At The UN, Netanyahu Said Israel "Wants Peace" But Will Keep Attacking Gaza And Lebanon Until "Total Victory”
He stated that Israel would continue its military efforts until it could ensure the safety of its citizens from threats posed by Iran and its proxies, saying that Israel has to defend itself against six more war fronts organized by Iran.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a mostly empty room at the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), while giving no indications of ceasefire deals and threatening to escalate tensions between Iran and Lebanon.
On Friday, Sep. 27, after several delegations walked out as he approached the podium to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon, Netanyahu started his speech by saying he had not planned to come to the meeting this year because his country is at war.
However, he said he felt the urge to attend after he heard what he described as “the lies and slanders” directed at Israel in order to “set the record straight.”
“Israel seeks peace. Israel yearns for peace. Israel has made peace and will make peace again. Yet we face savage enemies who seek our annihilation, and we must defend ourselves against them,” he said.
He stated that Israel would continue its military efforts until it could ensure the safety of its citizens from threats posed by Iran and its proxies, saying that Israel has to defend itself against six more war fronts organized by Iran.
He dedicated a significant portion of his speech on Iran, which he accused of pursuing nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism through its proxies, particularly Hezbollah.
He called for global support to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities, urging the UN Security Council to reinstate sanctions against Iran.
He then presented two maps where he had labeled countries in the Middle East region as either a “blessing” or a “curse”.
The countries in the “blessing” map included Israel and what he called its “Arab allies”, which are shown in green and include Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and India.
Netanyahu said he had planned to build a “land bridge connecting Asia and Europe” to lay rail lines, energy pipelines, fiber optic cables that will “serve the betterment of two billion people.”
He then went on to show a map of the “curse”, which includes Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Yemen.
“Iran’s malignant arc has shut down international waterways, it cuts off trade, it destroys millions, destroys nations from within and inflicts misery on millions,” he said.
In addition to warning against Iran’s aggression, Netanyahu reaffirmed that Israel will continue its war on Gaza, where it has killed more than 41,615 people, as well as its military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“This war can come to an end now. All that has to happen is for Hamas to surrender. But if they don’t, we will fight until we achieve victory. Total victory. There is no substitute for it,” Netanyahu said.
“Israel must also defeat Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hezbollah is the quintessential terror organization in the world today,” he added.
He then went on to call the UN a “swamp of antisemitic bile” and accused the International Criminal Court and its prosecutor Karim Khan of “pure antisemitism” for seeking his arrest warrant for war crimes such as deliberately starving people in Gaza and targeting civilians.
Shortly after Netanyahu’s speech, Israel launched a wave of massive air raids on Dahiyeh, a suburb in southern Beirut that continued early into Saturday, saying it was targeting Hezbollah’s headquarters.
The strikes killed Hezbollah’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah and further escalated tensions in the region.
Kassy Cho
Sofia Hou
Sofia Hou
