versus hard money. we do see class warfare. there is a class warfare argument. except this time, the argument is coming from the rich against the poor as opposed to the poor against the rich. the irony in my mind is just amazing. >> who would like to take that point? >> well, it isfor bryan making t about the income tax and the monopoly power he sought and the corruption in politics and the trust, all of those things to gather -- he was accused by the republicans of practicing a form of class warfare, of opening the door to class warfare by even

mentioning these things, so he was trying to lead americans to see that a class in power was not necessarily looking out for their own interests. that was his main argument, and americans did not want a class warfare. the fear of class warfare is very vital to the 1890's when brian is campaigning it turns out with the militia and federal government blowing down and new workers, that did not sit well

with american people, so brian was walking this thin line, trying to raise the issue but not trying to start a class warfare. >> he moved here as an adult, where he practiced law, ran for congress. he moved to this home in 1902 with his wife mary. my question is how did they use of home when they first moved here. >> it is an interesting combination of uses. the second floor with a family bedrooms and sleeping when chambers. the first floor was primarily for entertaining. you can see the open spaces where they would entertain friends, and the lower level was a family area with a dining

room and the office and we have seen earlier. >> as you research the home, who would have been here? >> there were a number of prominent guest says. a number of social acquaintances as well as political figures would have been used to the house. >> we talked about home of fairview because it gave you a picture of the nebraska landscape. now it is the medical center. >> bryan said it was one of the most beautiful vistas. he acquired land east of lincoln and chose the site for their home in 19 01. >> what is his legacy in nebraska? >> i think he is one of the most famous sons. i think his name is widely

recognized. i think nebraska and are proud we have generated people of his stature, even though he did not win the presidency. he was an important us but in nebraska's political life to have such a character. >> his legacy? >> i think he does bring the democratic party into nebraska's history. there were democrats here before the campaign, but he elevates the democratic party in its stature in nebraska. dodi he is a major figure in nebraska history, but local legacy is his home and the hospital which bears his name. >> as we look at life and political career of william

jennings bryan. caller: bryan publicly supported the coup kluck's claremont. did he also support clinching in the south? >> he did not support the klan. the democratic convention was about whether to denounce the klan by name. he believed the democrats should win it over rather than to announce them. -- rather than denounce them. it is unfair to say he was a supporter of the clan. he was a racist, but he did not support violence against them. he was a white supremacist.

i want to clarify his racial views are not so simple as to say he was a klansman or in favor of lynching people without a trial. he supported the view of most white southerners and northerners as well, which is that european americans are superior to other people. >> he is certainly a democratic political figure in the senses that he broadly believes in white supremacy, and he is appealing to voters in a democratic south on those terms as well. >> when would he think about the democratic party today, which counts so many african-americans as its constituency? >> he would have been surprised. he was a democrat with a

small d. the most of the democrats were white. he did not know very many black people. there was a group of african american republicans who supported him in that campaign. publicly, he wanted to stay as far from the issue as he could. bryan did not want to acknowledge his support because he was afraid he would lose parts of the white south, and he did. >> our next caller chuck is on the phone. caller: this series has been

fascinating, and your guests are interesting. i heard at one time "the wizard of oz" was an allegory of the william of 1896 shawermwhere jennings bryan was depicted as the cowardly lion. i would be interested in your thoughts. >> have any of you heard that? guest: fed is one of the great myths of american history. i think it is wonderful to teach students of different figures in the first book corresponding to figures in the campaign. he was a window dresser. he dressed windows in department stores, and for him, the

artifice of the design was one way he saw american society developed, and for him, the wizard of oz was a commercial artist in that sense. he would have been surprised by the allegorical meetings people found in his story, although it is possible not true. >> in 1999 we sat down with karl rove, and he talked about how he tried to take some of the lessons from the campaign for george w. bush and who in 2000. >> one thing the 1896 campaign did is establish a republic in a presidential party. there was no majority party in the gilded age from 1868, so

what he wanted to do was produce a new republican majority and based on what he would have seen as the most forward elements of the business community and also a pretty heterogeneous group of middle-class american voters, and one way rosalyn wanted to do that was creating hispanic voters. mckinley tried to appeal to european immigrants have the time, and he was able to win over german voters for example. most of them became republicans for various reasons, so rove saw mark hannah, the impresario of his campaign, who producing this

public majority. it did not happen. >> we are coming from a lincoln, neb., where william jennings bryan went on to run for the presidency on three separate occasions. our call joins us from illinois, the birthplace of william jennings bryan. caller: we have the birthplace open to the public. my question is how much influence did wj have been getting his brother elected. >> that is something people do not really know about.

