BiBi's UN Speech

https://portside.org/2017-12-18/bibis-un-speech
Portside Date:
Author: Barak Ravid
Date of source:
Haaretz (Israel)

'Netanyahu's speech was tired, bothersome and boring. In contrast to the Iranian President Hassan Rohani's sophisticated PR campaign, which led to his taking the UN by storm, Netanyahu sounded like an old, scratchy vinyl record. Not only did he fail to come up with a new effect that would call world attention to the Iranian nuclear threat, such as last year's cartoon, the prime minister failed to offer any new pertinent information.

'Netanyahu's associates nicknamed his address the "fact speech" or the "truth speech." Well, yes: Netanyahu heaped piles of data and facts. He quoted articles from the New York Times as well as from Rohani's memoirs, and mentioned every crime Tehran committed throughout the years.

'Most of the facts were, in fact, founded, but that underlined the failure of his address. The Western powers have no shortage of intelligence as to moves inside Iran. The leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany and other Israeli allies are not naïve children in need of an introduction to the history of the Iranian nuclear program. Instead of bringing them closer to a common strategy, the address might have antagonized them.'

Barak Ravid,

diplomatic correspondent for Haaretz newspaper.
 


Source URL: https://portside.org/2017-12-18/bibis-un-speech