Benjamin Netanyadu at the UN forum: Israel wants peace, but it will defend itself against its enemies

Israel is at war, fighting on seven fronts for survival and winning, said the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday during the General Assembly session UN. He said he came to the UN to correct the “lies and slander” coming from this tribune and “remind us of the basic truths.” As he spoke, dozens of delegations left the chamber, his speech punctuated by both applause and boos.

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– Israel wants peace, but it will defend itself against enemies who want to destroy it, emphasized the Israeli prime minister. He recalled the Hamas attack on his country on October 7, 2023, during which terrorists killed 1,200 people, and the atrocities committed then. He noted that since then his country has been attacked on seven fronts, and the hostile forces are allied with Iran.

The Prime Minister showed the audience two boards with a map of the Middle East. One of them, titled “curse”, highlights Iran's allies, the other one, titled “blessing”, shows the route of the planned logistics corridor from India through Arab countries and Israel to Europe.

Netanyahu emphasized that the world must choose which vision of the future it supports – peaceful development beneficial to the entire region or what the regime in Tehran offers, i.e. “a return to the dark times of terror and fear.” He added that it is a choice between good and evil, and Israel, by fighting the Iranian “axis of terror”, defends not only itself but also the world against violence and terror.

The Prime Minister of Israel called for opposing Iran and stopping its nuclear weapons development program.

Netanyahu declared that Israel had killed half of the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip and destroyed 90 percent. missiles of this group, and its main goal is now the “sacred mission” of freeing the hostages held in Gaza.

He ruled out the possibility of Hamas playing any role in the Gaza Strip after the end of the war, and noted that Israel will support any civilian administration in the territory that advocates peaceful coexistence with Israel. He added that he does not envisage the repopulation of the Gaza Strip by Israeli settlers, but its “demilitarization and deradicalization.”

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The Prime Minister also announced that Israel will fight Lebanese Hezbollah until it achieves all its war goals. One of them – he emphasized – is to ensure the safety of over 60,000 people. residents of the north of the country who had to be relocated due to the shelling carried out by Hezbollah for a year.

Netanyahu argued that “it's time to say enough” and Israel has the right to neutralize the threat and allow the evacuees to return safely to their homes. He noted that unprovoked Hezbollah has been shelling the north of Israel for a year, and the attacks have completely disorganized life in the region.

Israel's prime minister said Iran-backed Hezbollah is a terrorist organization operating on five continents that has “murdered more U.S. and French citizens than any other terrorist group” other than al-Qaeda.

Israel carried out the attack on Friday at Hezbollah's headquarters in the capital LebanonBeirut. The media report that the target of the attack was the leader of the organization, Hasan Nasrallah. The Israeli army later warned civilians to evacuate three areas of Beirut and carried out further attacks. Witnesses interviewed by Reuters say there were more than 20 raids that lasted for five hours.

The Israeli Prime Minister also expressed hope for the quickest possible normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, which – as he emphasized – would contribute to the development of “tourism, trade, energy, the high-technology industry and many other sectors” in the region. It would be a real turn in history, the reconciliation of Jews and Arabs, Mecca and Jerusalem, noted the Israeli prime minister.