A speech in his own name: Netanyahu's last dance at the UN
Lior Ben Ami writes that Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech at the UN General Assembly will likely be his last international appearance. Ben Ami argues that Netanyahu, a leader past his time, is doomed to fail in his attempt to convince a hostile world and to project his status to the Israeli public. The article reviews significant past speeches by Netanyahu at the UN, including the 2023 speech on the eve of October 7, and points to the blindness of the concept that prevailed in it.
Lior Ben Ami writes that Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming speech at the UN General Assembly will likely be his last international appearance. Ben Ami argues that Netanyahu, a leader past his time, is doomed to fail in his attempt to convince a hostile world that sees him as a red flag, and to project his status to the Israeli public. The article reviews significant past speeches by Netanyahu at the UN: the 2009 speech with the Auschwitz map, the 2012 speech on the red line of the Iranian nuclear program, the 40 seconds of silence in 2015, the 2017 address in Persian to the Iranian people, and the 2023 speech on the eve of October 7. Ben Ami points to the blindness in the 2023 speech, where he said the word peace 40 times and attacked the Palestinian Authority but did not mention Hamas. The author describes Netanyahu as a "leader past his time," as an "aging soccer player" seeking lost glory and destroying the team. Ben Ami asks in whose name a weak man, who has succumbed to inequality and violence, travels overseas, and determines that Netanyahu represents only himself.