Many of the world’s leaders came together last week in New York City for the opening session of the 77th General Assembly.
From Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s inaugural speech before the GA to the Israeli ambassador boycotting the Iranian president’s address, there were a number of noteworthy Israel-related moments at this year’s General Assembly.
The following are five of the most newsworthy events that took place last week at the United Nations:
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1) Prime Minister Yair Lapid Speaks Before the General Assembly
As part of the opening session of the General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid gave his first address as Israel’s prime minister before the assembled representatives of the nations of the world.
As part of his speech, Lapid lauded Israel’s growing partnership with its Middle Eastern neighbors, made clear that Israel would not abide a nuclear Iran and warned the world about the threat posed by state-sponsored fake news.
In addition, Prime Minister Lapid advocated for a two-state solution with a peaceful Palestinian state in the West Bank and reached out to the people of Gaza, saying “We are ready to help you build a better life, to build an economy” as long as they put down their weapons and agree to live alongside Israel in peace.
Well said @yairlapid @IsraeliPM "We didn’t only reach the Promised Land, we are building the Promised Land." https://t.co/hfGxVhmXcY
— Rabbi Steven Wernick (@rebsteve) September 22, 2022
Related Reading: The Top 5 Israel Moments at the United Nations
2) A Meeting 14 Years in the Making: Prime Minister Lapid Meets With Turkish President Erdogan
Apart from his speech at the United Nations, Prime Minister Lapid’s trip to New York City allowed him to meet with a host of foreign leaders and diplomats who were also in town for the General Assembly.
One particularly noteworthy meeting was with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was the first time an Israeli premier had met with Erdogan since former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with the Turkish leader in late 2008.
Israel and Turkey have had frosty relations over the past 12 years due to the Mavi Marmara incident in 2010 and the Israeli response to mass protests along the Israel-Gaza boundary in 2018.
Over the past year, however, the relationship between the two countries has begun to warm as Israel President Herzog visited Ankara in March 2022 and both Israel and Turkey agreed to exchange ambassadors a few months later.
According to a press release by Lapid’s office, the two leaders discussed the threat of terrorism as well as bilateral cooperation in the realms of economics and energy.
In addition, Lapid thanked Erdogan for his cooperation this past summer, when there was a high threat of an Iranian attack on Israeli tourists visiting Turkey, and also brought up the plight of Israeli citizens who are currently being held captive by Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli PM Lapid thanks Turkish President Erdogan for intel cooperation over Iranian attempts to target tourists in Istanbul this summer, as the pair meet on the sidelines of UN General Assembly | https://t.co/dcMYF5Gm3l
— Mike (@Doranimated) September 21, 2022
Related Reading: Will Warm Israel-Turkey Relations Cool Turkish Media’s Antisemitism?
3) UK Prime Minister Truss Tells Prime Minister Lapid That She is “Considering” Moving The Embassy to Jerusalem
Another important meeting that Prime Minister Yair Lapid had on the sidelines of the General Assembly was with the recently-appointed British Prime Minister Liz Truss.
During their meeting, Truss told Lapid that she is “positively considering” moving the British embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
According to the Jerusalem Post, such a move would “mark a sea change in British foreign policy” and would be highly significant since the United Kingdom is a major world power and is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Even though Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, it is currently home to only four embassies: The United States, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo.
#BREAKING: UK prime minister Liz Truss tells Israeli PM Lapid she may move Britain’s Israel embassy to Jerusalem: "We are in review of the current location of the British Embassy in Israel" pic.twitter.com/EFTxIzLVZr
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) September 22, 2022
Related Reading: Will Queen Elizabeth’s Death Trigger a New Era in the Royal Relationship With Israel?
4) Claims of Massacres and Glorifying Terrorists: The Anti-Israel Speeches Given at This Year’s General Assembly
While the United Nations is supposed to represent all the nations of the world coming together to work towards a peaceful present and future, this year’s General Assembly was marred by a number of hateful anti-Israel comments made by world leaders.
During his address, the President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi berated the Jewish state, saying “The region has not seen an occupying savage power such as the Zionist regime in its midst in the past.”
He later commented that “The occupying Zionist power that has occupied Jerusalem and other lands in the region cannot be a partner for security and stability.”
In addition, Raisi held up a photo of Qassem Soleimani, the former head of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who was assassinated in early 2020, and demanded justice for his killing.
Referring to a man who was directly responsible for both regional and international terrorism, including attacks on Israeli civilians, Raisi described Soleimani as a “freedom-seeking man who became a martyr.”
Related Reading: Iran as Depicted in Middle Eastern Media: Polarized Coverage of Soleimani’s Assassination Anniversary
In his address to the General Assembly, Jordan’s King Abdullah II accused Israel of “undermining” the status quo in Jerusalem and claimed that “Christianity in the holy city is under fire.”
In response to King Abdullah’s remarks, a number of Christians took issue with his representation of the situation in Jerusalem and also castigated him for not speaking up for Christians who are under existential threat in other countries.
In Mahmoud Abbas’ speech to the General Assembly, the president of the Palestinian Authority falsely accused Israel of “committing ‘massacres’ against the Palestinians and ‘assaults’ on Islamic and Christian holy sites.”
In addition, even though he lauded Israeli Prime Minister Lapid’s calling for a two-state solution in his GA speech, Abbas claimed that Israel “does not want peace” and that the Jewish state is solely responsible for the destruction of the Oslo Accords.
Abbas ended his speech by praising Palestinians who are sitting in Israeli jails, many of whom are serving sentences for terrorism-related charges, calling them “heroes and leaders.”
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas incited hatred and glorified terrorism when he addressed the #UnitedNations General Assembly, Israel charged as security forces braced for violence during the Jewish New Year holiday that begins on Sunday.https://t.co/O6sd3VLs52
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) September 24, 2022
5) Israeli Ambassador Erdan Boycotts the Iranian Leader’s Speech
As the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi, began his speech to the General Assembly, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, rose and left the plenum, protesting Raisi’s remarks earlier in the week that had questioned the historic validity of the Holocaust.
In his stead, Erdan left on his desk photos of his late grandmothers, both of whom had survived the Holocaust.
Israeli Ambassador to the UN @giladerdan1 walked out when Iranian President Raisi began his speech to the #UNGA, in protest against his Holocaust denial. Erdan left behind photos of his grandmothers, Holocaust survivors. pic.twitter.com/xnWCKF0iVL
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) September 21, 2022
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Credit: Stephanie Keith via Getty Images