the governor of nebraska -- i am for getting his first name. the younger brother of william jennings bryan was the vice- presidential candidate coming out of the tumultuous commission in 1924. olderm jennings bryan's brother pushed him. at that time he was a divisive figure in the party, but the name and was -- democrats hoped would allow him to win a lot of rural votes. charles bryan --his nomination for vice president was an attempt to keep some progressive

farm vote on his side, and for the most part they did not succeed. >> our next call joins us from pennsylvania. go ahead, terry. caller: very interesting talk. you stated william jennings bryan was a fundamentalist and a progressive, and i believed states like kansas and nebraska that have large fundamentalists populations but also very -- today they arema conservative. what happened to cause this change? >> that is a good question. it had a lot to do west the active -- to do with the

economic conditions of his day. now the prosperity changed in the 20th-century in ways he could not have predicted. bryan for shattered some of five in his commitment to faith in public life, but his faith was based around the social gospel movement and applied christianity. helping those in the city, helping those in need, and that the french -- that branch of christian thought and experience did not grow in the same way. guest: another thing to think about is liberalism and conservatism change their views

in the role of christianity in public life. they have more of secular type of religious landscape, whereas they became more identified with the christian right in the 1970's. abortion and gay marriage were not issues for bryan. >> "the iron way" the work of will thomas from the university of nebraska. chris, you have been patient. thank you for waiting. caller: thank you for taking my call.

there was a similar move in hero -- in europe with the advent of christian democracy as well. it seems there is no outlet for a position like that within today's major parties, but i was wondering -- i think there is of a constituency for that. goi was wondering what the possibilities of a bryan type politician would be today. >> every politician has to appear to be a religious person, whether they go to church or not, so in that sense, everybody

who has a chance to become president is a religious person and so far is a christian, but i feel most people on the liberal side of politics mistrust people who talk too much about religion in politics, and most of the conservative side wants that religious talk to be focused primarily on issues of personal and why it the, -- personal piety, abortion, same-sex marriage, this kind of thing, so the kind of social christianity that many christian democrats in europe stood for, i did not see that as a real possibility in the near future.

one figure it is important to realize we have a national holiday and named after is martin luther king jr. in some ways there is a lot of difference between bryan and skiing, but we have a national holiday put together over someone who was what you might call a conservative bid of biblical truth and a very left wing bullies regions -- left wing belief. our system goes to nebraska again. his mentor in politics in nebraska was a man who was a leading figure who was never elected in his own rights of

became the father of our birthday as a man to rein more business. >> my question is about the australian ballot or the secret the ballot or the lack of one in 1900, 1908. did brian ever talk about the need for a secret ballot? i have read there have been episodes were employers make sure employees put in the right solid for mckinley. is that true, and did bryan ever talk about it? guest: bryan did talk about the secret ballots. it was not a major issue, but it came up in issues of potential corruption of companies that

would bring in voters to vote for alexian's or require voters to vote in a certain way. these allegations were made and especially in nebraska. it released all its men from its western job sites and brought them into omaha or the lincoln and told them which way to vote, so that kind of activity led politicians to object and to call for the kind of secret ballot that would allow individuals to vote how they wanted without the pressure of corporate interests in the election. >> our next guest comes from reno, nevada. caller: [unintelligible]

>> we will try one more time. we are getting some feedback. let's go to nancy next in dayton, tennessee. >> i am nancy, and i am from dayton, tenn., home of the scopes trial. i am not old enough to remember it curio -- to remember it. i know several people who were there, and the drug store was there for many years, and the table where it all started, and i understood it started from let's do something exciting, and that is how it got started, and

dayton has grown into a booming town. it has contemplated taking the trial, and it is an interesting trial. were dubbed as say we the monkey town for a while, but now we are dubbed as the home of the scopes trial. but i didneemeet bryan, meet another. we are glad it happened there.

