22 September 2023UN Affairs
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel is at the cusp of a “dramatic breakthrough”: a historic peace deal between his country and Saudi Arabia.
“Such a peace will go a long way in ending Arab-Israeli conflict and will encourage other Arab States to normalize their relations with Israel,” he said, adding that it will also enhance prospects of peace with the Palestinians.
The agreement, he emphasized will “encourage a broader reconciliation between Judaism and Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael.”
‘Genuine peace’ with Palestinians
Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East, the Prime Minster continued, noting that as the circle of peace expands, a real path towards “genuine peace” with Palestinians can finally be achieved.
However, there is a caveat: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas “must stop spreading the horrible anti-Semitic conspiracies” against the Jewish people, and that the Palestinian Authority must stop supporting and glorifying terrorists.
A ‘visionary corridor’
In his address, Prime Minister Netanyahu also said that a corridor stretching across the Arabian Peninsula and Israel, connecting India with Europe was announced by US President Biden, Indian Prime Minister Modi and European and Arab leaders at the recently held G20 Summit.
The “visionary corridor” would facilitate trade, communication and energy connectivity for the benefit of over two billion people, he said.
For centuries, Israel was invaded by empires passing through it in their campaigns of plunder and conquest elsewhere, “but today, as we tear down the walls of enmity, Israel can become a bridge of peace and prosperity between these continents,” Mr. Netanyahu added.
Fly in the ointment
The Israeli Prime Minister went on to note that there is a “fly in the ointment … the fanatics ruling Iran will do everything they can to thwart this historic peace.”
He denounced Iran for its terrorist acts, including through proxies, threatening international shipping, holding foreign nationals as hostages, killing and arresting many of its own citizens, and supplying drones and missiles that “bring death and destruction to innocent people in the Ukraine.”
“Yet the regime’s aggression is largely met by indifference in the international community,” he said, stressing: “To stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This policy must change. Sanctions must be snapped back.”
The AI revolution
In his address, Prime Minister Netanyahu also highlighted the development of artificial intelligence (AI), noting that while it offered immense benefits for humanity, it also posed grave dangers.
The world’s leading nations, however competitive, must address these dangers collectively and quickly, he urged, emphasizing that “we must ensure that the promise of an AI utopia does not turn into an AI dystopia.”
He also noted his country’s role, “just as Israel’s technological revolution provided the world with breathtaking innovations, I’m confident that AI developed by Israel will once again help all humanity.”
Blessings of a new Middle East
Prime Minister Netanyahu concluded his remarks, stating “bring forth the blessings of a new Middle East that will transform lands once written with conflict and chaos, into fields of prosperity and peace.”
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/09/1141302
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