Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bravely confronted a deeply isolated international community amid international condemnation of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and renewed military escalation in Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opened his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday by saying he had no plans to attend, “but after hearing the lies and slander directed at our country by many speakers from this podium, I… That’s what I decided to do.” Come here and set the record straight. ”
The cavernous hall drew applause, cheers and boos from the general public, including relatives of Israeli hostages who had visited the area with Netanyahu. As the General Assembly president called out orders to the chamber, a group of diplomats rose and left the chamber, leaving a sparse audience on the delegation floor.
Follow the live coverage here.
He said that over the past decade, the General Assembly has passed more resolutions against Israel than against the rest of the world, calling the United Nations a “house of darkness” and a “swamp of anti-Semitic bile.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu spent much of his speech saying, “If you attack us, we will attack you. There is no place in Iran that is beyond the reach of Israel’s long arm. That applies to Iran as well.” It sought to rally opposition to its proxy forces. The entire Middle East. ”
“We will fight until we achieve complete victory. There is no alternative to that,” Netanyahu said.
On Thursday, thousands of protesters gathered near the U.N. headquarters on First Avenue and throughout midtown Manhattan, carrying placards reading things like “Bring the hostages home,” “End the war,” and “Stop the child killers.” was raised. In response to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s name, they shouted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” Some organizers called for Netanyahu’s arrest and accused the Israeli prime minister of being a war criminal.
Demonstrations continued on Friday. A group of about 20 Orthodox Jewish men and boys stood outside barricades near the United Nations and chanted, “Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.”
Yokonan Landau, 25, came from upstate New York for the protest. “We cannot be silent. We must stand up,” he said. “We must force the world to stop this genocide.”
Some passersby clapped in agreement with the group’s chorus, while others hurled expletives. One man pointed a finger in Landau’s face and yelled, “You’re not a real Jew.”
Upon arriving in New York on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defiantly told reporters on the airport tarmac that his government “will not stop” fighting Hezbollah. The Iranian-backed group has been in a firefight with Israel since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. More than 40,000 people died in the ensuing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The United States, France and other governments are rushing to push for a 21-day ceasefire in response to recent Israeli airstrikes and threats of a ground invasion aimed at defeating Hezbollah.
More than 700 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in Lebanon.
Around 60,000 people have been evacuated from northern Israel since October 7 due to Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks. By the time of the latest airstrikes, which began on Monday, about 110,000 people had been evacuated from southern Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands more people have been forced from their homes this week, with an estimated 70,000 taking refuge in public shelters. Some have fled to neighboring Syria or are staying in hotels or with family members.
The UN’s condemnation of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza war and beyond is clear and is steadily coming from many branches of the international organization.
Earlier this month, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a symbolic but historic resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory within one year. At an emergency parliament in December, a resolution was passed with a majority vote calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” and the release of all hostages. Like all General Assembly resolutions, these resolutions were non-binding and were roundly ignored by Israel.
In July, the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, issued a landmark opinion stating that Israeli settlements in the West Bank violate international law. In May, he ordered Israel to halt its attacks on Rafah, and in January he ordered Israel to do everything in its power to stop genocide in Gaza. The ICJ does not have the power to enforce judgments.
In March, UN Human Rights Council expert Francesca Albanese said Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, and the council released a detailed report supporting that accusation. Israel has repeatedly refuted accusations of genocide in Gaza.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has regularly called the United Nations anti-Israel, and Israel has increasingly combative relations with international organizations, including accusing UNRWA, the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees, of collaborating with Hamas. I’m strengthening it. UNRWA investigated the accusations and fired nine of its staff, noting that Israel had not provided all the information necessary to substantiate the accusations.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said this week that he had not spoken to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since the war began and that his calls remained unanswered and unreturned.
On Wednesday, as Israel launched new airstrikes in southern Lebanon, Guterres warned that “hell has begun in Lebanon” and that Security Council resolutions are being violated daily.
In Israel, families of hostages and their supporters are pressuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prioritize the release of hostages through a cease-fire over a military solution, often with thousands of people protesting in the streets.