they decided to bring it to dayton, and it has robbed the economy to dayton. host: thank you for sharing your thoughts. >> there is a very good museum in the basement of the court house in dayton, tenn., about the trial and the reception around the world, and you can visit the courtroom itself, and i have sat in the famous share. the cross-examining of bryan was held on the lawn outside, and if you think about it, a few thousand people were probably in attendants listening to and watching the cross-examination. we do not have that kind of

trial today, but it did help the economy a great deal, an economy that needed help. host: let's talk about the legacy when it comes to women's rights and the popular election of u.s. senators. guest: i think the legacy itself is damaged by the end of the scopes trial, and the obituary of brian, which depicts him as of bundling, and our country kind of misguided figure in 1924, and 1925, and so on and it is varnish have the end of his career by this, and michael book recoversel's

the brilliantly. all of the issues he championed -- women's rights, which was an dctive issue and 1890's, ans bryan was at the forefront of that and other issues he was in from the beginning. >> 1 legacy that is important is in many ways to without bryan you do not get wilson or roosevelt. for those but do not like it we call it a big government party. for those who do like it we call a a liberal. there was a strong relationship with labor that has remained for the last century between that movement and that party, so he was not the only figure who did this, but he was the key figure

in the 1890's in helping to make a democratic party into the type of party we know it as today, watching the party to be stronger, to serve the interests of working people, so in some ways, that is an important legacy he does not credited for. >> had he been elected, what kind of president would he have been, do not think a very good one. his skill as an aura tor, to put forward ideas and raleigh people who -- his skill as a good orator, to put forward ideas and rally people. it would have been difficult to work directly with the opposition party in congress. >> markets joining us in dallas. >> in 1900, and did a senator

joseph blackburn run against william jennings bryan for the nomination, and speed he tie with him -- did he die with him? can you tell me about that. >> most democrats rallied around bryan. it was pretty much decided by the time they got to the convention, which was unusual, because usually they were tempestuous affairs. the nomination really was decided at the convention. that was not true in 1900. by the time they got there, it was pretty clear the nomination would go to bryan again. >> two other famous speeches. in 1924 and in 2004, barack obama delivers the keynote address the propeled him to the

presidency. are there parallels to william jennings bryan? >> obama was a parallel, though he was better known in 1896 van obama was in 2004, which might seem surprising because of all the media we have. he had great speeches. hubert humphrey gave a great speech in which put the democratic party as being for civil rights, which it had never been before, but we have no other parallel in american political history where someone august gives a good speech and gets the nomination. >> are there other politicians? >> i think obama's speech was similar. it brought him to national

prominence. bryan had already achieved most of thought, but the sense of party unity both of them brought to those three shows and the kind of sincerity and speaking across a broad range of the public, both of them are able to do that in those settings. they are different in other ways, but there is a similarity. drugs william thomas is the chair of the history department here at home -- >> william thomases did share of the history department here at the university of nebraska. >> it was published in 2006. >> we thank you for your perspective on the life and career of william jennings bryan. special guests to the home, who open their doors to us, and the

medical center, which makes the campus part of home. we will have more as we continue our look at his life and career, and you can check it out of line, but what made an >> resting securely up on the foundation stone on the mountain of the eternal truth. proclaiming to the world these self-evident proposition that all men are created equal, and they are endowed with inalienable rights, and governments must secure these rights. and governments derive just power from the consent of the governed. stimulate all too earnest endeavors in a republic in which

every citizen -- no one cares to wear a crown. >> "the contenders" features profiles of men who have run for president and lost. our live look at "the contenders" continues next friday. we will go to indiana and talk with historians and talk about the presidential campaigns of eugene debs. for more information on our series, go to our website at c- span.org. you will find biographies of all of the candidates, the story and appraisals. that is all at c-span.org.

next come up palestinian president abbas on complications for for palestine. then the at c-span series "the contenders" based on those who ran for president and lost. tonight from nebraska, william jennings bryan. palestinian territories president mahmoud abbas submitted a request for full united nations membership. he declared that the palestinian liberation organization and is ready to go back to the negotiation table immediately. he said that the negotiations would be meaningless if be israelis continued to build on land meant for the palestinian state. this is 40 minutes.

