New York. In his first address to the United Nations since the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu portrayed Iran as a key player in the conflict in the Middle East. He displayed two maps during his address to the United Nations General Assembly, showing one group of countries as a curse and the other group as a blessing. This picture of his is going viral on the internet.
Interestingly, both maps show the Palestinian territories – West Bank and Gaza – as part of Israel. In the viral picture, the map on Netanyahu’s right hand shows Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen in black and has termed them as The Curse. Whereas in the left hand map, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and India have been depicted in green color and these countries have been described as ‘The Blessing’.
The map shown by Netanyahu also showed Syria’s Golan Heights area as part of Israel. The move by Netanyahu, who has a history of using props at the UN General Assembly, is being seen as Israel’s attempt to emphasize its growing ties with neighboring Arab countries.
Let us tell you that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first global leaders to condemn the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2024. However, India has called for a complete ceasefire in the region and supported the two-state solution for a permanent solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In his address to the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu waved maps bearing The Curse and The Blessing, saying the world must choose between a blessing and a curse. Netanyahu targeted Iran and accused it of providing arms and support to extremist organizations. He urged the world to stop appeasing such countries. Netanyahu said, I have a message for Tehran, if you attack us, then we will attack you. There is no place in Iran that Israel cannot reach, and this is true for the entire Middle East.
The Middle East crisis has deepened with Israel heavily bombing Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon. Netanyahu also warned Palestine in clear words. He said that Israel wants peace in the world. Israeli Prime Minister said, Palestinians should stop spreading hatred towards Jews and reach a compromise with Israel. The risk of open conflict between Israel and its arch rival Iran is increasing since the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’s political wing, in Iran’s capital Tehran in July this year.