Netanyahu on 9/11: 'There is no ‘yes, but’ when it comes to terrorism'

Netanyahu on 9/11: 'There is no ‘yes, but’ when it comes to terrorism'

Netanyahu marks 25 years since 9/11, draws parallel with October 7 massacre: 'We will never bow to terrorism. We will never surrender to evil.'

Netanyahu Marks 25 Years Since 9/11, Links Attacks to October 7: ‘There Is No “Yes, But” When It Comes to Terrorism’

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks on Friday by drawing a direct parallel between the atrocities committed in the United States on 9/11 and the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, declaring that America and Israel stand together against the same forces of terrorism and evil. In a message commemorating the nearly 3,000 people murdered on September 11, 2001, Netanyahu recalled the innocent victims who left their homes that morning never imagining that they would not return. “25 years ago, thousands of innocent people went to work in the World Trade Center in New York. They never came home,” Netanyahu said. The Prime Minister said that the pain of such a devastating loss does not fade with the passage of time and emphasized that Israelis share in America’s remembrance of those murdered. “For those who know such loss, it never leaves you. America remembers them. Israel remembers them.” Netanyahu also honored the extraordinary heroism displayed by first responders and ordinary Americans as the attacks unfolded, including those who entered the burning towers and those who fought the hijackers aboard the planes. “We remember the firefighters who ran up the stairs while everyone else was running down. We remember the police officers, the first responders, the passengers who bravely fought back on the hijacked planes, and we remember the evil that murdered them.” Netanyahu then connected the attacks of September 11 to the October 7, 2023 massacre, when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdering approximately 1,200 people and abducting more than 250 others into Gaza. Israeli law now formally refers to the events as the October 7, 2023 massacre. “On September 11th, America was hit by pure evil. On October 7th, Israel was hit by it again,” the Prime Minister stated. Netanyahu argued that acts of terrorism directed deliberately against innocent civilians cannot be excused or rationalized by pointing to political grievances or broader circumstances. “There is no context for burning families alive. There is no grievance that justifies murdering innocents deliberately.” “There is no ‘yes, but’ when it comes to terrorism,” he added. The Prime Minister also pointed to the slogan “Death to America, death to Israel,” saying that the hostility directed toward both countries comes from the same ideological source. “They hate both of us for the same reason, because America and Israel stand for freedom, for democracy, for civilization. For life.” Netanyahu has repeatedly framed the October 7 massacre as an attack extending beyond Israel itself, portraying Israel’s fight against Hamas and the broader Iranian-backed terror axis as part of a larger confrontation between democratic societies and radical Islamist terrorism. In an address to President Donald Trump at the Knesset last year, Netanyahu similarly recalled the October 7 atrocities, including the murder of American citizens and the abduction of Americans into Gaza. In Friday’s message, Netanyahu also singled out President Donald Trump, praising the President’s approach to confronting terrorism. “Under President Trump’s leadership, America has shown once again that it stands up to terror.” Netanyahu concluded by returning to the victims and heroes of September 11, saying that remembrance must include both those who were murdered and those who willingly placed themselves in danger to save others. “So today, we remember. We remember those who were taken. We honor those who ran towards the flames.” The Prime Minister ended with a joint message on behalf of Israel and the United States, declaring that neither country would allow terrorism to force it into submission. “And America and Israel say together, we will never bow to terrorism. We will never surrender to evil. And together, we will defeat it.”