Journalism of Courage
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Friday over the ongoing war in Gaza, addressing a half-empty room. In what could be interpreted as a visual representation of Israel’s growing international isolation, scores of delegates walked out.
This was not the first time Netanyahu has been ‘boycotted’ at UNGA. In 2024, too, the Israeli PM’s address at the UNGA was met with a walkout. But the walkout did not deter Netanyahu from what he was there for – to deliver a message – to the people of Gaza and the rest of the world.
Netanyahu made sure that the residents of Gaza heard what he had to say by allegedly ‘taking control’ of their phones to broadcast his UNGA speech. Gaza residents reportedly received text messages with a link to Netanyahu’s speech. And if that wasn’t enough, Israeli military loudspeakers also blasted the speech to the people of Gaza.
Netanyahu spoke to the residents in Gaza in English and told them that the war in Gaza can end immediately with the return of the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli PM then turned his attention to world leaders, who in recent days announced their countries’ recognition of the state of Palestine. Lambasting the leaders of “France, Britain, Australia, Canada, and other countries,” Netanyahu said it was a gift for Hamas for the October 7 terror attack.
“Giving the Palestinians a state one mile from Jerusalem after October 7 is like giving Al Qaeda a state one mile from New York City after September 11. This is sheer madness. It’s insane, and we won’t do it,” he said.
On the two-state solution, Netanyahu once again blamed the Palestinians and said both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have rejected Israel’s right to exist.
“The Palestinians — they don’t believe in this solution. They never have. They don’t want a state next to Israel. They want a Palestinian state instead of Israel,” he said.
“The persistent Palestinian rejection of a Jewish state in any bout is what has driven this conflict for over a century. It is still driving it,” he added.
The ongoing war in Gaza has isolated Israel globally, with even the US making its displeasure public. It also dashed hopes of the Jewish state having normal relations with its Arab neighbours.
Netanyahu was, however, upbeat about the Abraham Accords and said Arab countries will benefit from better relations with Israel.
“Forward-looking Arabs and Muslim leaders know that cooperating with Israel will provide them with ground-breaking Israeli technologies, including in medicine and science, in agriculture and water, in defense, and AI, and so many other fields,” he said.
Netanyahu also expressed confidence about achieving peace with Syria and Lebanon, while also asserting that the people of Israel and Iran will renew their friendship after “those who wage war on Israel today will be gone tomorrow.”
