Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood before the United Nations last year armed with the Abraham Accords and presented a new vision for the Middle East based on cooperation with the Arab countries that have normalized relations in the region. Now, before his speech before the UN General Assembly, he is on the verge of engaging in a large-scale war with Hezbollah, ignoring calls from his allies to stop his war in Gaza, and continuing to procrastinate in reaching a ceasefire.

This is what was reported in a report by the Guardian newspaper by correspondent Andrew Roth, who confirmed that Netanyahu’s arrival in the United States next Friday - to attend the annual UN meeting of world leaders - will lead to diplomatic withdrawals and protests in the streets.

The writer compared Netanyahu’s reputation last year with his current status, describing him as an international pariah, especially after the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court requested an arrest warrant for him following the bloody war that Israel has been waging on Gaza for a year.

Roth wondered whether the upcoming trip would transform the Israeli prime minister from a pariah to an internationally wanted criminal, saying it would be “embarrassing” if the International Criminal Court’s panel of judges made a surprise decision this week to indict Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza, as the indictment would come before the eyes of world leaders.

Netanyahu is likely to seize the opportunity to gather with world leaders to gauge support for his escalation in Lebanon, or to tell President Joe Biden and other allies that he has made up his mind to go to war and will not back down.

Bad relations with the United Nations

The writer pointed to Netanyahu’s poor relationship with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who said he had not spoken to Netanyahu since the start of the war, but was willing to meet him at the meeting if the Israeli prime minister asked.

“I have not spoken to him because he has not returned my calls, but I have no reason not to speak to him,” Guterres added, harshly criticizing the “lack of accountability” for the killing of 200 UN humanitarian workers in Israeli strikes that the UN described as “indiscriminate” and untargeted.

He pointed out that the current Israeli attacks on Hezbollah are a possible prelude to a military escalation in Lebanon, and warned that the region is on the "brink of disaster".

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office announced on Friday that the trip to the United States would be postponed by one day due to the escalation on the Lebanese front.

Source: The Guardian