Benjamin Netanyahu used an official event commemorating the victims of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks (held on Monday, according to the Hebrew calendar date) to accuse the world of spreading “blood libels” about Israeli actions in Gaza.
© DEBBIE HILL / POOL (EFE)
Two images clearly showed the growing international isolation and criticism facing Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Inside the UN headquarters, the conservative Israeli prime minister was met Thursday with jeers and the departure of many delegations before he began his address. The half-empty General Assembly was a powerful metaphor. “If there are any other moral cowards who haven’t left this hall, please do so now,” he said defiantly, while members of his delegation shouted: “Am Israel Jai” (“The people of Israel live,” in Hebrew). Outside the building, police detained about 100 demonstrators, among them actress Susan Sarandon and Democratic congressional candidate Darializa Ávila Chevalier, who were protesting the presence of a head of state accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
© Jeenah Moon (REUTERS)
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