The new foreign minister of Israel was handed his credentials in a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry building in Jerusalem on Tuesday, officially assuming the role as Israel’s top diplomat at a tense time amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.
“We are in the midst of a Third World War against Iran and radical Islam,” said Israel Katz, who had been serving as energy minister. He also previously served as foreign minister from 2019-2020.
Iran is the main international sponsor of Hamas, providing the Palestinian terror group with funds, arms, and training.
In his remarks, Katz thanked outgoing Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who has held the position since the current Israeli coalition government’s formation at the end of last year. He will now take over Katz’s role at the Energy Ministry.
“I have always said that we have a foreign minister full of energy, and now you are going to the Energy Ministry,” Katz said. “We will continue to act together as we have done until today.”
Katz outlined his priorities as Israel’s top diplomat, saying at the top of the list is “the return of the abductees home,” referring to the 240 hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 onslaught across southern Israel. The surprise attack, in which the terrorists murdered over 1,200 people, sparked the current war in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas.
Amid the war with Hamas in Gaza to Israel’s south, Israeli forces have been clashing with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror group in Hezbollah, to the north. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks. Katz was referring to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 during the Second Lebanon War. It called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of Lebanese and UN peacekeeping forces, UNIFIL, in southern Lebanon.
Continuing his point about a third world war, Katz also addressed the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program.
1 comment:
What just happened in Iran, terror vs terror...Poetic Justice.
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