Barely a year later, diplomats protested during a speech by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the United Nations General Assembly because of the continued military attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. The protest started early as soon as Netanyahu entered the stage, whereupon the presiding diplomat said: ‘Order, please’.
The war in Gaza, which is almost a year old, devastates the area, with more than 42 thousand killed and most of the people – displaced. Those alive face acute malnutrition because homes, schools, and hospitals have been flattened through continuous airstrikes and tank shelling. While over 700 people have been killed in recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon most of them are women and children.
Fuming at the walkout, Netanyahu stood in defense of Israel, indicating it has every right to defend itself and bring back its citizens. He cautioned that the conflict could deepen, focusing threats on Iran by saying, “If you hit us, we will hit you,” and noting that there isn’t a spot within Iran or the Middle East that Israel can’t bomb.
But even with such pressure on the conflict from leaders such as U.S. President Joe Biden urging for ceasefire, Netanyahu rejected the calls and declared his preparedness for carrying out further military actions against Hezbollah in Lebanon saying, “We are at war with Hezbollah.”
Within two hours of the speech, Israeli jets launched a heavy attack on Beirut’s southern outskirts allegedly on Hezbollah targets. By the Israeli media which claimed that the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was the target, reports showed that he was safe.
On Tuesday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas criticized Israel, disagreeing with Netanyahu’s version of events and calling for an end to the attacks on Palestinians. He urged the global society to act and intervene to help prevent further killings in Gaza and the West Bank.
