Politics
Netanyahu Flies To New York To Tell The U.N. It Is Wrong In Person
By Mor Michael, . BSN Network. Satire.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a defiant address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, rejecting genocide accusations, defending the military campaign in Gaza, and declaring Israel's strikes on Iran a success, in a speech described by his office as historic and by the General Assembly's attendance sheet as sparsely witnessed.
The address was Netanyahu's first appearance at the U.N. since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him last year, a detail his office declined to describe as ironic and which several member states declined to describe as anything at all because they had already left for lunch.
Netanyahu opened by calling genocide accusations against Israel a "brazen lie," which is a strong word to use before an audience that includes the countries that submitted the genocide case, the countries that joined the genocide case, and the countries that are currently deciding the genocide case, and which raises the question of what the speech was actually for.
The answer, according to three analysts who spoke on background and one who simply said it on television, is Israeli voters. Netanyahu's domestic approval rating has recovered slightly since the Iran strikes, and a defiant U.N. address plays better in Tel Aviv than any agreement would. The General Assembly is, in this reading, a very expensive green screen.
"We are here to tell the truth," Netanyahu said, which he then did for thirty-seven minutes without taking questions. He presented a series of maps, accused the United Nations Relief and Works Agency of operating as a Hamas auxiliary, and described Israel's military conduct as the most precise in the history of modern warfare, a claim that landed quietly in a room that had just spent two years receiving casualty figures.
He also warned Iran that Israel would "finish the job" if provoked, which is a thing you say to Iran at the United Nations rather than to Iran directly, presumably because the United Nations has better lighting.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, who was not present but was available on cable, called the speech "powerful" and "exactly what the world needed to hear," adding that she had not read it yet.
The Palestinian delegation issued a response calling the speech "a continuation of a campaign of deception" conducted before "an institution being held hostage." The Israeli delegation called the Palestinian response "predictable." Several European delegations called for de-escalation and then went to their bilateral meetings.
Netanyahu flew home Wednesday. His office confirmed the speech had been well-received. It did not specify by whom.
The story we are making fun of: https://www.nbcnews.com/world/israel/israel-netanyahu-united-nations-general-assembly-gaza-iran-war-rcna599576