In his first speech at the UN since the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to paint Iran as a major source of conflict in the Middle East and shows two cards showing a group of countries as the “Curse” and another group as the “Blessings”. Interestingly, both maps show Palestinian territories – the West Bank and Gaza – as part of Israel.
The map on Netanyahu’s right hand showed Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen painted in black, calling them “The Curse”. In his left hand, the map showed Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and India painted in green. These countries were called “The Blessings.” The Golan Heights region of Syria was also shown as part of Israel.
The move by Netanyahu, who has a history of using props in the UN General Assembly, is seen as an attempt by Israel to highlight its growing relationship with neighboring Arab countries.
Holding the cards, Netanyahu said the world must choose between a “blessing” and a “curse” as the Middle East crisis deepens with Israel carrying out heavy bombing Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.
NETANYAHU’S WARNING TO IRAN
In a fiery speech, Netanyahu turned his guns on Iran, which has a history of arming regional militias, and called on the world to stop pacifying the nation. “I have a message for Tehran, if you hit us, we will hit you,” Netanyahu said.
“There is no place in Iran that the long arm of Israel cannot reach, and that goes for the entire Middle East,” he added.
The threat of open conflict between Israel and its arch-rival Iran has grown since the assassination of the head of Hamas’s political wing, Ismail Haniyeh, in the Iranian capital in July. In April, Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time after an attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Syria.
Netanyahu also had a warning for Palestine as he described Israel as a nation seeking peace. “Palestinians must stop spewing hatred against Jews and finally come to terms with the Jewish state,” he said.
