Bennett To Urge Action On Iran In UN Speech

Bennett to urge action on Iran in UN speech, won’t focus on Palestinians — aide

The Times of Israel is liveblogging Sunday’s events as they unfold.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will refer to the Iranian nuclear program at some length in his first speech in front of the UN General Assembly tomorrow morning, sending a message that the time has come for concrete actions to stop Tehran, a senior member of his entourage says in New York City.

“The Iranian nuclear program should be dealt with through actions,” the adviser says, noting that speeches and international forums have their importance as well.

“The [message] will be that we are at a critical stage in the Iranian nuclear program,” the official says, pointing at Iran’s continued enrichment and the possible resumption of nuclear talks with world powers in Geneva.

Bennett will also address Iran’s support for regional terrorism and armed proxies, and he will speak briefly about Iran’s new hardline leadership headed by President Ebrahim Raisi.

He is expected to briefly address the Palestinian issue, but will not focus on it.

Israel’s relationship with the world is rich and multi-faceted, and should not be defined by the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians, the adviser said.

Bennett to tell UN: Enough talk on Iran, time to act

LAHAV HARKOV 

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett plans to tell the world that the time has come to act against Iran’s nuclear program, in his first-ever address to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.

The core message Bennett plans to relay in regards to Iran is that “we deal with security through actions. Speeches are important, but this is the time to act,” a source in the prime minister’s entourage in New York said on Sunday.

Bennett is also considering using the phrase from Hillel the Elder, “if I am not for myself, who will be for me?” in that context, to reflect that Israel cannot rely on others for its own defense.

The prime minister plans to speak out against hypocrisy and the double standards to which Israel is held in international forums such as the UN, which passes more resolutions against Israel than against any other country.