(JNS) Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar spoke on Wednesday about ongoing talks with Lebanon, the miracle of Israel’s rebirth and the danger of Israeli territorial withdrawals during an Independence Day Reception in Jerusalem with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and the Foreign Diplomatic Corps in attendance.

Describing Israel’s decision to negotiate with Lebanon as historic, Sa’ar said Lebanon is a “failed state,” one controlled by Hezbollah, a fact that puts Lebanon “de facto under Iranian occupation.”

“Hezbollah is a common enemy of Israel and Lebanon. Just as it threatens Israel’s security, it harms Lebanon’s sovereignty and threatens its future,” he said.

“The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah,” Sa’ar said, calling on the Lebanese government to work with Israel to defeat their common enemy. “This 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,” he said, directing his message to Lebanon’s government.

He defended Israel’s strike against Hezbollah in Lebanon, noting Israel’s citizens were attacked by 8,000 missiles, rockets and drones since March 2 from the terror group.

Israel responded with “precise actions,” he said, which only Israel’s military is capable of carrying out. “Would any other nation in the world be accused of ‘indiscriminate attacks’ for actions like these taken in self-defense? And all this has been going on 26 years after we completely withdrew from Lebanon,“ he said.

Sa’ar also highlighted the remarkable history of the Jewish people’s return to Zion and the rebuilding of its state in its ancient land after nearly 2,000 years in exile. “When 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’ve believed this could happen?”

Sa’ar condemned the “new antisemitism,” which has set as its target the Jewish state and Zionism. He said Zionism is merely “the right of the Jewish people to its own state in its historic homeland—its right to the same rights taken for granted by any other nation.”

Israel’s unforgivable “sin” is refusing to be eliminated by fanatical jihadist terrorists, he said.

Sa’ar said the “World Order” is disintegrating as states collapse and terror groups scale up to “terror states,” 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.

The Foreign Minister praised US President Donald Trump for taking action to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons while the “international community” did little.

Noting the international community has shown little nerve for crises, he said that “the luck of mankind” is that there is still a world leader like Trump, who is willing to confront “extremist regimes” and prevent them from obtaining nuclear arms.

Peace is in ‘our DNA’

Israel is also an exception. “Our actions dramatically weakened the radical axis in the Middle East led by Iran. All of the Middle East, Europe and the whole world enjoy the fruit of our actions even when they condemn them,” Sa’ar said.

Israel has historically made “huge concessions for peace,” taking steps that “no other nation … that won wars” would make because peace is in “our DNA,” he stated.

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 “closer to peace” but instead eroded its security.

Israel has learned from these experiences, he stressed, and is now unwilling to take what he called “irresponsible risks,” 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.

“Peace 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,” he stated.

“The people of Israel want and have always wanted peace,” he said, but “a real peace,” not one “based on illusions, and on the abandonment of our future and security.”

He added that such a peace requires patience, wisdom and the ability to confront the enemy: “Only 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.”

Addressing the ambassadors present, Sa’ar said, “You more than anyone else know that this is the truth.”

Quoting Israeli poet Uri Zvi Greenberg, he concluded: “There is one truth and not two. As there is one sun and as there are not two Jerusalems.”

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