| Palestinian delegation leaves summit: Netanyahu demands recognition of Jewishness of Israeli state |
| 25.09.09 - 12:28 | |
| New York / PNN – The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked once again the Holocaust of World War II that befell the Jewish people. During his speech on Thursday night in New York to a large number of leaders in the General Assembly of the United Nations Netanyahu devoted an editorial to the subject while supporting continuing settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This portion of Netanyahu’s speech was delivered in reference to Iran and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while not addressing the Israeli nuclear weapons that remain without international inspection. The Israeli Prime Minister invoked a “threat to Jews” that is perpetrated by Iran, he said, while in context suggesting its affiliation with the Hamas party. Netanyahu said he in essence that he would continue to disregard international law and build more settlements, yet claimed that the Israelis were “extending the hand to the Palestinians.” He said that there should be a Palestinian state, but one that is demilitarized. At the same time, the Israeli state would remain one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world. He said that “Iranian-backed Hamas” could not be “terrorizing the hills” overlooking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Netanyahu said that “Palestinians must recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.” The Israeli Prime Minister added a condemnation of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the Gladstone Report, that notes war crimes were committed by the Israelis in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian representative had left the room when the Israeli Prime Minister gave his speech. |