>> ladies and gentlemen, i extend my congratulations to the president of the assembly. i wish him every success. i extend my congratulations on behalf of the palestinian liberation organization for the deserved admission as a full member of the united nations wishing them progress and prosperity. i also congratulate the

secretary general, his excellency, mr. ban ki-moon for his election to a new term as head of the united nations. this confidence reflects the world's appreciation for his efforts which has strengthened the role of the united nations. the question of palestine is intricately linked with the united nations. through the central role of the united nations, the work agency for palestinian refugees and for the international responsibility. who are the victims of the disaster that occurred in 1948.

this would work on the inalienable international rights of the palestinian people for the legitimacy embodied by the united nations. mr. president, ladies and gentlemen, a year ago, at the same time as in this hall, distinguished leaders and heads of the delegations addressed the small effort in our region. everyone had high hopes for a new round of final negotiations, which had begun in early september in washington under the auspices of president obama

as well as egypt and jordan. to reach, within one year, a peace agreement. we entered those negotiations with open hearts and attentive the years and sincere intentions. we were ready with our documents and our papers and our proposal. these negotiations broke down just weeks after they were launched. after this, we did not give up and we did not cease our efforts for an initiative. over the past year -- this has been pursued for the past to be taken.

we positively consider the various ideas and proposals and initiatives presented from many countries. one of the most sincere efforts and endeavors -- it quickly dashed the hopes raised by the hall -- negotiations last september. the israeli government refuses to commit on international law and u.n. resolutions. it continues to intensify building settlements on the territory of the future state of

palestine. settlement activities show a policy of colonial occupation. aggression and racial discrimination against our people that this policy entails. this constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law. this is a primary cause for the failure. the loss of dozens of opportunities and the burial of great hopes that a rose -- arose in 1993 between the palestinian liberation organization and israel. that would begin a new era for

our region. reports of the united nations and reports by several israeli institutions convey a horrific picture. the israeli government does not hesitate to boast about this. the confiscation of the palestinian land under construction and new settlements in various areas of the west bank, particularly the arab part of jerusalem. this is through the accelerated construction of the wall that is eating up large tracts of farmland. -- our land. this court -- and destroying the

family life and thousands of others. the occupation continues to refuse -- to build in an occupied east jerusalem. this is a multi-pronged policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at pushing them away from their homeland. however, it has reached the point where orders have been issued. their city of jerusalem. the occupying power continues excavations that threaten our whole the state and military

checkpoints prevent our citizens from gaining access to mosques and churches. a ring of settlement and with the wall that would separate this from the rest of the people. the occupation is racing against time. this is on the ground. they undermine the realistic potential for the rise of the state of palestine. at the same time, the occupying power continues to impose an target palestinian civilians. airstrikes, artillery, war of

aggression. which resulted in the massive destruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and mosques and thousands of martyrs'. the occupying power also used this in areas of palestinian national authority. in recent years, the criminal action of the armed settlement militias, who enjoyed special protection, these actions have been testified and there are frequent attacks, hurting the schools, universities, mosques

crops and trees. today, they killed one palestinian. the occupying israeli authorities have not acted -- we hold them responsible for the crimes. these are but a few examples of the policy of the israeli colonial -- this is primarily responsible for the international attempts to stop them. this policy will destroy the chances of achieving a two-state solution, upon which there is an international consensus.

i caution them about this. undermine thens to palestinian national authority and even end its existence. we now face the imposition of new conditions that have not previously been raised. the raging conflict in our region. a million and a half palestinians. we reject what is impossible for us to accept. the actions taken by israel and our country and a series of

unilateral actions that aim to entrench occupation. they have the administrative and military authority in the west bank. it is the military authority that determines the right on wheter to resign in any area of palestinian land. israel is the one that the sides. they speak of unilateral -- despite our agreement, ladies and gentlemen, in 1974, are

deceased leader yasser arafat -- [applause] he assured the members of the general assembly, he urged the united nations to recognize the inalienable rights of the palestinians. do not let the olive branch fall from my hands. do not let the olive branch fall from my hands. president arafat again addressed the assembly.

the palestinian people adopted the session held that same year in algeria. when we adopted this program, we were taking a painful and very difficult step for all of us. especially those, including myself, that lost their home, their towns, and their villages, carrying some of our belongings. and the keys to our homes. the diaspora in 1948. one of the worst operations of removal of a vibrant and cohesive society.

the cultural, education, an economic renaissance of the arab middle east. , andse of our conviction a because we have the courage to make difficult decisions, we have decided to adopt the path of relativism. that is the correct part of this great historic -- against our people. only 22% of the territory of historic palestine. our goal is the territory

occupied by israel in 1967. we made a major concession in order to achieve a historic compromise that would allow peace to be made. from the madrid conference, to the agreement signed 18 years ago in the white house garden. there was mutual recognition. the palestine liberation organization and israel. all efforts aimed at the establishment of a lasting peace agreement.

