Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel’s decision to attack Iran and rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza in a combative speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, as the wider Middle East crisis dominated developments at the UN.
At the same time, Hamas said it was ready to move ahead with the next steps of a Gaza peace agreement, though questions remained over disarmament and reconstruction funding. Elsewhere, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, while the UN urged faster humanitarian access for civilians affected by worsening fighting in Yemen.
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Netanyahu, who faced a mixed reception of cheers, boos and mass walkouts in the General Assembly hall, said allegations of Israeli genocide in Gaza were “the biggest lie of the century”. Scores of delegates walked out and many seats were empty during his speech. “If there are any other moral cowards who have not yet left the hall, please do so now,” he said. Netanyahu also said attacking Iran “was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make” and criticised delegates who left the hall as “moral cowards”.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the UN through a prerecorded video after the United States again denied him a visa to attend the General Assembly, the second year in a row this has happened. In his remarks, Abbas said, “We will not leave our homeland. We will not accept displacement. And we will not allow anyone to decide our future on our behalf.” Though leaders have referred to the plight of Palestinians in speeches through the week, Abbas called on the international community to take more concrete action against Israel.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the group was ready to move forward after Trump’s Board of Peace unveiled a six-month USD 2.45-billion plan for Gaza’s reconstruction. Qassem expressed Hamas’s “full readiness to implement the Board of Peace’s roadmap”, but did not mention any plans for disarmament. Israel has said reconstruction will not be allowed unless Hamas disarms. Hamas had agreed last year to a plan that included disarmament, but has since exchanged accusations with Israel over ceasefire violations and has accused Israel of breaching the agreement by continuing to occupy much of Gaza.
A top European Union official said only 1 billion euros, or about USD 1.1 billion, has been raised out of the 71 billion euros, or about USD 80.8 billion, that the United Nations, the World Bank and the 27-member European Union estimate will be needed to rebuild Gaza.
In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they had attacked a “sensitive target” in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in the Saudi port city of Yanbu, but did not provide evidence. Houthi military spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Saree said cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones were used, but did not say when. It was the second claim of an attack on the Saudi capital in recent days. The rebels also said they fired dozens of missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jazan province, saying the attacks were in response to the “unjust siege and the launching of aggressive airstrikes” from Saudi territory. The Associated Press said it could not independently verify the claims.
The Saudi government and Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Earlier, Saudi military spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Malki said six ballistic missiles aimed at Yanbu and the southwestern city of Taif had been intercepted. At the UN, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said he was not worried about a Houthi takeover of parts of Yemen and said the government is “very capable of defending the territory it controls”. He did not directly answer a question on the US decision not to get militarily involved against the Houthis, and also declined to say whether Saudi Arabia would join the Abraham Accords, saying full implementation of the Gaza peace plan must come first.
The UN also called for urgent humanitarian access in Yemen as fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces worsens an already severe crisis. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Trk said people fleeing violence need food, shelter and healthcare. He said ground fighting, artillery and aerial strikes have killed and wounded at least 125 civilians since the start of August, and also called for the release of 73 UN staff members detained by the Houthis over the past few years.
Thursday’s developments at the UN brought together the main fault lines across the region, with Netanyahu defending Israel’s actions, Abbas demanding stronger international action, Hamas backing the next phase of a Gaza plan, and the UN warning of deepening humanitarian distress in both Gaza and Yemen.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
