Israeli PM Netanyahu pulls out unconventional 'pop quiz' during UNGA speech: Video
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an unconventional address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, warning that Israel’s battle against Iran and militant groups is part of a global fight against radical Islamist terror, and that many nations quietly depend on Israel’s intelligence and military action.
Breaking from typical diplomatic rhetoric, Netanyahu opened his speech with a “pop quiz” for delegates.
“Let’s do something else for the first time at the UN. Let’s do a pop quiz. Who shouts, ‘Death to America’?," he queried the Assembly while pulling out a placard. "Is it A. Iran, B. Hamas, C. Hezbollah, D. the Houthis, or E. all of the above? Correct, all of the above. Second question: Who has murdered Americans and Europeans in cold blood? A. Al-Qaeda, B. Hamas, C. Hezbollah, D. Iran, or E. all of the above? Correct again.”
The Israeli leader used the exercise to argue that Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, threaten not just Israel but the entire modern world.
“Our enemies hate all of us with equal venom,” Netanyahu warned. “They want to drag the modern world back to the past, to a dark age of violence, fanaticism, and terror. You know deep down that Israel is fighting your fight.”
Netanyahu claimed that despite public criticism, many world leaders privately thank Israel for its intelligence, which he said has repeatedly prevented terrorist attacks in foreign capitals.
“Behind closed doors, many of the leaders who publicly condemn us, privately thank us,” he said. “They tell me how much they value Israel’s superb intelligence services that have prevented, time and again, terrorist attacks in their capitals, saving countless lives.”
He cited comments by former U.S. Air Force intelligence chief General George Keegan, who once said the U.S. would need “five CIAs” to match Israel’s intelligence capabilities, and noted that German Chancellor Merz admitted Israel was “doing the dirty work for all of us” after Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites in June.
Netanyahu also praised former U.S. President Donald Trump for showing Iran that there is “a price to pay” for targeting Americans.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