that is the initiative at every conference. every new round of negotiations and every movement shattered on the rock of the israeli settlement expansion protest. i confirm, on behalf of the palestine liberation organization, as a representative of the palestinian people, we want the end of the conflict at all of this action. the goal of the palestinian people is the realization of the inalienable right -- jerusalem, all of the land of the west bank, including the

gaza strip, which was occupied in the 1967 war. this is in accordance with resolution 194. the arab peace initiative, which was the consensus. the comprehensive peace that we are committed and will work towards. to this, we adhere, achieving this desire peace requires the release of political freedom. palestinians need to be released from israeli prisons without

delay. number two. the palestinian liberation organization but here to there -- a condemnation of terrorism, especially state terrorism. state terrorism -- it adheres to all agreements signed between the plo and israel. we adhere to the options of negotiating with the conflict. in accordance with international of lit -- international legitimacy. i want to return immediately,

based on international legitimacy and the settlement activity. we will continue resistance and --tinue this popular pieceace >> the israeli settlements -- they receive settlement, which is consistent with international law and has the support from israel. reflecting an impressive, inspired, and great example of the people. this has courage, hope, that

goes beyond tear gas and bulldozers. when we bring our fight to this international podium, the confirmation of our alliance and the confirmation of actual steps. our efforts are not aimed at isolating israel or delegiti mizing it. we only aim to delegitimize the settlement activity, the apartheid, i think all people stand with us in this regard.

on behalf of the palestinian libera's station organization -- liberation organization, we extend this to the israeli people. say to them, let's work urgently to gather for a future for our children. let us build the bridges of dialogue instead of checkpoints. ld this based on equity between two neighboring states. t, ladies and caug gentlemen, despite the

unquestionable rights of self- determination an international solution, over the past few years we need to be engaged -- over the past two years we have tried to build our state institutions. despite the extraordinary situation, a serious issue was launched. this is important for order. the financial end oversight system. and the reliance in order to

review the need for foreign aid. a number of large infrastructure projects have been implemented. special attention to marginalized areas. in the midst of this massive national protest, we will be strengthening what we thought to be the futures of our state. from the preservation for the citizen to the promotion of authorities, to strengthening be role of women, to ensuring -- to institutionalizing rules and

regulations, issuing accountability, is the work of our ministry. this is the basis for the palestinian political life. when division struck the unity of our homeland and our institutions, we were determined to adopt a dialogue based on this. we succeeded in achieving national reconciliation. we hope that the implementation will be accelerated in the coming weeks. this will return to the people. and for the elections to be conducted.

it would be a state characterized by the rule of law. this was issued recently by the lay eyes on a committee. the world bank and the international monetary fund. they have confirmed an unloaded the complication. this has an unprecedented model. the consensus conclusion of the committee a few days ago in this city describes what we have accomplished. a remarkable international

success story. the people and their institutions with immediate independence. that was the statement of the international community. and do not believe that anybody in with a shred of conscious would detract our applications for full membership of the imaginations. -- united nations. [applause]

mr. president, it is no longer acceptable to use the same means and methods that have been tried over the past years. it is far more dangerous to be circumvented. it is not possible or tactical to go into negotiations without the parameters and the absence of credibility, negotiations would be meaningless as long as

the occupation army continues to intrenched its occupation and continues to change the democracy of our country to create a new basis for supporters. this is unacceptable. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, this is a moment of truth. our people are waiting to hear the answer. how will it allow israel the last occupation in the world? be under last to occupation.

will it allow israel to continue and the international courts and the positions of the overwhelming majority of countries. mr. president, part of the crisis in our area -- those who believe that we are people, and unwanted people or those who believe there is a state that needs to be established. [applause]

mr. president, i come before you today from the holy land, the land of divine messages from the profit of comment, peace be upon you. jesus christ, peace be upon him. to say after years of soft -- suffering, enough, enough, enough. [applause] it is time for the palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence. the time has come to end the suffering of millions of palestinian refugees in their homeland. to end their displacement and --

some of whom had to take their fortune in different places. at a time when the people off from their desire for independence, the time has come for the palestinians to take independence. [applause] the time has come for our men, women, and children to live normal lives. for them to be able to see without waiting for the worst that the next day to bring. for mothers to be reassured their children and will return home without fear of being killed or arrested. for students to be able to go to

