The pandemic has brought with it endless initiatives of lovingkindness and giving. The hand has been stretched across continents and oceans. At the same time, aliyah to the State of Israel has continued. In a few years, half of the world's Jews will live in the land. They understand that Israel is the homeland, a warm home!

Indeed, the responsibility to the whole, the insistence on just principles, and the mutual guarantee, are the main foundations of our existence, from the past to the future. Together we will continue to strengthen the solidarity between Israel and the Diaspora. Together we will turn the letters of the scroll that we signed into the building blocks of the eternity of Israel. Thank you very much."