World
Quoting John McEnroe, Benjamin Netanyahu highlights UN’s ‘fake news’
The Israeli Prime Minister discussed the international body’s obsession with Israel, as well as the danger from an unchecked Iran
September 20, 2017 10:24
The Israeli Prime Minister discussed the international body’s obsession with Israel, as well as the danger from an unchecked Iran
September 20, 2017 10:24What do penguins, John McEnroe and the Tomb of the Patriarchs have in common?
All of them received a mention in Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly.
In his address yesterday, the Israeli Prime Minister discussed the international body’s obsession with Israel, as well as the danger from an unchecked Iran.
He also referenced his numerous foreign trips over the past year.
“One year: six continents,” Mr Netanyahu said, describing his trips to Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Oceania.
“Now it’s true, I haven’t yet visited Antarctica,” he continued.
“But one day I have to go there, I want to go there too because I’ve heard that penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel.
“You laugh, but penguins have no difficulty recognising that some things are black and white, are right and wrong.
“And unfortunately, when it comes to UN decisions about Israel, that simple recognition is too often absent.”
Mr Netanyahu went on to give an example from May, when the World Health Organisation “adopted a Syrian-sponsored resolution that criticised Israel for health conditions on the Golan Heights.
“As the great John McEnroe would say, you cannot be serious,” the Israeli Prime Minister said.
“I mean, this is preposterous. Syria has barrel-bombed, starved, gassed and murdered hundreds of thousands of its own citizens and wounded millions more, while Israel has provided life-saving medical care to thousands of Syrian victims of that very same carnage.
“Yet who does the World Health Organisation condemn? Israel.”
He went on to criticise the “absurdity” of UNESCO naming the Tomb of the Patriarchs a Palestinian World Heritage Site, saying it was “worse than fake news. It’s fake history.
“Abraham, the father of both Ishmael and Isaac, is buried there, but so, too, are Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca - Sarah's a Jewish name, by the way - Sarah, Rebecca and Leah, who just happened to be patriarchs and matriarchs of the Jewish people.
“Well, you won't read about that in the latest UNESCO report, but if you want to, you can read about it in a somewhat weightier publication. It's called ‘the Bible’.
“I highly recommend it. I hear it even got four and a half out of five stars on Amazon. And it's a great read. I read it every week.”
Previous speeches by Mr Netanyahu at the UN have focused heavily on Iran, and this one was no different.
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, Mr Netanyahu described how “from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, from Tehran to Tartus, an Iranian curtain is descending across the Middle East.
“Israel's policy regarding the nuclear deal with Iran is very simple,” he went on to say.
“Change it or cancel it. Fix it or nix it. Nixing the deal means restoring massive pressure on Iran, including crippling sanctions until Iran fully dismantles its nuclear weapons capability. Fixing the deal requires many things, among them inspecting military and any other site that is a suspect, and penalising Iran for every violation.”
The Israeli Prime Minister also told the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, that he “very much appreciate[d] your statement that denying Israel's right to exist is antisemitism, pure and simple.
“For too long, the epicentre of global antisemitism has been right here at the UN, and while it may take many years, I'm absolutely confident that the revolution in Israel's ties with individual nations will ultimately be reflected here in this hall of nations.”