school and university without checkpoint obstructing them. the time has come for people to be able to live life normally as farmers, to be able to take care of their plans without fear of the occupation. the war prevent access to it. they have a guard dogs to attack the palestinians. they have been on our land and burned everything that had existed for hundreds of years. the time has come for the thousands of protestors -- prisoners to return to their families and children to become a part of building their

homeland for the freedom of which they have sacrificed so much. my people desire to enjoy a normal life like the rest of humanity. they believe in what our great poet said, [applause] "standing here, eternal here, we be, one rule, one rule, tobe and we shall be." [applause] ladies and gentleman, we appreciate and value the

positions of all states that have supported our struggle and our rights and recognize following the declaration of independence in 1988 as well of the countries that have recognized palestine and our representation. i also salute the citizen general who said a few days ago that the palestinian state should have been established years ago. [applause] be assured that this support of our people is more valuable than you can imagine. someone is listening.

it does not ignore the tragedy and the occupation. it reinforces their hopes that stems from the belief that justice is possible in this world. " is the -- hope is the strongest ally. the time has come for my people after decades of displacement and occupation to cease suffering and to live like other people of the earth, in a sovereign and independent homeland. [applause] mr. president, i would like to

inform you that before delivering the statement in my capacity as president and chairman of the executive committee of palestine and submit to his excellency secretary general of the united nations an application for the admission of palestine based on the borders of the june 1967 as a full member of the night of nations. -- united nations. [applause]

[sustained applause] [cheers] this is a copy of the application. i call upon the secretary general to expedite the submit all of our request to the security council. call upon the distinguished members of the security council to vote in favor of our full membership. people to recognize

the state of palestine. our endeavor is a victory for a true freedom, justice, law, and international peace. it provides a tremendous support with a peace option and enhances the chances of negotiations. ladies and gentlemen, your support for the establishment of the state of palestine and did mention to the united nations -- admission to the united nations is a great contribution to us and the world. mr. president, i come here with a message with a great and proud people. this is my message, may all the people of the world stand with the people of palestine as it

marches past its appointment with history right now. i hope we will not wait. [applause] >> benjamin netanyahu is encouraging mahmoud abbas to meet with him for negotiations. netanyahu said and postilions should make peace with israel first. he said israel wants peace but it cannot happen without a direct negotiations. his remarks about 40 minutes. -- are about 40 minutes. >> i invite him to address the general assembly.

>> thank you, mr. president. ladies and gentleman, israel has extended its hand in peace from the moment it was established 63 years ago. on behalf of the zero, i extend that hand again today. i extended to the people of egypt and jordan -- jordan with renewed friendship with neighbors with whom we have made peace. i extend it to the people of turkey with respect and good will. i extended to the people of libya and tunisia with admiration for those trying to build a democratic future. i extend it to the people of

north africa and the arabian peninsula with whom we want to forge a new beginning. i extend it to the people of syria, lebanon, and iran with all the courage of those fighting repression. but especially, i extend my hand to the palestinian people with whom we seek a just and lasting peace. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, our hope for peace never wanes. our scientists, doctors,

innovators apply their genius to improve the world of tomorrow. our artists, our writers in rich the heritage of humanity. -- enrich the heritage of humanity. this is not the image of israel that is often portrayed in this room. it was here in 1975 that the age-old yearning of my people to restore our national life in our ancient biblical homeland, it was then that this was branded as racism. it was here in 1980, right here, that the historic peace agreement between israel and

egypt was not appraised. -- praised. it was denounced. it is here that israel is unjustly singled out for condemnation. it is singled out for condemnation more often than all of the nations of the world combined. 21 out of these 27 general assembly resolution condemned israel and the one true democracy in the middle east. this is an unfortunate part of the u.n. institution. is that feeder of the absurd. it casts israel as a villain and

casts real villains in leading roles. gaddafi shared the u.n. commission on human rights. a -- iraq and had the committee on disarmament. you might say that is the past. here is what is happening out. right now. today. in lebanon, it presides over the u.n. security council. this means that a terrorist organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security. you could not make this thing up. so here in the u.n., automatic majorities can decide anything. they can decide the and son rises in the west. sun rises in the west.

