Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a speech at the Hungarian University in Budapest on Friday after receiving an honorary doctorate. He dedicated the speech to attacking what he described as "the rule of bureaucrats," whom he described as Israel's "deep state," who prosecute him, criticize him, and demonstrate against his policies.

The university justified Netanyahu's honorary degree by stating that it was awarded to him for his "role in strengthening Israel's power and his significant contribution to history," and that he "navigated complex geopolitical terrain, demonstrated strength during difficult times, and contributed to strengthening relations between the two countries."

Netanyahu said that "leadership is something that is difficult to quantify and difficult to define," and that his father told him that "a leader needs education, otherwise you are at the mercy of your employees."

"They call them the 'deep state,'" he added.

Netanyahu continued, "You cannot be a leader without a vision, otherwise you will go with the herd. Sometimes you have to change course, and for that you need a vision. I will tell you what my vision is. I returned the shoe memorial on the banks of the Danube (to commemorate the victims of Nazism). We were dust in the wind, we could not defend ourselves, and if we asked for help, no one helped us."

"My lesson is that the Jewish world will never be defenseless," he said. "(Zionist founder Theodor) Herzl said that in order for the Jews to survive, they must have a state. The price we paid because we didn't have a state was the loss of a third of the Jewish people. He didn't believe that attacks on Jews would stop when there was a state, but rather that it would have a defensive force. Our role is to continue the change and ensure a state that is strong enough."

Netanyahu added, "What is the first thing you need when they try to kill you? You need military power. In our case, we couldn't survive without it. The F-35 and the like, and you need money to pay for it. The problem is that the cost of defending Israel has risen, and the economy couldn't withstand that, and we had to change the economy. We had a socialist economy, and we had to change it. I led the change of Israel's economy to a free economy."

He added, "Tel Aviv today is a jungle of skyscrapers, and this is an expression of the change that Israel has undergone. Today, we have a strong army and a strong economy, and this combination produces peace with at least some of our neighbors. We are fortunate to have a partnership not only with Trump, but also with (Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor) Orban, who has stood as a rock in defending Israel from delegitimization."

He continued, "We must then adhere to the Roman law that states that the most important quality a human being needs is courage. In our case, courage is found in our soldiers who are fighting to defeat the enemy and return those kidnapped by the monsters of Hamas."