Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar warned on Tuesday that a foreign arms embargo against Israel amid a multi-front war would lead to “another Holocaust.”
His stark comments came during an international conference on antisemitism in Jerusalem, and followed threats from several European leaders to impose sanctions—including an arms embargo—over Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Conference was held at the Israeli Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“What is the meaning of actions or calls—by politicians or countries—to impose an arms embargo on Israel when everybody around wants to eliminate it?” said Sa’ar.
“If these initiatives are successful, Israel will simply be eliminated,” he said. “There will be another Holocaust—this time on the soil of the Land of Israel. This is, in fact, a way to deprive the Jewish nation of the means to defend itself, means we so lacked during the long years of exile and the period of the Holocaust.”
Spain has been at the forefront of calls in Europe for an international arms embargo on Israel in the wake of the 20-month-long war in Gaza.
Israel’s top diplomat clarified later on Wednesday that he didn’t believe an arms embargo against Israel would succeed.
“I don’t think it will be successful,” Sa’ar said during a tour of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum with dignitaries attending the conference. “But if it were to succeed, the result would be Israel’s elimination—because it would not have the tools to defend itself in our neighborhood. Removing Israel’s right and ability to defend itself can only mean one thing: a Second Holocaust.”