the western wall in jerusalem is occupied palestinian territory. yet, even here, in the general assembly, the truth can sometimes break through. in 1984, when i was appointed israel's ambassador to the united nations, i visited the great rabbi who said to me, i do not want you to be offended. from personal experience of serving here i know that there are many honorable men and women, many capable and decent people serving their nations. here is what the rabbi said to me. he said you will be serving in the house of many lies. he said, remember that even in

the darkest place, a light of a single candle can be seen as far and wide. today i hope that the light of truth will shine if only for a few minutes. , in a hall that has been a place of darkness for my country. as prime minister i did not come here to win applause. i came here to speak the truth. the truth this -- is [applause] the truth is that israel wants peace. i want peace. in the middle east, at all times, but especially during these days, peace must be anchored in a security. we cannot achieve peace through

u.n. resolutions but only through direct negotiations between the parties. the truth is that the palestinians have refused to negotiate. the truth is israel wants a piece with a palestinian state but the palestinians want a state without a peace. the interest is, you should not let that happen. when i first came here 27 years ago, the world was divided between east and west. since then, the cold war ended. great civilizations have risen from centuries of slumber. hundreds of millions have been lifted out of poverty. countless more are poised to follow. so far, this monumental historic shift has occurred peacefully.

yet a malignancy is growing between east and west that threatens the peace of all. it seeks not to liberate but to enslave, not to build but to destroy it. that malignancy is militant islam that clothes itself in faith but murders and jews and christians alike without impartiality. on september 11, it killed and thousands of americans and it left the twin towers a smoldering ruin. last night i laid a wreath on the 9/11 memorial. it was deeply moving.

but as i was going there, one thing echoed in my mind, the outrageous words of the president of iran on this podium yesterday. he implied that 9/11 was an american conspiracy. some of you left this fall, -- hall, all of you should have. [applause] since 9/11, militant islam has slaughtered countless others. in london and madrid, in baghdad and mumbai, in tel aviv and it jerusalem and every part of israel.

i believe the greatest danger facing our world is that this fanaticism will arm itself with nuclear weapons. this is what iran is trying to do. can you imagine that man who rented here yesterday -- ranted here yesterday, can you imagine him with nuclear weapons? iran must be stopped before it is too late. if not, we will all face the specter of nuclear terrorism. the arab spring could become an iranian winter. that would be a tragedy. millions of arabs have taken to the streets to replace tierney with celebrity. no one would benefit more than if those committed to freedom and peace would prevail. this is my fervent hope.

as prime minister, i cannot risk the future of the jewish state on wishful thinking. leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be. we must do our best to shape the future but we cannot wish away the dangers of the present. the world around israel is definitely becoming more dangerous. militant islam has taken over lebanon and gaza. it is determined to tear apart a peace treaty is -- treaties. it has poisoned the many mines against israel and the west. it does not oppose the policies but the existence of israel. some argue that the spread of militant islam, especially in

these turbulent times, if you want to slow it down, they argue, israel must make compromise. this theory sounds simple. it goes like this -- leave the territory, and peace will be advanced. the moderates will be strengthened. the radicals will be kept at bay. don't worry about the details of how you will defend yourself. international troops will do the job. but people say to me, make a sweeping offer. everything will work out. there is only one problem with that theory. we have tried it. it has not worked. we made a sweeping piece of fur that met all of the patent --

peace offer that met all of the palestinian demands. the prime minister gave an even more sweeping offer in 2008. abbas did not respond to it. israel did more than just make sweeping offers. we left territories. we withdrew and from london on ebanon. london that did not, the militant islamic storm. the storm that threatens us. it only brought it closer and made it stronger.

thousands rockets -- thousands of rockets against our city. when israel left gaza, the moderates did not defeat the radicals. the moderates were devoured by the radicals. i regret to this -- to say that international troops did not stop the radicals from attacking israel. we laughed -- left gaza hoping for peace. we did freeze the settlements. we ought writed them. we did exactly what the theory said. get out and go back to the 1967 borders. dismantle the settlements. i do not think people remember how far we went to achieve this.

we uprooted thousands of people from their homes. we pulled it children out of their schools. we bulldozed synagogues. we even moved loved ones from their graves. having done all that, we gave the key is to president -- keys to president abbas. the theory says it should work out. the palestinian authority now has a built-in the peaceful state in gaza. you remember the world applauded our withdrawal as an act of peace. act of peace.