Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew sharp historical parallels in a forceful address, warning against what he called “appeasement” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu likened current Western pressure on Israel to territorial concessions before World War II, when European powers allowed Nazi Germany to seize part of Czechoslovakia in hopes of avoiding war. “They cowered, they bowed, they yielded,” Netanyahu said, recalling that Hitler soon went on to invade Czechoslovakia and ignite the deadliest conflict in history.

Turning to present-day diplomacy, Netanyahu argued that offering the Palestinians territory in exchange for peace would be a dangerous mistake. “For the last century, they have been offered a state of their own and refused,” he said, accusing Palestinian leadership of seeking the destruction of the Jewish state rather than peaceful coexistence.

Vowing defiance in the face of foreign criticism, Netanyahu declared, “We will not reward terror. We will defeat it. And the Jewish people will live free, strong, and eternal in our land.”