UN General Assembly
1989

Some say that this is paranoia - a paranoia engendered by the Holocaust, the Jews still living in fear of their very existence, preparing to defend themselves against imaginary enemies. But is this really a figment of Israel's imagination? The Arab armies surrounding Israel maintain an inventory of modern weaponry - tanks, aircraft, missiles, artillery - larger than all the weaponry of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. During the past decade, military equipment valued at about 100 billion dollars was purchased by the countries of that area. We ask ourselves, why is this weaponry there, most of it directed against Israel? Is it possible that these weapons might be used against Israel, and against Israel's civilian population?