Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: YouTube screenshot.

“Israel is a country with national pride and we do not turn the other cheek,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday, as the Jewish state continued to institute punitive measures against the countries that backed the anti-settlement UN Security Council resolution adopted on Friday.

The prime minister rebutted media criticism of the actions Israel has taken since then, saying, “This is a responsible, measured and vigorous response — the natural response of a healthy people that is making it clear to the nations of the world that what was done at the UN is unacceptable to us.”

Furthermore, Netanyahu went on to say, “There is no alternative to a determined response because it is, in effect, creating the basis for a different approach in the future. Therefore, to describe our protest as a world war is ridiculous. I suggest — enough of this Diaspora-think. I tell you that there is no diplomatic wisdom in being ingratiating. Not only will our relations with the nations of the world not be harmed, over time they will only improve because the nations of the world respect strong countries that stand up for themselves and do not respect weak ingratiating countries that bow their heads.”

On Sunday, as The Algemeiner reported, Netanyahu said world leaders who issued Hanukkah greetings after supporting the “shameful” resolution do not understand the holiday’s meaning.

The point of Hanukkah, Netanyahu explained in a message posted on his Facebook page, is to “remember the victory of the Hasmoneans in a revolt against the Greeks, culminating with the miracle of the oil and the rededication of the Temple.”

“The battles that took place as part of the revolt happened right here, on both sides of the ‘Green Line,’ in the hills of Modi’in,” the prime minister noted. “The Hasmoneans purified the Temple and lit the menorah on the Temple Mount, which the same countries that supported the UN decision decided to call ‘occupied Palestinian territory.’”

Netanyahu continued, “How is it possible to offer us best wishes for Hanukkah and at the same time deny our deep connection to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and other places in our land?”

“In spite of the opposition of the UN Security Council, we were here and we will remain here,” he concluded.

In a Facebook post published on Tuesday, Netanyahu maintained his verbal assault on the UN, saying the global institution had “no legal justification for its decisions, only ignorance and malice.”