Yasser Arafat appeared before the United Nations General Assembly on 11 November 1974. In his speech he called for the elimination of Israel and the creation of a "secular-democratic Palestine". Three days later the heads of the diplomatic missions to Israel were invited to the Minister of Foreign Affairs' office, where Mr. Allon made the following statement:
The address by the leader of the Arab terrorist organizations, Yasser Arafat, at the General Assembly of the UN, is one more proof of what ought to have been clear to every State in the world long ago: that the real aim, indeed the one and only aim, of the Arab terrorist gangs, is the liquidation of the State of Israel. All the empty rhetoric and verbal posturing designed to create an impression of apparent moderation have not availed. The voice of Arafat was and remains the voice of indiscriminate terror, the crack of the gun, without any suggestion of the olive branch of peace. It is not by accident that the terrorist organizations have insisted stubbornly this year on forcing their view and their presence at the Rabat Summit and at the General Assembly of the UN. Their purpose was transparent: to block every opportunity of political progress towards a settlement of the Arab-Israel conflict, at a moment when the first signs of such a possibility could perhaps be seen.
The day on which the leader of the terrorist organizations appeared upon the rostrum of the General Assembly was a dark day, a day of shame, for the UN. What he said is conclusive proof of the lamentable fact that the UN, which in its origin was meant to be a platform for peace, has become a platform for calls for battle and to wars of annihilation. A combination of enmity, hypocrisy, appeasement and surrender to blackmail has made it such.
Israel has declared again and again that the unprecedented decision to invite the terrorist organization known as the "PLO" to appear before the General Assembly would not bring about any moderation but merely feed its extremism. Indeed, Yasser Arafat's speech demonstrates that he and his accomplices saw in the decision of the General Assembly to invite them to appear before it, a success and an encouragement for terrorism and for aggressive extremism - and not the opposite. Whoever deludes himself into thinking that to provide a political platform, such as that of the General Assembly, would moderate the positions of the "PLO", must recognize his grave error. The decision of the General Assembly of 14 October 1974 strengthened extremism at Rabat, which in turn fed the extremism and hatred of Arafat's speech.
In exercise of its natural right to self-survival, Israel will neither recognize nor negotiate with terrorist organizations that seek its destruction. In exercise of its fundamental right of self-defence, it will fight these armed gangs to the bitter end by every means it sees fit.
In accordance with the Cabinet's decision of 21 July of this year, Israel is making, and will go on making, every effort to attain a just peace With all its neighbours - a peace that will give an answer to all issues in dispute, including an expression of the identity of the Palestinians.
Along with the maintenance of its capacity to defend itself and the welfare of its citizens, Israel will exhaust every prospect of settling the Arab-Israel conflict by diplomatic means, so as to advance peace and understanding with every Arab State that wishes it. Israel calls upon all States that want to further peace in the Middle East to draw the right conclusion from the invitation to the leader of the "PLO" and from his appearance at the General Assembly, and to oppose the Arab draft resolution lest it serve as a further encouragement to the extreme elements in the Arab world that are pushing the region into renewed warfare.
Excellencies, I will be grateful to you if you will convey this statement of mine urgently to your Governments, in its letter and spirit.