Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with representatives of the foreign media in Israel on Monday, denouncing the hypocrisy that has come to dominate the international community’s handling of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

“This weekend Hamas leaders openly called for Israel’s destruction. Where was the outrage? Where was the UN? Where was Abu Mazen?” Netanyahu demanded. “Why did Palestinian diplomats not only remain silent in the face of these calls, but spoke of the intention to unite with Hamas?”

“There was only deafening silence,” asserted the prime minister.

“We cannot accept that the international community has no problem denouncing Israeli intentions of building Jewish homes in the nation’s historic capital of Jerusalem but remains silent as Palestinian leaders openly call for Israel’s destruction,” Netanyahu said.

“But Israel will not remain silent. We will continue to defend our rights against those who seek to deny our past and delete our future,” he continued. “We will continue to tell the truth about our rights in this country and will continue to defend ourselves against our enemies who seek our destruction.”

Netanyahu’s remarks come as leaders of the European Union met in Brussels to discuss their response to the Israeli government’s decision to build thousands of new Jewish housing units in the strategically essential are of E1, located between Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim.