Netanyahu UN speech ‘at a point of being persona non grata’
The UN Security Council holds an emergency meeting in about one hour with the focus on Israel’s deadly assault on Lebanon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, is expected to address the UN General Assembly on Friday. He will seek to persuade a world growing increasingly hostile to Israel’s war on Gaza and attacks on Lebanon that the aims are justified.
“He arrives almost at a point of being persona non grata,” said Alon Liel, a former director-general of Israel’s foreign ministry and outspoken critic of Netanyahu. “There is no doubt that he knows how to deliver a speech. I think the world buys his chatter less and less.”
Yossi Shain, a professor of international relations at Georgetown and Tel Aviv University, said Netanyahu’s speeches abroad were often meant to impress audiences at home, and this one is no different.
“In his view, any such trips to New York, to the grand stage of world affairs, he considers an advantage,” said Shain.
‘Stop the killing and destruction’: UN chief
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed an emergency UN Security Council meeting on the burgeoning conflict in Lebanon after days of deadly Israeli attacks. Lebanon cannot become another Gaza, said the UN chief.
“I implore the Council to work in lockstep to help put out this fire. The parties must immediately return to a cessation of hostilities … Civilians must be protected. Civilian infrastructure must not be targeted. The safety and security of all UN assets must be ensured. International law must be respected,” said Guterres.
“To all sides, let’s say in one clear voice: Stop the killing and destruction, tone down the rhetoric and threats, and step back from the brink.” Guterres said an all-out war must be avoided “at all costs”.
French FM unveils proposal for 21-day ceasefire at UN Security Council
Jean-Noël Barrot, the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, told the UN Security Council that France is working with the United States on a proposal for a temporary pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
“In recent days, we’ve worked with our American partners on a temporary ceasefire platform of 21 days to allow for negotiations,” Barrot told the emergency meeting in New York.
“This platform will be made public very soon, and we are counting on both parties to accept it without delay.” Barrot added that he will go to Beirut by the end of the week to work on negotiations there.
US hopes to release Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire proposal as soon as tonight
Senior United States officials who have been furiously working to hammer out a framework for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah are hoping to announce a proposal as soon as tonight, sources tell CNN.
One of those sources also said that the effort to mediate a ceasefire began in earnest for the Biden administration after President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, spoke on the phone with top Israeli official Ron Dermer on Monday.
The proposed ceasefire plan, when announced, is expected to come from the US and other nations. It would then require agreement from Israel and Hezbollah.
A European diplomat expressed skepticism about the prospects of the efforts succeeding, saying they see “no reason to be optimistic right now.” The diplomat added that ongoing talks are pushing ahead but the “situation is deteriorating and escalating by the hour.”
Biden has been discussing the escalating hostilities in the Middle East with various world leaders this week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City. On Wednesday, Biden discussed the matter with French President Emmanuel Macron, the White House said.
